At Massachusetts General Hospital, there are an abundance of ways to support the hospital’s mission that can be customized to each person and their financial situation. Whether you are inspired to make a gift this week to support ongoing research, want to establish a gift through your will to help fund the stellar clinical care you received or want to donate in the form of appreciated securities, there are many different ways to make an impact that will work for the hospital, and you.
Blended gifts typically combine current giving — such as cash, appreciated securities or other assets — with a planned gift, like a bequest, account beneficiary or life income gift. By providing immediate and future support to the hospital’s mission, this method helps maximize the reach of your giving while aligning with your aspirations.
If you are not already familiar with blended gifts, let’s take a look at two donors who each have a unique giving goal: Sarah and Jason. Sarah’s top priority is having an immediate impact on clinical care, but she wants to be mindful of the potential impacts to her future income. Jason’s priority is providing long-term permanent support for research initiatives, but he has concerns about the cost of making a gift now.
Giving Expert Patient Care
Inspired by the care her father received, Sarah wants other people to have the best treatment available. She decides to give stock shares currently worth $30,000. This is much more than they were worth when she bought them, but she is happy to avoid the capital gains tax that would be due if she sold the shares and gave a cash gift to Mass General.
To secure a stream of income for her retirement, Sarah gives another $20,000 in cash in exchange for a lifetime charitable gift annuity. Combining these with a gift of $100,000 to Mass General in her will, she creates valuable and enduring support without needing to write a check.
Sarah later reflects on the rewards of giving $150,000 toward patient care in an affordable way while safeguarding her own financial future.
Investing in Future Research
Jason says a clinical trial at Mass General saved his life, so he is eager to support future research. Spreading out his giving over time feels more affordable but can also have an even greater impact — so he pledges $5,000 every six months for a decade, aiming to build a $100,000 personal endowment fund.
Because clinical trials need immediate support as well as future investment, Jason commits to give another $5,000 each year while his personal endowment grows.
He learns that he can further increase his investment in charity simply by naming Mass General as the remainder beneficiary of any balance left in his retirement fund after death, directing that those monies be added to his endowment fund.
The Perfect Blend
Blended gifts offer opportunities to meld your personal, financial and charitable interests into a vision that will serve both you and Mass General.
Here is a “cheat sheet” to help determine the perfect blend for you, like Sarah and Jason:
- Current Gift of Cash – Simple, with an immediate impact
- Current Gift of Appreciated Securities – Maximum tax savings now, with an immediate impact
- Gift from a Donor Advised Fund – Immediate tax benefits and simplified future giving
- Gift from an Individual Retirement Account – A tax-wise way to make an immediate impact
- Charitable Gift Annuity – Lifetime payments to you or another, with a future impact
- Gift to Endowment – Provides permanent support to Mass General, with a future impact
- Charitable Bequest – Provides maximum flexibility to the donor, with a future impact
- Beneficiary Designation – Simple and flexible, with a future impact
As you plan your contributions to Mass General, we would be happy to work with you to make sure your chosen avenue for giving is right for you.
To learn more about your giving options and how to meet your charitable goals, contact us at mghdevpg@mgh.harvard.edu or 617-643-2220.
