Professional Advisors Reference Manual and Resource Guide – Copyright 2006
OUTRIGHT GIFTS
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Outright Gifts
When a donor makes an “outright gift” of cash or property to a local community
foundation, every dollar goes to work the moment it is given, providing vital
current support to local programs and/or building endowment funds (and generating
ongoing endowment income). An outright gift gives a donor the satisfaction of
seeing their gift at work and knowing that lives are being touched right now
because they cared.
Acceptable Assets:
• Cash
• Cheques or Money Orders
• Payments on Credit Card
• Pre-Authorized Contributions (PAC), usually paid monthly
• Publicly Traded Securities (including segregated and mutual fund units)
Benefits to the Community Foundation:
• Available for immediate use
• Highly liquid
• Easy to administer
• Limited to no risk
Benefits to the Donor:
• Donation receipt for the full amount of gift
• Straightforward, easy-to-understand transactions
• Significant tax benefits depending on assets gifted
• Satisfaction of seeing the gift at work immediately
Most Appropriate For:
• Everyone (any age) who can afford to give up some principal and the income it
would otherwise earn.
NOTE TO READER:
The purpose of this
publication is to
provide general
information, not to
render legal advice.
In addition any
changes in the tax
structure may affect
the examples listed
in this information.
Your client should
consult their own
lawyer or other
professional
advisor about the
applicability of this
information to their
situation.
Professional Advisors Reference Manual and Resource Guide – Copyright 2006
OUTRIGHT GIFTS
Common Questions & Answers:
Q: Is an outright gift always made in cash?
A: Not necessarily, but a cash contribution – paid by cheque, money order or credit
card – is the simplest way to give. Remember that a cheque or money order is
considered to have been given on the day it was mailed, so a gift mailed late in
December and received in January can still qualify for a donation receipt