Leave a Legacy of Love

Donor Advised Fund (DAF) giving is increasingly popular among individuals and families who wish to support multiple charities throughout the year and over extended periods.

A DAF is a separately managed philanthropic fund maintained and operated by a sponsoring organization, such as Vanguard, Fidelity, or Schwab. Once established by a donor, they (or a designated representative) have the ability to direct how funds are invested and distributed to various charities. A donor-advised fund offers a low-cost, flexible method to diversify your philanthropy without the complexities and expenses of creating a private foundation.

Recommending a gift to WCGHS through your DAF is straightforward. You can donate directly by providing the necessary details to the organization sponsoring your fund. Each sponsoring organization has specific forms to facilitate your donation, usually accessible through an online portal. After submitting your forms, the sponsoring organization will process the transaction to distribute funds to WCGHS.

Information to make a DAF gift:
Legal Name: West Columbia Gorge Humane Society
Physical Address: 2675 Index Street, Washougal, WA 98671
Phone: 360-835-3464
Tax ID: 91-1634652

If you have any questions about what information to provide to your DAF’s sponsoring organization, please contact Micki Simeone at mickis@wcghs.org or 360-635-7239.

This distribution is called a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). When you keep your RMD, the distribution amount is added to your taxable income. If you don’t need the cash, and don’t want to increase your taxable income, you can donate all, or a portion of your RMD to West Columbia Gorge Humane Society (WCGHS).

Donating all or part of your RMD, is a special gift called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). A QCD is a type of charitable donation made directly from your pre-tax IRA Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to a qualified charity.

When you make a QCD, the full gift value passes tax-free. The donation amount is not considered taxable income and supports WCGHS’s mission.

For those who itemize, you receive a tax deduction for the value of the donation, lowering your adjusted gross income. Lowering your adjusted gross income can affect your tax bracket, reduce the amount of Social Security benefits subject to tax, and potentially lower the cost of Medicare premiums.

If you take the standard deduction on your taxes, the donated amount is excluded from your taxable income.

Information to make a QCD gift:
Legal Name: West Columbia Gorge Humane Society
Physical Address: 2675 Index Street, Washougal, WA 98671
Phone: 360-835-3464
Tax ID: 91-1634652

Please keep in mind that a QCD must be initiated by your retirement fund directly and mailed directly to WCGHS. If the funds pass through you, in any way, the tax benefits outlined above do not apply.

Donating appreciated stock to WCGHS can have significant tax advantages!

If you donate the appreciated stock directly to WCGHS, you can avoid paying capital gains tax, and, as an additional benefit, you receive a charitable deduction for the full value of the stock at the time of the donation.

Please email Micki Simeone at mickis@wcghs.org or call 360-635-7239 before beginning the donation process so that we may alert our broker. If our broker is not advised before the transfer is initiated, it will be assumed to be fraudulent and will be rejected. 

You might also consider naming WCGHS as a beneficiary of your investment account. You can update the policy’s “Beneficiary Form,” on your broker’s website and provide these details:

Information to make a stock gift:
Legal Name: West Columbia Gorge Humane Society
Physical Address: 2675 Index Street, Washougal, WA 98671
Phone: 360-835-3464
Tax ID: 91-1634652

It is the general policy of WCGHS to sell donated stocks. However, the investment committee reviews each stock donation and reserves the right to hold shares if there is significant long-term growth potential.

Leaving a charitable gift in your estate plan will ensure your commitment to animal welfare, your community and West Columbia Gorge Humane Society (WCGHS) will live on. It is simple to name WCGHS as a beneficiary in your will, living trust, retirement, or life insurance plan. You can indicate a specific amount, a percentage, a residual share or name WCGHS as a contingent beneficiary. Bequests can include a percentage of your estate, a specific asset, or a specific dollar amount. With a bequest, your estate will receive a charitable deduction for the full amount of a monetary bequest or the fair market value of donated assets.

Specific Bequest Language

I give West Columbia Gorge Humane Society, Tax ID 91-1634652, currently located at 2675 Index Street, Washougal, WA 98671, ____% (or $______), of my estate for its general purposes.

Residual Bequest Language

I give West Columbia Gorge Humane Society, Tax ID 91-1634652, currently located at 2675 Index Street, Washougal, WA 98671, all (or ____%) of the rest, residue, or remainder of my estate, both real and personal, for its general purposes.

Contingent Bequest Language

If any of the above-named beneficiaries disclaim or predecease me, I bequeath his or her share to West Columbia Gorge Humane Society, Tax ID 91-1634652, currently located at 2675 Index Street, Washougal, WA 98671, to be used for its general purposes.

Did you know that if you gift your Traditional IRA, 401(k), or 403(b) to an individual through an estate plan, up to 40% of its value may be lost due to taxes? You may want to consider gifting this asset to WCGHS. Gifting your pre-tax retirement fund has three significant advantages.

• The entire value of the fund will transfer tax free, maximizing your retirement savings.
• The value of the IRA gift is deducted from the estate’s value, reducing the overall estate tax burden.
• Other assets inherited by individual heirs are not subject to a personal income tax penalty.

Changing the beneficiaries of your retirement accounts is simple and can be done without an attorney. Simply go online and log in to your account(s) and complete the beneficiary designation form, or call your financial representative and request that a copy of the form be mailed to you.

Information to make a retirement plan gift:
Legal Name: West Columbia Gorge Humane Society
Physical Address: 2675 Index Street, Washougal, WA 98671
Phone: 360-835-3464
Tax ID: 91-1634652

You can donate a whole life or term life insurance policy that outlasted its original purpose while you’re alive. This gift will receive a tax deduction equivalent to the settlement value (assessed by the insurance company). These gifts are accepted on a case-by-case basis.

Please contact Micki Simeone at 360-635-7239 or mickis@wcghs.org to talk more about your individual situation.

You can also name WCGHS as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy. Simply update the “Beneficiary Form,” on your insurance company’s website.

Information to make a retirement gift:
Legal Name: West Columbia Gorge Humane Society
Physical Address: 2675 Index Street, Washougal, WA 98671
Phone: 360-835-3464
Tax ID: 91-1634652

Upon your death, the account is dissolved and transfers to WCGHS, outside of probate and entirely tax free. Your estate will also receive a charitable tax deduction, which lowers the value of the overall estate.