Ways to Give
Essex County Community Foundation provides you a simple, powerful, and highly personal approach to giving. You may use a number of different assets to turn what you have into an important charitable resource.
You may make an Outright Gift or a Planned Gift
1. Outright Gift
The simplest way to make a big difference.
You can make a gift of cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, or other assets to ECCF. Most charitable gifts qualify for maximum tax advantage under federal law.
Gift of Real Estate
A charitable gift unearthed.
 Making a charitable gift of real estate through ECCF can help you turn a valuable asset into a charitable rsource. Gifts of real estate range from personal residences and vacation homes to rental properties, farmland, and commercially developed land — the value of which may exceed that of any other asset you own. With the help of ECCF, you can use real estate to make a bigger charitable difference than you thought possible, avoid estate taxes, and minimize or eliminate a potential tax burden placed on your heirs.
You may choose to give real estate outright and receive an immediate tax deduction, or retain the use of the property during your lifetime and make a planned gift to your community foundation. You may also choose to convert real estate into a stream of income for the rest of your life by establishing a Charitable Remainder Trust or Charitable Gift Annuity with the community foundation. Doing this lets you transform a low-yield asset into a higher-yield, income-producing asset and claim a tax deduction for the charitable portion of the gift.
A gift of real estate must be professionally appraised to establish its fair market value. It is also assessed for compliance with our acceptance policies to make sure its resale will provide the appropriate value to community.
Gift of Life Insurance
Community as your beneficiary.
Life insurance provides a simple way for you to give a significant gift to charity and establish your legacy, with tax benefits that you can enjoy during your lifetime.
You can make a gift when life insurance is no longer needed for personal financial wealth replacement by either giving a paid-up policy or continuing to pay premiums. You may receive a number of tax benefits, including reduced estate and income taxes. And, if you choose to continue paying premiums through ECCF, you will be entitled to a charitable contributions deduction of up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income.
 You can replace the dollar value of an asset transferred to ECCF with a life insurance policy. Or, you can use regular payments from a Charitable Gift Annuity or Charitable Remainder Trust to establish an irrevocable life insurance trust. The trust can purchase insurance on your life to benefit your heirs. This way, you can make a gift to ECCF and replace the value of this gift within your estate with life insurance proceeds.
Gift of Appreciated Stock
Turning stock market gains into community investment.
Everybody wins when you make a gift of appreciated stock to ECCF. Your gains are put to good use. Your gift of stock is reinvested in your community, and it qualifies for an immediate tax deduction based on the full market value.
Giving appreciated stock through a community foundation is popular among a range of givers — individual investors, families, entrepreneurs, and even groups of friends who have formed investment clubs.
By giving stock through ECCF, you can avoid capital gains taxes that would be due as a result of its sale and establish a charitable fund that benefits the local causes and organizations you care about most. With gifts of appreciated stock, your stock market earnings translate into community impact, so you get a more rewarding return on your portfolio. You can set up a scholarship; support special programs for at-risk youth, senior citizens, or other people in need; address environmental concerns; or support the arts.
2. Planned Gift
A variety of giving methods tailored to your unique situation. 
Bequest by Will
A legacy of giving.
Including a charitable bequest in your will is a simple way to make a lasting gift to your community. When you make this gift through ECCF we establish a special fund that benefits the community forever and becomes your personal legacy of giving. Link to Bequest by Will for further information
Charitable Gift Annuity
Income for today, a gift for tomorrow.
Giving through a Charitable Gift Annuity allows you to arrange a generous gift to your community, while providing yourself a new income source you can count on for the rest of your life. Link to Charitable Gift Annuity for further information
Charitable Remainder Trust
Planning for the future — for you and your community.
Giving through a Charitable Remainder Trust allows you to receive income for the rest of your life, knowing that whatever remains will benefit your community. Link to Charitable Remainder Trust for further information.
Charitable Lead Trust
Giving back to community and your loved ones.
A Charitable Lead Trust helps you build a charitable fund with ECCF during the trust’s term. When the trust terminates, the remaining assets are transferred to you or your heirs, often with significant transfer-tax savings. Link to Charitable Lead Trust for further information.
Learn more about Type of Funds — great giving options.
Learn more about Planned Giving Charitable Instruments — how you can give.
There is so much more we'd like you to know. For more information and ideas on ways to integrate your financial planning with charitable giving, ask your financial advisor or contact ECCF 978-777-8876.
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