Donating appreciated securities – such as stock or mutual funds – is an extremely efficient way to give to the Foundation due to the associated tax advantages.  When you transfer ownership of long-term holdings, you receive a charitable deduction for their full market value at the time of transfer (up to 30% of your adjusted gross income).  If your deduction is greater than 30%, you are eligible to carry any unused deduction forward for up to five years subject to the same annual limit until it has been fully used. When a gift of securities is made, the donor benefits by not having to sell the securities and therefore avoids realizing capital gains, and the Foundation benefits from a gifted amount that may greatly exceed your cost basis. If you would like to donate a gift of appreciated securities, please contact us. We recommend that you first consult your financial planner for any gifts of securities.

For many people, the most practical way to make a significant gift to the Foundation is through their estate. Please consider gifting to the Foundation through:a codicil to your willan amendment to your revocable trusta retirement plan beneficiary designationnaming the Foundation as the beneficiary of your life insurance plana donor advised fund or private foundation succession plan​Estate plans should be prepared by and with the advice of an estate planning professional (lawyer, accountant, financial advisor, etc.) to ensure that your intentions are carried out.  The Foundation is not able to provide legal advice or counsel on matters pertaining to gift planning.  Contact us if you are interested in a Planned Gift.Sample Bequest LanguageA general bequest, unrestricted as to purpose:“I give (____ dollars) or (____ percent of my estate) to the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra Foundation, Inc., a Massachusetts charitable corporation, for the purpose of [state purpose of gift].”A bequest for a specific purpose:“I give (____ dollars) or (____ percent of my estate) to the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra Foundation, Inc., a Massachusetts charitable corporation, for the purpose of [state purpose].  If, in the future, in the opinion of the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra board members, all or part of this gift cannot be usefully applied to the above purpose (or in the above manner), it may be used for any purpose within the corporate powers of the University that will most nearly accomplish my wishes and purposes.”Please note, gifts designated for specific purposes must be approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors.  Please check with us before designating a special purpose bequest.

Since assets in a donor-advised fund are invested tax-free, making a distribution from such a fund to the Foundation allows you to combine tax benefits with the flexibility to support multiple causes.  If you are using a donor-advised fund to make charitable contributions, please consider including the Foundation as one of your causes. If you would like to make a gift to the Foundation through a donor-advised fund, please contact us.

Designating the Foundation as a beneficiary of your retirement plan is another tax-efficient way to show your support.  Retirement assets are often subject to income tax when distributed and estate taxes – but when you make an IRA Charitable Contribution, the Foundation will receive all or a part of the plan assets undiminished by estate and gift taxes. Any individual who is 70 ½ or older can transfer tax-free gifts (up to an annual maximum of $100,000) directly from their IRA to the Foundation using the IRA Charitable Rollover.If you would like to make an IRA Charitable Contribution to the Foundation, please contact us. To start, you can request a beneficiary designation form from your plan’s administrator (or change the designation online), naming the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra Foundation, Inc. as the beneficiary.