PLANNED GIVING
Make a planned gift to Best Buddies and help continue more than 30 years of supporting people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.
A Legacy of Friendship, Inclusion & Opportunity
When you include a gift to Best Buddies as part of your legacy, you help continue an effort spanning more than 30 years — supporting people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and educating young women and men to act in the service of others.
Below are some of the most common ways to give — including gifts from an estate, gifts that provide income for life, and gifts using creative funding assets.
Ways to Give
Include Best Buddies in Your Planning
Click any topic to expand and learn more about how each option could shape your legacy.
Bequests
One of the simplest ways to create a legacy with Best Buddies is through a bequest in your will or trust. You can leave a specific amount, percentage, or all or a portion of the remainder of your estate to BBI in general, or to a specific program that has meaning to you.
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Bequest
Bequests are the most common way to make a gift through your estate. Simply add a provision in your will or trust designating either a specific amount, a percentage, or all or part of the residue of your estate to Best Buddies International. You can designate your bequest to benefit a specific program that is meaningful to you or provide unrestricted support — gifts of any size are appreciated.
Bequests provide flexibility: you can make a gift now while preserving the right to make changes at any time should your circumstances change. There are also potential tax benefits, which may allow you to make a more significant gift to Best Buddies from your estate while still taking care of family and loved ones.
Sample Language
Below is sample language to share with your attorney:
I bequeath to Best Buddies International (Tax ID #52-1614576), a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Miami, Florida,
- The sum of __________ dollars; or
- An amount equal to ________ percent of the net value of my estate; or
- All the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate.
If you would like to designate your gift to a specific BBI program, you may also want to include: “It is my request that this gift be used for the benefit of [specify program] at Best Buddies International as directed in my most recent statement of intent with BBI.”
Beneficiary Designations
Naming Best Buddies as the beneficiary of a retirement account, insurance policy, or bank or brokerage account may offer significant tax benefits and is easy to update should your plans change in the future.
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Beneficiary Designations
Naming Best Buddies as the beneficiary of a retirement account, insurance policy, or bank or brokerage account is a tax-smart way to make a gift that leaves a lasting legacy.
Retirement accounts may grow significantly over time, leading to a built-in tax liability. Leaving these assets to loved ones, other than a spouse, may result in up to 70% of the value being lost to taxes. Instead, if you leave other assets to family and use a retirement account to make a gift to Best Buddies, the funds are transferred tax-free and Best Buddies realizes the full value of the gift.
How a beneficiary designation can impact your tax liability
“John Smith” names his children as the beneficiaries of his IRA worth $100,000. After federal and state income and estate tax, the kids might only receive $30,000.
Alternatively, if “John” names Best Buddies as the beneficiary of the IRA, this leaves a larger amount of the estate available for gifts to his children, and the estate may receive a charitable deduction. Because Best Buddies is a charity, it does not pay federal or state income tax on the distribution — meaning the full $100,000 is available to support a program important to “John” and his family.
Designating Best Buddies as a beneficiary
Legal Name: Best Buddies International
Address: Office of the Chairman, Suite 2200,
100 SE 2nd Street, Miami, FL 33131
Tax ID: 52-1614576
Phone: (305) 374-2233
Life Insurance
There are two ways to create a legacy with Best Buddies through your life insurance policy. To retain maximum flexibility, name Best Buddies as the beneficiary of your policy. You may also donate your policy during your life by naming Best Buddies as the irrevocable owner of your paid-up policy.
SECURE Act Changes for Retirement Accounts
If you are still earning income, you can keep making contributions to your IRA. Prior to the SECURE Act, the age cutoff for contributions was 70½. Please be aware that if you are making contributions to your IRA and using your IRA to make QCDs, the contribution amount is excluded from the QCD that can be used for the special RMD offset treatment.
The SECURE Act eliminated the stretch IRA for non-spouses, which means that most IRA beneficiaries are required to take the full account payout within 10 years of the death of the original account holder. Previously, distributions from the IRA could be taken over a beneficiary’s lifetime, allowing a longer time frame over which to pay tax. This is a significant change that will affect estate planning, particularly in situations where you are considering naming children or other family members who are not a spouse as beneficiaries of a retirement account. There may be an even bigger tax incentive to use retirement accounts for gifts to charity and leave assets with a lower tax burden to loved ones.
If you’re 70 ½ or older, this is a tax-smart way to make a gift to Georgetown while decreasing your taxable income. If you are 73 or older, these gifts will also help meet your Required Minimum Distribution.
Gifts of Real Estate
A gift of real estate such as a residence or commercial property may be a meaningful way to make a gift to Best Buddies.
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Real Estate
A gift of real property — a residence, vacation home, or commercial property — can be used to make a significant gift. This can be accomplished through a simple bequest in your will or trust leaving the proceeds from the sale of the property to Best Buddies, or during your lifetime through a charitable remainder trust or a charitable lead trust. Gifts of real estate must be free of debt and readily marketable.
Potential tax benefits of making a gift of real estate include reducing income and estate taxes, receiving a charitable deduction, and avoiding capital gains tax. If used to fund a charitable remainder trust, there may also be financial security and a lifetime income stream for you and/or loved ones. With all gifts there is the benefit of leaving a lasting legacy at Best Buddies that supports a school or program that is meaningful to you.
Important to Know
Gifts of real estate require careful planning. Any gift must comply with Best Buddies’ real estate acceptance policy and be reviewed and approved by its Gift Acceptance Committee.
Appreciated Securities
You may be able to use appreciated stock, bonds, or mutual funds to make a gift to support Best Buddies that provides a charitable deduction while also avoiding capital gains taxes.
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Donating stock or mutual funds is an extremely tax-beneficial way to make a gift to Best Buddies. In gifting appreciated stock, bonds, or mutual fund shares that you have owned for at least one year, you may enjoy one or a combination of the following benefits:
- Avoid paying capital gains tax on the appreciation
- Receive a charitable tax deduction
- Provide support for a Best Buddies program that is meaningful to you
IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution
If you’re 70 ½ or older, this is a tax-smart way to make a gift to Best Buddies while decreasing your taxable income. If you are 73 or older, these gifts will also help meet your Required Minimum Distribution.
Complex Assets
Careful planning can help unlock the power of illiquid assets, allowing you to reach your philanthropic goals while realizing additional tax benefits.
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Complex assets, like pre-IPO shares or closely held business interests, can be a very tax-effective gift to Best Buddies. Careful planning can help unlock the power of illiquid assets allowing you to reach your philanthropic goals while realizing additional tax benefits. You may also be able to consider more significant gifts than you thought possible by using complex assets in your philanthropy.
Examples of Complex Assets
- Closely held business interests
- Pre-IPO shares
- Private equity interests
- Hedge fund interests
- LLC & Limited Partnership interests
- Private company C-corp or S-corp stock
- Restricted stock
- Patents
- Copyrights
Using complex assets to make a gift may entitle you to receive a tax deduction based on the assets’ fair market value, avoid recognition of capital gains, and rebalance your portfolio in a tax-efficient way while making a significant gift to a school or program at Best Buddies that is meaningful to you.
Charitable Gift Annuity
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Charitable Gift Annuities (CGAs) are a wonderful way to provide income for yourself and/or a loved one while also making a gift to support Best Buddies. For a one time donation to Best Buddies, we will make regular, fixed payments to up to two individuals for the rest of their lives. This can include you, a spouse, children, parents, or friends and loved ones. The minimum contribution to create a CGA is $10,000 for one-life and $25,000 for two-lives (restrictions may apply).
In addition to these fixed annuity payments, you receive a charitable tax-deduction in the year you make your gift. After the beneficiaries of the CGA have passed, the remaining funds go to Best Buddies for future generations. We also offer competitive rates compared to those offered by banks, making them a competitive investment option for individuals seeking to diversify their revenue stream in retirement. Additionally, CGAs funded with appreciated securities may allow you to avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation.
An example of a CGA at Best Buddies
An prospective donor is looking to secure her finances in retirement. She has a nest egg of $25,000 that she would like to give to Best Buddies while also receiving fixed payments on her schedule.
At 70 years old, she qualifies for an annuity rate of 6.3%, meaning she would receive $1,575 per year. Additionally, she would take a charitable deduction of $8,634.25* this year, giving her some relief in her taxes while also knowing her gift is going to the school she loves rather than a bank after her lifetime.
*Based on 2026 rates
Deferred Charitable Gift Annuity
If you prefer, you can also create a Deferred Charitable Gift Annuity (DCGA) which will allow you to defer payments for a set number of years, thereby increasing the amount of the annuities while still allowing you to take the charitable deduction in the year your gift is made.
Charitable Remainder Trust
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A Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) is an irrevocable trust that generates fixed or variable income for you and/or other beneficiaries for life or a term of years, with the remainder of the trust eventually becoming a gift to Best Buddies that will have a lasting impact for future Buddies. You have the option to designate the trust remainder for a program that is meaningful to you.
A CRT provides income for beneficiaries while helping with retirement, estate planning and tax management. CRTs also offer flexibility in the assets that can be used, investment options, and how payments are made. A CRT is an ideal gift for those who want to take care of one or more loved ones while leaving a legacy at Best Buddies.
Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT)
Provides variable income based on market performance
A CRUT offers flexibility and a potentially higher annual income than a charitable remainder annuity trust (CRAT). Annual CRUT payments are based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets and are revalued each year, possibly acting as a hedge against inflation. Additional payments can be made at any time to a CRUT. Using appreciated securities or real estate to fund a CRUT may provide additional tax benefits.
Income payments are tied to the changing value of the trust assets, which means the payment amount will fluctuate. If the value of the assets grows, income payments will increase; but if value of trust assets decline, income payments will decrease.
CRUT minimum: $100,000
Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust (CRAT)
Fixed income payments for a term of years
A CRAT provides beneficiaries with a predictable source of income. Annual income is a fixed rate of around 5% of the initial fair market value of the trust assets. These fixed payments may continue for the life of the beneficiary(ies) or for a fixed number of years. Any income earned by the trust that exceeds the annuity amount is added to the trust principal. If trust earnings are insufficient to meet the annuity amount, principal is used to make up the deficit.
A CRAT can be funded using cash or securities, and entitles you to a current tax-year charitable deduction. In addition, if you use appreciated securities to fund the trust, you may be able to avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation in the year of the gift and can instead spread this liability over a period of years. Additional contributions cannot be made to a CRAT. After the trust terminates, the remaining assets pass to Best Buddies and become a gift to support our programs.
CRAT minimum: $100,000; $50,000 (NY and CA only)
Charitable Lead Trust
A creative way to pass on assets to your family while reducing or eliminating gift or estate taxes.
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If you are looking for a creative way to pass on assets to your family while reducing or eliminating gift or estate taxes, a Charitable Lead Trust (CLT) may be an excellent way to achieve charitable and tax-planning goals.
A CLT uses the assets that were initially contributed to the trust to make annual payments to Best Buddies for a term of years (usually 10 to 20). At the end of the term, the remaining assets in the trust pass to the non-charitable beneficiaries, without passing through the donor’s estate. An added benefit of a CLT is that distributions from the trust are made to Best Buddies during your lifetime so you will be able to see the impact of your gift.
Potential Tax Benefits of a CLT
A Charitable Lead Trust (CLT) allows donors to make a significant gift to Best Buddies, while also minimizing their taxable estate, and then passing on assets and any growth tax-free to non-charitable beneficiaries, such as children or grandchildren. CLTs do not provide an income tax deduction, but may reduce income taxes by transferring income generating assets to the trust. There is also the potential for significant gift and estate tax savings.
CLTs are complex vehicles with many variables to consider. It is recommended that you consult an attorney if you are considering creating a CLT. With proper consideration and preparation, a CLT can be an excellent way to reach personal charitable and tax-planning goals.
Personal Property
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Making a donation of tangible personal property can be an excellent way to receive a tax benefit, dispose of property that is expensive to insure or maintain, and support Best Buddies.
Artwork, collections, antiques, stamp and coin collections, and other personal property can make a great charitable gift today or after your lifetime. Financial benefits for a gift of personal property depend on if Best Buddies can use the property in a way that is related to our mission.
Related use property, such as a piece of artwork may be deductible at piece’s fair market value as determined by an independent appraisal. The deduction for property that is deemed non-related use property may be limited to the lesser of fair market value or your tax basis in the property.
If the federal income tax charitable deduction claimed for a gift of personal property exceeds $5,000, you will be required to obtain an appraisal from a qualified appraiser and complete IRS Form 8283.
Donor Advised Funds
Contact Us
We’re here to answer any questions you may have about making a planned gift or maximizing your philanthropy with Best Buddies. For more information, contact John Carlin at the Office of the Chairman.
(305) 490-4603
The information on this website is not intended as legal, financial, or tax advice. Please consult an attorney, financial advisor, or tax advisor in your planning.
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