There are many ways to give to Tai Sophia Institute. The most advantageous way will depend upon your interests and circumstances.

Outlined below is an introduction to some of the options available to our donors as they consider their commitments to retire $8.4 million of seed money expensed for our new campus on Montpelier Road. Representatives of the Institute welcome an opportunity to meet with you and discuss these or other considerations in more detail. For assistance, please contact Antje Wirth in the Office of Advancement at ext. 6641 or .

Gifts of Cash, Securities and Property.

Join the Tai Sophia Institute 2008/2009 Annual Fund and enjoy benefits including a 25% discount at the Meeting Point Bookstore.

2008/2009 Annual Fund Brochure

Cash

Cash is the most direct way to make a gift toward achieving the Institute’s mission. Gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. Please download and return the donation form.

Credit Card

We accept donations paid by Visa and Mastercard. If you would like to set up a recurring credit card donation, please download and return this recurring credit card donation authorization form.

Matching Gift Information

Corporate matching gifts are an easy way for you to increase the impact of your personal contributions to Tai Sophia Institute. By taking advantage of a company's matching gift program, a donor can generate an additional gift that may automatically double or triple his or her own contribution. Over 15,000 companies maintain programs, click here to see an abbreviated list of companies matching gifts to higher education.

Here's how to make a matching gift:

• Check with your company's human resources department to find out about its matching-gift policy. Ask for their matching gift ratio (i.e. 1:1, 2:1, 3:1. If you are retired, ask if your gifts are eligible to have matched gifts. Some companies also match gifts of spouses of employees.
• Many employers will provide a form for you to fill out and send to us with your basic donation.
• We will verify your gift and return the form to your company, which will then issue a matching gift contribution to Tai Sophia Institute.

Securities

These investments may make excellent gifts for many donors to consider. When a person owns securities that have a long-term gain and gives them to the Tai Sophia Institute, they are received at the current fair market value. The donor is able to deduct as a gift on his or her federal income tax return the full fair market value of the securities and avoids all capital gains tax.

Tai Sophia Institute will acknowledge your stock gift as follows:

• Certificates—On the date the shares are delivered to a Tai Sophia Institute representative or on the postmarked date when mailed.
• Electronic (DTC) transfer—On the date the shares are received by Tai Sophia Institute’s broker.

We also have information about gifting securities via wire transfer.

Property—Real or Personal

Real estate may be given outright or with the donor retaining a life estate contract. If the gift is irrevocable, certain immediate tax benefits are obtainable, and the donor can continue to live in the property for the rest of his or her life. Other types of property would include giving rental or business real estate (either as an outright gift or retained life income); business inventories, assigning royalties for minerals, inventions, or copyrights, agricultural resources, antiques, paintings, etc.

Pledges

Outright pledges of cash, securities, or property to the Tai Sophia Institute may be paid over a five year period and receive credit equal to the amount of the promise.

An endowed gift is both a gift for the future
and a gift for today.

You receive tax benefits for an endowed gift and also have the satisfaction of knowing your gift will provide income in perpetuity.

By establishing an endowed fund or adding to an existing one, you ensure the principal of your gift is maintained in perpetuity. At the same time, a portion of the income generated by the principal of your gift is distributed annually to support our programs. Depending on your intentions and the nature of the gift, a separate fund may be established or an existing one increased.

Unrestricted income from the endowment is used to support critical institutional operations, including funds for Division Head endowed chairs, faculty salaries, scholarships, educational outreach, scholarly studies, and plant collection acquisition.

Memorial Gifts

Donors are encouraged to make memorial gifts to honor the memory of a deceased person. All memorial gifts are treated as gifts made to endowment.

Gifts of Life Insurance

There are many types of life insurance gifts. The most common is an assignment of an existing policy that is currently in force or paid up. The donor names Tai Sophia Institute owner and beneficiary. The benefits to the donor are both in the gift and estate tax considerations. When gifting a policy still requiring premium payments, later payments made by the donor are also deductible for tax purposes.

Gifts by Bequest

Bequests are gifts left by will. This is the best-known deferred gift and, therefore, the most often used. Most bequests can be written for a specific amount, a percentage of the total estate, or the remainders after specified conditions are met. A bequest may include cash, securities, and other assets of the donor’s choice. We encourage donors to inform us, and provide us with documentation, regarding their intentions to include Tai Sophia Institute in their estate plans.

Gifts by Trust

Charitable Income Lead Trust

The donor transfers money or property to a trustee who makes payments to Tai Sophia Institute for a specified number of years and then the principle is returned to a designated non-charitable beneficiary, usually a family member. Gift and estate tax charitable deductions take effect if the trust takes the form of either a unitrust or an annuity trust.

Charitable Remainder Unitrust

Created when a donor transfers cash, securities, or other assets to a trustee in exchange for the trustee’s agreement to pay an income that is equal to at least 5 percent or more of the net fair market value of the trust assets as determined annually. The trust will terminate at the death of the last of the beneficiaries, and the corpus and accrued income will be distributed to the Institute. An immediate income tax charitable deduction is allowed for the remainder value.

Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust

Established by a donor transferring cash, securities, or other assets to a trustee in exchange for the trustee’s agreement to pay a fixed sum of money to named beneficiaries, said amount to be at least 5 percent or more of the initial fair market value of the trust assets. The rate could also be a higher amount agreed upon by the donor and the trustee. Once established, the annual amount never changes. Payments are made to the donor/beneficiary or to anyone designated for life or a period of time not to exceed twenty years. At the death of the last beneficiary or the expiration of the term of years, the trust will terminate and the assets will be distributed to Tai Sophia Institute. An immediate income tax charitable deduction is allowed for the remainder value.

Revocable Living Trust

An agreement created by a person or persons desiring to provide for the payment of income to the donor or Tai Sophia Institute to assure the donor that he or she may have the assets of the trust available upon request, and that the assets will be transferred to a beneficiary at death without gong through probate court. The beneficiary could be individuals or Tai Sophia Institute. Once established, this type of living trust may be the basis for establishing some other plan offering tax advantages either during lifetime or at death. For any payments paid to Tai Sophia Institute, there would be an immediate income tax deduction.

Retirement Plan Assets.

Retirement plan assets offer an excellent legacy gift by naming Tai Sophia Institute as a beneficiary of your individual retirement plans (eg, IRA, 403(b), 401(k), Keogh, or other qualified pension plan). This can usually be accomplished by completing the appropriate beneficiary forms provided by the administrator of the plan.

Because it is a qualified charity, Tai Sophia Institute as beneficiary can receive all proceeds from such retirement plans without having to pay any income tax. If the beneficiary is an individual, that individual must pay income tax on the funds received from the plan. When Tai Sophia is named as a beneficiary, the donor may also qualify for a reduction in estate taxes (depending on the size of the total estate assets).

Representatives of Tai Sophia Institute are available upon request to discuss these various giving options with the donor or representative of the donor. We advise you to work with your attorney and financial advisers to plan the charitable arrangement which is most advantageous to you and your estate.