• Will
• Retirement Plan
• Insurance Policy
• Financial Account

After your lifetime the asset will come to us without going through probate and your estate is entitled to a charitable deduction for the amount of the gift.

You can also give through the National Communities Fund. The fund, managed by the Points of Light Foundation, consists of a group of restricted, unrestricted, and donor-advised funds. These funds are given either for endowment or program purposes that support volunteer-based charitable activities.

Name the Foundation in Your Will
Through your will or revocable living trust, you can specify that some or all of your assets come to us after your lifetime and which Foundation program or initiative you would like to support. After your lifetime, the asset(s) you specify will pass to us and your estate can take a charitable deduction for the amount of your bequest.

Legal language for wills and estate plans:
"Points of Light Foundation, a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, and with principal business address of 1875 K St NW 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20006."

Types of Bequests to Use in Your Will
There are several types of bequests that allow you to designate how your estate will be distributed.

• Specific Bequest: You describe exactly what you want to leave to a specific individual or organization and the designated source. If you want to leave a specific dollar amount from a specific source or a particular item (such as an antique or collector's item), this is the type of bequest that you would use.

  Example: Kathryn states in her will: "I leave my diamond engagement ring to my granddaughter, Sarah. I also leave my securities to the Points of Light Foundation."

• General Bequest: This type of bequest does not specify the source from which it should be paid. This gives your executor the flexibility to honor the bequest from any available source.

  Example: Kathryn states in her will: "I leave $50,000 to my son, William."

• Residuary Bequest: This type of bequest is honored after all other bequests have been made, and all debts, expenses and taxes have been paid.

  Example: Kathryn states in her will: "I give all the rest, residue and remainder of my real and personal estate to the Points of Light Foundation."

• Contingent Bequest: This type of bequest is fulfilled if certain conditions are met. For instance, if your primary beneficiary does not survive you, you can indicate your next choice through a contingent designation.

  Example: Kathryn states in her will: "I give all the rest, residue and remainder of my real and personal estate to my husband, John, if he survives me; if not, then 50 percent in equal shares to my children who survive me and 50 percent to the Points of Light Foundation."

Volunteer Your Retirement Resources
Your retirement plan is designed to benefit you during your retirement. However, you may name beneficiaries for your plan in case you pass away with funds still in your account. Along with family, relatives and friends, a charity may also be named as the beneficiary.

Retirement fund assets can be great charitable gifts because of the tax implications to your non-charitable beneficiaries. Most retirement plans are income tax-deferred, meaning you do not pay income tax on the funds contributed to your plan or on the growth of the assets within the fund. However, you are responsible for paying the tax when the funds are distributed. Your beneficiary (ies) is also required to pay the income tax that has not been paid. Charitable organizations, like the Foundation, are tax-exempt and not liable for the unpaid taxes. If you name the Foundation as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, the full amount of your gift will be used for volunteering priorities.

Naming or changing your beneficiary (ies) is easy. Simply contact your plan administrator and request a beneficiary form.

Designate the Foundation as a Beneficiary of an Insurance Policy
The Foundation accepts gifts of life insurance either as the beneficiary of a policy or as the sole owner and sole beneficiary.

You can name the Foundation as primary beneficiary of your life insurance policy or as contingent beneficiary should your other beneficiaries not survive you. After your lifetime, the benefits from your policy pass to us free of federal estate tax. Changing your beneficiaries is easy. Simply contact your insurance carrier and request a beneficiary form.

Make an Outright Gift of a Paid-up Insurance Policy
You can donate your paid-up life insurance policy to the Foundation. If the policy has a cash value, we would have the option of either holding the policy until the maturity date or surrendering the policy in order to receive the policy's current cash value.

Example of How It Works
Years ago, Jason bought a life insurance policy to protect his family. His family no longer needs this protection and he decides to name the Foundation as the beneficiary of the policy. After Jason's lifetime, the policy benefits will come to us to further our mission.

Volunteer Your Savings
One way you can include the Foundation in your estate plan is by naming us as the beneficiary of an account, such as a bank or brokerage account, or an asset, such as a certificate of deposit (CD). All you need to do is fill out a beneficiary-designation form (often called a transfer-on-death or pay-on-death form) provided by the institution. After your lifetime, the asset passes directly to the Foundation enabling us to continue our work ensuring more people more effectively in volunteer service to help solve serious social problems.

The National Communities Fund
The fund leverages financial resources for local programs that use volunteer service as a strategy for solving social problems. We work in partnership with community foundations, regional and national funders, and community-based nonprofits in all fund development activities. The collaborative basis of the Fund coordinates donor cultivation through a process that has been designed to support and enhance local programs which engage volunteers in addressing community problems.

• make charitable gifts at the national level or across a multi-state region for programs that produce local impact;
• recommend how they would like their gifts distributed; and,
• maximize potential tax deductions.

The National Communities Fund is a charitable alternative to commercially-related, donor-advised or gift funds such as Fidelity's Charitable Gift Fund, the Pitcairn Trust Company's National Philanthropic Trust, and funds established by the Vanguard Group and other financial companies.

The National Communities Fund includes:

Helping is Healing Fund—supports local volunteer efforts that encourage people to respond in their own communities. The fund will help the Points of Light Foundation support Volunteer Centers and local organizations directing volunteer activities in and around New York, Washington, DC and in communities across the country.

Make A Difference Day Scholarship Fund—established in conjunction with USA WEEKEND Magazine and in partnership with the Citizens' Scholarship Fund of America. This fund will provide post-secondary education benefits to children and spouses of the September 11th victims, including airplane crew and passengers, World Trade Center and Pentagon employees and visitors, and relief workers.

Legal Designation for Beneficiary Forms

Name: Points of Light Foundation
Address: 1875 K St NW 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20006
Tax identification number: 65-0206641 (in place of Social Security number)
Relationship: Non-profit organization
Legal language: "Points of Light Foundation, a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, and with principal business address of 1875 K St NW 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20006"

^*At the Foundation, all unrestricted charitable gifts are used strategically to support top volunteer capacity building priorities. If you have a more specific purpose in mind, please contact us toll-free at 1-800-750-7653 ext. 8197 to ensure that we can meet your wishes. Whether you choose to restrict your gift or not, your support will help engage more people more effectively in volunteer service to help solve serious social problems.