- Income Gifts
- Charitable Gift Annuities
- Charitable Remainder Trusts
Real Estate
Transforming Realty to Gift Reality
Want to make a gift to World Wildlife Fund without touching your bank account? Consider giving us real estate. Such a generous gift helps us continue our work for years to come. And a gift of real estate also helps you. When you use appreciated property you have held longer than one year to make a charitable gift, you may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction and you may minimize or eliminate capital gains tax. You also no longer have to deal with that property's maintenance costs, property taxes, or insurance.
Another benefit: You don’t have to hassle with selling the real estate. The property can be gifted to charity and then sold, and the proceeds used to benefit WWF and our programs.
WWF works with the Dechomai Foundation to facilitate outright gifts of real estate. Please contact us for more information.
Unfortunately, WWF cannot accept timeshare interests.
Ways to Give Real Estate
You can give real estate to WWF in the following ways:
An outright gift+
When you make a gift today of real estate you have owned longer than one year, you qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction equal to the property's full fair market value. This deduction lets you reduce the cost of making the gift and frees cash that otherwise would have been used to pay taxes. By donating the property to World Wildlife Fund, you may also eliminate capital gains tax on its appreciation.
A gift in your will or living trust+
A gift of real estate through your will or living trust allows you the flexibility to change your mind and the potential to support our work with a larger gift than you could during your lifetime. In as little as one sentence, you can ensure that your support for WWF continues after your lifetime. Please contact our office for more information and recommended language.
A donor advised fund+
When you transfer real estate to your donor advised fund, you avoid capital gains taxes and qualify for a federal income tax deduction based on the fair market value of the property when you itemize your taxes.
A retained life estate+
Perhaps you like the tax advantages a gift of real estate to our organization would offer, but you want to continue living in your personal residence for your lifetime. You can transfer your personal residence to WWF but keep the right to occupy (or rent out) the home for the rest of your life. You continue to pay real estate taxes, maintenance fees, and insurance on the property. Even though WWF would not actually take possession of the residence until after your lifetime, since your gift cannot be revoked, you qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction for a portion of your home's value.
A charitable remainder unitrust+
You can contribute any type of appreciated real estate you've owned for more than one year, provided it is unmortgaged, in exchange for an income stream for life or a term of up to 20 years. The donated property may be a residence (a personal residence must be vacant upon contribution), undeveloped land, a farm, or commercial property. Real estate works well with only certain variations of charitable remainder trusts. Your estate planning attorney, who will draft your trust, can give you more details.
A charitable lead trust+
This gift can be a wonderful way for you to benefit WWF and simultaneously transfer appreciated real estate to your family tax-free. Consider funding the charitable lead trust with real estate that is income-producing and expected to increase in value over the term of the trust.
A memorial or endowed gift+
A gift of real estate may be a perfect way to honor your loved one in perpetuity. When you make an endowed gift of real estate, your contribution is invested with and becomes part of our endowment. An annual distribution is made for the purpose you designate. Because the principal remains intact, the fund will generate support in perpetuity.
How A Retained Life Estate Works
Janet purchased a rental property years ago and has watched it grow steadily in value. Still active in her career and traveling frequently, she is beginning to find management of the property more and more of a hassle. Janet sees this as an opportunity to give her rental property to a charity that is important to her while realizing valuable tax benefits.
Janet avoids capital gains tax on the appreciation and qualifies for a federal income tax charitable deduction for the property’s fair market value. Janet loves knowing that the gift of her property will make a big difference supporting WWF’s mission.
Free Resource
We can help. A Personal Record: Estate Planning You Can Do at Home will help you as you organize your estate and create a legacy of improving the quality of life on our planet.
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Learn more about the many ways to use real estate to support World Wildlife Fund in the FREE guide Donating Real Estate.
Free Resource
We can help. A Personal Record: Estate Planning You Can Do at Home will help you as you organize your estate and create a legacy of improving the quality of life on our planet.
Get My Guide