Thank you for making a donation to Ascend (CSEF). Your generous gift of any size will help us make a Catholic education possible for more children, no matter which Catholic school they attend or neighborhood they come from.

Your gift will make an immediate impact on our mission and allow you to take a charitable income tax deduction. A receipt for tax purposes will be mailed to you.

If you have questions or would prefer to make a gift by phone, please call us at 503.233.8318. To make a gift by mail make checks payable to the Catholic Schools Endowment Foundation and send to:

Ascend
2838 E. Burnside Street
Portland, OR 97214

Appreciated real estate, such as a home, vacation property, undeveloped land, farmland, ranch or commercial property, is a meaningful and lasting way to contribute to Ascend (CSEF). A gift of real estate also allows you to avoid capital gains tax on the sale of the real estate and provides a charitable income tax deduction based on the value of the gift.

If you have a life insurance policy that has outlasted its original purpose, consider gifting it to Ascend (CSEF). For example, you may have purchased a policy to provide for young children who are now financially independent adults.

This form of giving provides many benefits:

• You receive a charitable income tax deduction
• If Ascend retains the policy to maturity, you can receive additional tax deductions by making annual gifts so that we can pay the premiums
• If Ascend cashes in the policy, you will be able to see your gift support our charitable work
• If Ascend retains the policy to maturity, or you name us as a beneficiary, once the policy matures, we will use the proceeds to expand access to Catholic education

To make a gift of life insurance, please contact your life insurance provider, request a beneficiary designation form from the insurer and include Ascend (CSEF) as the beneficiary of your policy. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact our office at 503.233.8318 or [email protected].

By making a charitable bequest to Ascend (CSEF), you can leave a legacy that will benefit families and children throughout Western Oregon. You will also lessen the tax burden on your family and receive an estate tax charitable deduction.

You can make a bequest in your will or in a trust directing a gift to Ascend (CSEF), or by gifting some of your retirement assets. With the help of an advisor, you can include language in your will or trust specifying a gift to be made to Ascend (CSEF) as part of your estate plan. A bequest may be made in several ways:

• Gift of a percentage of your estate
• Gift of a specific dollar amount or asset
• Gift from the balance or residue of your estate
• Gift of your retirement assets, such as an IRA

In preparing your estate plan, we recommend that you consult with an experienced estate planning professional. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice.

SAMPLE IRA LANGUAGE

If the IRA were given to your family, much of the value may be lost through estate and income taxes. By designating Ascend (CSEF) as the beneficiary of all or part of your IRA (using a beneficiary designation form provided by your custodian), the full value of the gift is transferred tax-free at your death and your estate receives an estate tax charitable deduction.

SAMPLE BEQUEST LANGUAGE

Name: Ascend (CSEF)

Full legal name: Catholic Schools Endowment Foundation of Oregon

Federal tax ID number: 81-4541803

Address: 2838 East Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214

SAMPLE WILL OR TRUST LANGUAGE

Gifts to Ascend (CSEF) in a will or trust can be drafted as: “My executor/trustee shall distribute (X) to the Catholic Schools Endowment Foundation (federal tax ID number: 81-4541803).” The (X) can be:

• a percentage of your estate/trust;
• a specific dollar amount;
• specific assets; or
• a combination of the above.

SAMPLE BENEFICIARY DESIGNATIONS

Retirement plans such as IRAs and 401Ks, pensions, financial accounts, annuities, and life insurance policies all have beneficiary designations. To designate Ascend (CSEF) as a transfer-on-death (TOD) beneficiary, you can write CSEF as: Catholic Schools Endowment Foundation of Oregon (federal tax ID number: 81-4541803).

If you are like most people, you probably will not use all of your retirement assets, such as your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan, during your lifetime. You can make a gift of all or part of your unused retirement assets to help expand Catholic education to more families in Western Oregon. Another option is to to avoid ordinary income tax on your required minimum distribution by making a gift this year through an IRA charitable rollover.

Learn more about leaving your retirement assets to Ascend (CSEF).

IRA Charitable Rollover

BENEFITS

If you are 70½ or older, you may be interested in a way to lower the income and taxes from your IRA withdrawals. An IRA charitable rollover is a way you can contribute to the Ascend (CSEF) mission and achieve tax benefits this year.

• Avoid taxes on transfers of up to $100,000 from your IRA to Ascend (CSEF)
• Satisfy your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year
• Reduce your taxable income, even if you do not itemize deductions
• Make a gift that is not subject to the deduction limits on charitable gifts
• Help expand Catholic education to more families in Western Oregon

HOW IT WORKS

• Contact your IRA plan administrator to make a gift from your IRA to us.
• Your IRA funds will be directly transferred to Ascend (CSEF).
• Please note that IRA charitable rollover gifts do not qualify for a charitable deduction.
• Make a gift that is not subject to the deduction limits on charitable gifts.
• Please contact us if you wish for your gift to be used for a specific purpose.

Retirement Assets

BENEFITS

• Avoid potential estate tax on retirement assets
• Your heirs will avoid income tax on any retirement assets funded on a pre-tax basis
• Receive potential estate tax savings from an estate tax deduction

HOW IT WORKS

To leave your retirement assets to Ascend (CSEF), you will need to complete a beneficiary designation form provided by your retirement plan custodian. If you designate Ascend (CSEF) as beneficiary, we will benefit from the full value of your gift because your IRA assets will not be taxed at your death. Your estate will benefit from an estate tax charitable deduction for the gift.

MORE ABOUT GIFTS OF RETIREMENT ASSETS

Did you know that 60%-70% of your retirement assets may be taxed if you leave them to your heirs at your death? Another option is to leave your heirs assets that receive a step up in basis, such as real estate and stock, and give the retirement assets to Ascend (CSEF). As a charity, we are not taxed upon receiving an IRA or other retirement plan assets.

Please let us know if you have already included Ascend (CSEF) as a beneficiary of your retirement assets. We would like to thank you and recognize you for your gift. If you have questions or need assistance, please call contact our office at 503.233.8318 or [email protected].

Have you recently sold property and are looking for a way to save on taxes this year and plan for retirement? Are you looking for a way to provide your children with income while making a gift to Ascend (CSEF)? Perhaps you want to pass on some of your assets to your family while reducing or eliminating gift or estate taxes.

Gifting to Ascend (CSEF) through a charitable remainder unitrust, “give it twice” trust, or charitable lead trust can help you achieve your financial goals and make Catholic education available to more families in Western Oregon.

If you have any questions about trusts, please contact us at 503-233-8318 or [email protected] . We would be happy to answer your questions and provide you with an illustration demonstrating your specific tax benefits.

Charitable Remainder Unitrust

BENEFITS

• Receive income for life, for a term of up to 20 years or life plus a term of up to 20 years
• Avoid capital gains on the sale of your appreciated assets
• Receive an immediate charitable income tax deduction for the charitable portion of the trust
• Establish a future legacy gift to Ascend (CSEF)

HOW IT WORKS