Everything You Need to Know
about Planned Giving Donations

What are Planned Gifts?

Planned gifts are contributions that you can arrange in the present and are paid out in the future. Planned gifts may include charitable trusts, annuities, and other tools that provide a steady income to donors while they are still living. Our legacy planned gift program is built on strong relationships and provides you with support to help navigate the set-up of your planned gift.

Life Income Gifts

Life income gifts are unique because you can donate your assets to Believe in Me (the Foundation) now and provide yourself or others with an income stream for a period of time before the Foundation is permitted to utilize your gift. Life income gifts can be made by transferring securities, cash, or other property to Believe in Me or a trustee. The Foundation or trustee will then manage the investment of the assets and pay a scheduled income to you, your designated beneficiaries, or both. Income payments can continue for up to twenty years or the remaining life of the beneficiaries.

As Chief Executive Officer, I am the person responsible for cultivating relationships with individuals who may be interested in planned giving. I work alongside our board to develop and carry out our strategic plan that includes mechanisms for potential donors to make planned gifts. My perseverance, commitment to the mission, and passion for nonprofit work is what fuels our success. I’d be happy to sit down, get to know you in person, and share more information about our planned giving program with you. If you’re interested in learning more about planned giving, let’s have lunch soon!

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Julie Wukelic, MBA

Chief Executive Officer

Meet Our Chief Executive Officer

Types of Life Income Gifts

Charitable Gift Annuities

With a charitable gift annuity, you make an upfront charitable donation to the Foundation in exchange for a fixed annual payment paid to you or your beneficiaries for life.

Charitable Remainder Unitrusts

When you form a charitable remainder unitrust, you and your designated beneficiaries will receive variable annual payments from the Foundation for life or a specified period of time. The assets remaining at the end of the term will be transferred to the Foundation for the purposes you designate.

Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts

Donors who create a charitable remainder annuity trust benefit from fixed annual payments for life or a specified period of time. The remaining assets at the end of the term are transferred to the Foundation for the purposes you designate.

Pooled Income Funds

With a pooled income fund, your donation is placed into an investment fund that operates similarly to a mutual fund. The returns from your investment are paid to you or your beneficiaries for life. Upon your death, the donation is withdrawn from the pooled income fund and used to support your designated purpose at Foundation.

Other Types of Planned Gifts

Charitable Lead Trusts

A charitable lead trust provides annual payments to Believe in Me for a specified period of time. Once the term ends, the remaining assets will transfer to your children or other designated beneficiaries.

Donor Advised Funds

If you’re not sure exactly how you’d like the Foundation to use your donation, you may want to consider a donor-advised fund. These provide a way for you to establish a fund with your tax-deductible gift now and advise us later on how you’d like the funds allocated. With a donor-advised fund, at least half of the gift must be designated for the Foundation and the remainder may go to other charities of your choice.

Planning Your Gift

With so many options for planned giving, it can be overwhelming to decide which direction to take. We are here to support you in your planning journey and are happy to assist you with providing financial planning and legal services. We want to ensure your plan is set up according to your wishes while maximizing your future income streams and tax savings.

The Believe in Me Foundation offers a few different types of life income gifts.

As Development Director I oversee all of the organization's fundraising and help manage relationships with our company's financial partners. My quests include planning fundraising events, interacting with new & former donors to encourage ongoing contributions, and helping seek out opportunities for financial support through grants, sponsorships, long-term giving - qualified charitable distribution, and more. I enjoy collaborating with others on projects and use my attention to detail to help coordinate large-scale events. I also want to maintain a respectful reputation for our Believe in Me Foundation and any nonprofit we represent. After all, it is all about giving back to those kids less fortunate than ourselves.