Planned Giving – Leave a Lasting Legacy

Planned giving allows you to make a lasting impact on your community while supporting REAL Life Community Services in Lancaster County. By directing your financial assets strategically, you can ensure that your generosity continues to benefit families, youth, and neighbors long into the future. Whether through a bequest, IRA gift, or life-income plan, planned giving helps you leave a legacy that matters.

Make an Impact on Your Community’s Future

At REAL Life Community Services, we help you direct your financial assets in ways that will benefit your community for years to come. Planned giving allows your generosity to extend beyond your lifetime, supporting Christ-centered ministries in northern Lancaster County.

Many of our donors already support our programs through annual gifts, volunteering, or monthly contributions. Planned giving provides a way to ensure your legacy lasts while helping families, youth, and neighbors thrive.

What is Planned Giving?

Planned giving (sometimes called Gift Planning or Legacy Giving) allows individuals to make larger, lasting gifts than they could from ordinary income.

  • Some planned gifts provide life-long income to the donor.

  • Others use estate and tax planning to benefit both charity and heirs.

  • Planned gifts can include:

    • Cash or appreciated securities/stock

    • Real estate or personal property

    • Life insurance

    • Retirement accounts

In contrast, gifts to an annual fund or membership are from discretionary income and are not considered planned gifts.

Types of Planned Giving

Make Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) Work for You

A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) allows individuals age 70½+ to donate up to $105,000 directly from a taxable IRA to a charity like REAL Life Community Services.

Benefits of a QCD:

  • Counts toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) after age 72

  • Reduces taxable income

  • Supports local nonprofits while keeping more money available for living expenses

This is an easy way to make a yearly contribution that directly benefits the community without using post-tax income.

Other options include:

  • Naming REAL Life as a beneficiary of IRAs, annuities, or retirement plans

  • Bequests or gifts through life insurance policies

Benefits:

  • Proceeds from accounts are tax-free to the nonprofit

  • Beneficiary designations can be updated easily

  • Tools and resources available to guide you through the process

Tax Benefits of Planned Gifts

  • Appreciated property: Donate securities or real estate and receive a charitable deduction for full market value, avoiding capital gains tax.

  • Life-income gifts: Receive a tax deduction for the value of assets contributed minus income retained; pay no upfront capital gains tax.

  • Bequests and beneficiary gifts: Exempt from estate tax and provide long-term support to the charity.

Ready to Get Started?

Reach out to our team today. We can guide you through the planned giving process and help you create a legacy that benefits your community for generations.

Contact us to Plan Your Legacy