By far the most frequent gift received by the school, an outright contribution has an immediate and important impact on St. Catherine’s.  A cash gift typically entitles you to a deduction against income in the year in which the gift is made.  These gifts can be made by check or credit card.  Checks should be made payable to St. Catherine’s School Foundation and mailed to 6001 Grove Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23226.  Attention: Development Office. 

Appreciated securities are a particularly cost effective way to support St. Catherine’s.  When you donate appreciated securities that you have owned for more than one year, you are entitled to a charitable deduction equal to the fair market value of the securities and you avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation of the stock.

Many gifts to St. Catherine’s are doubled, or in some cases tripled, because corporations and foundations match gifts to educational institutions made by their employees, retirees and directors.  During the 2007-2008 school year, we received $67,783 because donors remembered to send us their company’s matching gift form.  We credit matching gifts to the same purpose as your original gift, unless you direct otherwise.  Your eligibility, and the amount and timing of your match, are at the sole discretion of the matching gift company or foundation.

Please check with your human resources or employee benefits office to determine if your employer will match your gift to St. Catherine’s.  If you are eligible, obtain a matching gift form from your employer, complete and sign the form, and send it to St. Catherine’s along with or following your gift. 

For questions or assistance, contact Blair Huss, Gifts Processor at bhuss@st.catherines.org or 804-281-7141.

Over the years St. Catherine’s has been the recipient of numerous bequests from alumnae, parents and friends.  These bequests have funded endowments, paid for major capital improvements, and even perpetuated gifts to the Annual Fund.  Bequests of all sizes are welcome, and are fully deductible for estate tax purposes. When you develop your estate plan, please consider naming St. Catherine’s in your will.

A life income gift allows you to make a substantial gift to St. Catherine’s while providing you and/or a beneficiary with an income stream for life or a set number of years.  Life income gifts are also attractive from a tax perspective.  You may achieve one or all of the following benefits through a life income gift:
    •    income tax charitable deduction
    •    avoidance of capital gains tax on gifts of appreciated property
    •    tax-free income
    •    reduction of estate taxes

Examples of life income gifts include:
    •    Charitable Gift Annuity – You make a gift to St. Catherine’s and, in exchange, you and/or another beneficiary receive a fixed income for life.
    •    Charitable Remainder Trust – Assets are transferred to a trust which provides income to named beneficiaries until death.  Thereafter, the trust assets are transferred to the school.  This arrangement benefits the school in the future while providing tax benefits and income for the donor during his/her lifetime.

Gifts of qualified retirement plan assets and IRAs have become increasingly popular.  When these assets are owned at death, they can be subject to combined income and estate tax rates of up to 80%.  A gift to St. Catherine’s of all or a portion of your retirement plan can avoid these taxes, thus enabling you to make a significant gift to the school at a relatively low cost to your estate.

With a charitable lead trust, you can provide current income to St. Catherine’s while preserving the trust assets for you or your beneficiaries.  With this gift you remove assets from your estate, receive immediate tax savings and provide the school with income from those assets for a period of years.  At the end of the gift period, the assets may be returned to you or transferred to a designated beneficiary at substantial tax saving.  Parents and grandparents find the charitable lead trust an excellent way to provide for a future generation while accomplishing good work today and decreasing their estate taxes.

For many donors, the most advantageous way to support St. Catherine’s is through a gift of real estate such as a home, farm, vacation property or land.   Deeding the property outright avoids capital gains taxes and provides a charitable tax deduction for the full fair market value of the property.  It is also possible to make a gift of real estate while retaining use of the property during your lifetime.  Such a gift provides a current income tax deduction for a portion of the value of the property.

A gift of life insurance can provide a significant charitable deduction.  You can donate a policy that you currently own but no longer need or purchase a new policy.  To claim a charitable deduction, you must designate St. Catherine’s as both the owner and beneficiary.  The full cash value of a donated policy may be deductible, as well as any continuing premium payments that you make.