Donate to SCAP

WAYS OF GIVING

Every charitable gift is important… and appreciated. No gift is too small, and every gift benefits our community.

The Stanislaus Community Assistance Project is a private, non-profit community-based health care organization that has been providing effective and efficient care for the people of Stanislaus County for twenty years. We are proud of this status, and everyday our health & human services staff as well as our volunteers strive to provide the highest quality, convenient and cost effective service possible. But this also means that we depend, in part, on ongoing fundraising efforts in order to continue providing such exceptional services.

Each year hundreds of friends and neighbors become our partners for a healthier community by making contributions to SCAP. Many also participate in our annual special events or have volunteered time to support our community programs. Whatever their contribution, our donors can feel good knowing that they have played an important role in the future of SCAP and have had a direct impact on the programs and services we provide.

At SCAP, we appreciate your gifts and your continued support of our mission.

If you would like to discuss our fundraising programs, please contact our Director of Development at 209-572-2437.

For those of you who are considering supporting SCAP, we have a number of ways in which you can contribute to our mission. Such as;

Volunteering

Volunteering your personal time is a very special way to give something back to your community.

Since the very beginning of SCAP, we have relied on volunteers to supplement the efforts of our staff. The individuals they all serve represent every segment of our community, from the homeless to the "well housed. From those with no income to those who are financially stable. Staff and volunteers work together to provide a wide variety of services to help residents maintain their independence and self sufficiency.

We offer you the opportunity to make a real difference in your community as a SCAP Volunteer. We invite you to call us at 209-572-2437, or visit our office and find out how you can help.

Annual Fund Gifts

SCAP supporters are no strangers to charitable giving. Unrestricted Annual Fund gifts contribute approximately 14% to the operating budget of SCAP. These funds make it possible for SCAP to offset reductions in state and federal allocations – at a time when demand for our services is accelerating, to maintain and improve our services, programs, and facilities, as well as paying for required audits. Gifts to the Annual Fund are outright gifts and are fully deductible for income tax purposes. They can be made in three ways:

· Cash is the simplest way to contribute and can be put right to work for SCAP.

Appreciated Securities, In addition to cash contributions, you can donate appreciated property (stocks, bonds, and real estate). When you transfer property that you have held for more than a year to SCAP, you do not pay taxes on the asset’s capital gains. Your charitable deduction is based on the fair market value of the asset at the time of the gift; a win/win situation for you and our community. Click HERE for stock transfer form.

· Many companies will match contributions made by an employee (or by an employee’s spouse). Please inquire whether your employer has a Matching Gift Program. If it does, you as the donor receive credit from SCAP for both the original gift and the amount of the match.

Other ways to help SCAP include:

Gift-in-Kind

A gift-in-kind is typically an item or a service that you donate to a charitable organization, like SCAP. Such gifts are likely to be tangible assets; things you can put your hands on, carry or place in your attic, as opposed to cash, stocks or real estate. Commonly, people donate furniture, jewelry, computers, books, stamps or artwork.

The rules regulating gifts-in-kind differ from those governing other assets, such as cash or securities. The most important information for a donor to know is if SCAP can use the gift to further it’s tax-exempt purposes.

While donors may elect to sell their tangible assets at auction and give the proceeds to SCAP, they may be better served from a tax perspective, if they give the property directly to SCAP.

Real Property

A residence, vacant or un-rented real estate, or other real property may be given as an outright gift, or donors may prefer to give their home and retain the right to occupy the property for life.

Endowed Fund Gifts

SCAP is looking to establish endowed programs restricted to a particular purpose – such as housing, food & nutrition, or our new (EBI) jobs program. The income from these permanent funds provides perpetual support for SCAP’s programs. Endowment gifts, subject to certain limitations, are also fully deductible for income tax purposes.

Planned Gifts

Planned gifts allow a donor to retain some aspect of the asset or assets used to make the gift. Planned gifts can include bequests, charitable trusts, and gifts of life insurance, real estate or other tangible property. Depending on a donor’s personal circumstances, a planned gift may not only provide considerable tax savings but also may increase a donor’s assets and income.

Bequests

Bequests can take a number of forms, including a specific dollar amount or a portion of what remains of an estate after obligations to others are fulfilled. The estate will receive an estate tax charitable contribution for the bequest to SCAP.

To provide for SCAP in your will, you need only have your attorney include a statement such as "I give and bequeath to the Stanislaus Community Assistance Project, Modesto, CA: ___% of my estate;" or "the sum of ___;" or "the following asset/property ____;" or "all the rest and residue of my estate for general purposes." Should you make such a decision, SCAP would be grateful to learn of your intention.

Charitable Trusts

If a donor is interested in making a gift to SCAP but does not wish to give up income from specific assets, the donor might consider making a gift in trust. This method allows the donor to make a current gift to SCAP while retaining an income for life, and if desired, for the life of a spouse or other beneficiary. Depending on whether the donor wishes to make a gift from which he or she will receive income, or a gift which would give income to SCAP and the remainder to his or her children or grandchildren, the following methods are available:

Charitable Remainder Trust

This type of trust is ideally suited to a donor with sizeable assets who would like to donate to SCAP without relinquishing the enjoyment or income associated with the assets. Under this type of trust, the assets are placed in trust for the benefit of SCAP, while a fixed percent of the trust or annuity is paid to the donor, a family member or other beneficiary. The donor may choose to have income paid for the life of a beneficiary or for a certain number of years. At the end of this time, the assets of the trust are transferred to SCAP.
A charitable remainder trust offers an immediate charitable deduction and the flexibility of allowing a donor to transfer most types of property to the trust without paying capital gains tax. Highly appreciated assets may be sold through the trust to increase the income generated. Under certain circumstances, the value of the trust will not be taxable for federal estate tax purposes.

Charitable Gift Annuity

This type of program provides a donor with the opportunity to make a gift to SCAP and receive a lifetime income in return for that gift. The SCAP Gift Annuity is a contract between the donor and SCAP whereby cash or marketable securities are transferred to SCAP in exchange for which SCAP agrees to pay a specified fixed-rate annuity to the donor for life.

A gift annuity could be particularly attractive to individuals who would like to increase their yearly income while making a significant gift to SCAP during her/his lifetime. In addition, depending on individual circumstances, an annuitant may be eligible for several tax benefits, which might include an immediate tax deduction, an opportunity for deferred capital gains and possible estate and gift tax considerations.

Charitable Lead Trust

This type of trust is suited to a donor who wishes to establish a trust to benefit SCAP for a period of years, transferring cash or other assets to a trustee, who invests the amount transferred and pays income to SCAP for a period designated by the donor. When the trust terminates, the principal is transferred to a donor’s children or grandchildren at what may be significant gift and estate tax savings.

Life Insurance

Ownership of individual life insurance policies, which are no longer needed to protect family members or a business, may be transferred to SCAP with SCAP named as beneficiary. A gift of life insurance enables the donor to receive income and estate tax benefits.

If you would like further information on planned giving to SCAP, please contact Joe Gibbs, Director of Development, (209) 572-2437.