Planned Giving with NIAF

Why Planned Giving?

No matter the size of the donation, donors like you are the reason why NIAF is able to support the success of young Italian Americans. NIAF offers a unique opportunity for you to help support our mission of preserving, promoting and protecting Italian heritage and culture. As embodied by your generous support, your confidence in our mission, enables us to continue supporting our vibrant community for years to come. There are many giving options available that provide flexible planning strategies and can be tailored to your specific wishes.

What Is Planned Giving?

Planned giving involves providing future gifts through your financial and estate plans. NIAF welcomes gifts made through different planned giving arrangements. These arrangements can:

  • Provide for the future generation of Italian Americans
  • Entitle you to charitable income and/or tax deductions.
  • Cement your legacy within the greater Italian American community.

You can explore different opportunities for planned giving below. Choosing between these opportunities is highly dependent on your personal circumstances and financial goals. We encourage you to contact NIAF’s Office of Planned Giving with any questions regarding these opportunities.

Bequests and Estate Plan Gifts

Many donors opt to make a bequest by including a provision in your will or living trust, or by naming NIAF as a beneficiary of a retirement plan or life insurance policy. The amount left to NIAF can be expressed as a dollar amount or as a percentage of your assets. This option for planned giving enables you to:

  • Maintain your current financial stability throughout your life while giving you the satisfaction of knowing that you have provided for NIAF in the future.
  • Retain control and use of your to-be-gifted assets during your lifetime.
  • Make modifications to your gift if your circumstances change.
  • Be exempt from federal estate taxes.
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When planning, you will need to consider how you would like your gift to benefit NIAF—whether unrestricted in purpose or restricted to a specific purpose. An unrestricted bequest allows NIAF the flexibility to determine how to use your assets based on its most pressing needs. A restricted bequest funnels your assets towards a specified purpose of your choice (e.g., scholarships, grants, NIAF on Campus, etc.).

With restricted bequests, you will also need to consider whether you would like your funds to be expendable (to be spent when received) or endowed (to last perpetually). Endowed funds may only use the interest earned in the investment process, leaving the principle intact. Due to the time it takes for interest to accrue, endowed funds do not allow for the immediate use of the funds and, do have a minimum funding requirement.

A fund created by your bequest (restricted or unrestricted) can carry your name or the name of a loved one that you would like to honor. These named funds are a great way to share with the Italian American community what aspects of NIAF’s mission are most meaningful to you. Named funds also have a minimum funding requirement.

For more detailed information on bequests, please contact NIAF’s Office of Planned Giving at information@niaf.org.

Life Income Gifts

A life income gift allows you to give assets to NIAF while providing yourself and/or others with income for a certain period before NIAF is permitted to use your gift. You may make a life income gift by transferring cash, securities or other property to NIAF or a trustee. NIAF or the trustee then manages the investment of these assets and pays an income to you and/or your designated beneficiaries. Income payments continue for the beneficiaries’ lives or, in some cases, for a term of up to 20 years. There are several types of life income gifts available through NIAF:

  • Charitable Gift Annuities
    In exchange for an outright gift, NIAF agrees by contract to pay a fixed amount each year to you and/or your beneficiaries for life.
  • Charitable Remainder Trusts
    You establish a trust from which you and/or your beneficiaries receive variable annual payments for life and/or a term of up to 20 years. At the end of the term, the remainder of the trust assets go to NIAF for the purposes you designate.
  • Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts
    You establish a trust from which you and/or your beneficiaries receive annual payments of a fixed dollar amount for life and/or a term of up to 20 years. At the end of the term, the remainder of the trust assets pass to NIAF for the purposes you designate.
  • Pooled Income Funds
    Your gift goes into an investment pool that functions like a mutual fund. Investment returns are paid to you and/or your beneficiaries for life, after which your gift is withdrawn and used to support your designated purposes at NIAF.

Other Types of Trusts

  • Charitable Lead Trusts
    A charitable lead trust allows you to make an annual payment to NIAF for a period of up to 20 years and, at the end of the term, the remaining assets go to your beneficiaries.
  • Donor Advised Funds
    A donor advised fund allows you to make a tax-deductible gift to NIAF to establish a fund today and, later, to advise NIAF on how you would like the gift used. At least half of the gift must be designated to NIAF, whereas the rest may support other charities.

Contact the Office of Planned Giving

We understand that deciding which, if any, of these planned giving options is right for you is a difficult and important process. As such, we encourage you to contact NIAF’s Office of Planned Giving at information@niaf.org with any questions you may have. A member of our excellent staff will be more than happy to talk you through this process.