Planned Gift Vehicles

With PlannedGiftTracker, you can track gifts your organization expects to receive from a donor through a bequest, annuity, trust, pooled income fund (PIF), estate, or life insurance policy. On the record of a planned gift, you can view which method — or vehicle — the donor selected to specify the gift conditions and additional pertinent details under the vehicle’s name. For each method, you view different types of information.

When a donor specifies that a planned is a bequest, the gift transfers to your organization after the donor passes away.

Note: For information about a bequest, refer to Planned gift details on its gift record. For more, see Planned Gifts.

With a planned annuity, a donor transfers a gift to your organization and, in return, you regularly pay a fixed amount of money for the lifetime of individuals — or beneficiaries — they select. After the last beneficiary passes away, the remainder of the gift belongs to your organization.

Under Gift annuity, you can view:

  • Payout percent — The percentage of the initial gift to pay the beneficiaries

  • Payout amount — The amount to pay the beneficiaries

  • Discount rate — The percentage rate — determined monthly by the IRS — that helps calculate the donor’s charitable tax deduction

  • Payment frequency — How often you pay the beneficiaries

  • Flexible deferred — Whether the beneficiaries can postpone their payments

  • First payment date — When to start payments to the beneficiaries

With a lead annuity trust, a donor invests their gift with a third party — the trustee — and instructs them to pay your organization — the beneficiary — a fixed amount each year for the length — or term — of the trust. After the term ends, the investment amount returns to the donor.

Under Lead annuity trust, you can view:

  • Payout percent — The fixed percentage of the initial gift your organization receives from the trust

  • Payout amount — The fixed amount your organiz

  • Discount rate — The percentage rate — determined monthly by the IRS — that helps calculate the donor’s charitable tax deduction

  • Payment frequency — How often your organization receives payment from the trust

  • First payment date — When the payments to your organization begin

  • Term type — Whether the length of the trust lasts until a specific — or fixed — date, the life of the donor, or the shorter or longer of either

  • Term end date — For a fixed term, when the trust ends

With a remainder annuity trust, a donor invests their gift with a third party — the trustee — and instructs them to pay select individuals — beneficiaries — a fixed amount of money for life or for the length — or term, not to exceed 20 years — of the trust. After the term ends or the last beneficiary passes away, the remainder of the investment amount transfers to your organization.

Under Remainder annuity trust, you can view:

  • Payout percent — The percentage of the initial fair market value of the gift the beneficiaries receive from the trust

  • Payout amount — The fixed amount — based on the percentage of the initial fair market value of the gift — the beneficiaries receive from the trust

  • Discount rate — The percentage rate — determined monthly by the IRS — that helps calculate the donor’s charitable tax deduction

  • Trust tax ID number — The federal tax identification number of the trust

  • Payment frequency — How often the beneficiaries receive payments from the trust

  • First payment date — When the payments to the beneficiaries begin

  • Term type — Whether the length of the trust lasts until a specific — or fixed — date, the life of the beneficiaries, or the shorter or longer of either

  • Term end date — For a fixed term, when the trust ends

With a lead unitrust, a donor invests their gift with a third party — the trustee — and instructs them to pay your organization — the beneficiary — a fixed percentage of the trust’s value — determined annually — for the length — or term — of the trust. After the trust term ends, the investment amount returns to the donor.

Under Lead unitrust, you can view:

  • Payout percent — The fixed percentage of the trust’s value your organization receives

  • Discount rate — The percentage rate — determined monthly by the IRS — that helps calculate the donor’s charitable tax deduction

  • Payment frequency — How often your organization receives payments from the trust

  • First payment date — When the payments to your organization begin

  • Term type — Whether the length of the trust lasts until a specific — or fixed — date, the life of the donor, or the shorter or longer of either

  • Term end date — For a fixed term, when the trust ends

  • Trust tax ID number — The federal tax identification number of the trust

With a remainder unitrust, a donor invests their gift with a third party —the trustee — and instructs them to pay select individuals — beneficiaries — a fixed percentage of the trust’s value — determined annually — for life or for the length — or term, not to exceed 20 years — of the trust. After the term ends or the last beneficiary passes away, the remainder of the investment amount transfers to your organization.

Under Remainder unitrust, you can view:

  • Payout percent — The fixed percentage of the trust’s value the beneficiaries receive

  • Discount rate — The percentage rate — determined monthly by the IRS — that helps calculate the donor’s charitable tax deduction

  • Payment frequency — How often the beneficiaries receive payments from the trust

  • First payment date — When the payments to the beneficiaries begin

  • Term type — Whether the length of the trust lasts until a specific — or fixed — date, the life of the beneficiaries, or the shorter or longer of either

  • Term end date — For a fixed term, when the trust ends

  • Trust tax ID number — The federal tax identification number of the trust

With a pooled income fund, multiple donors invest in a trust that your organization establishes. Each donor is assigned a number of units of participation based on their contribution and receives an annual distribution for their lifetime from the fund’s investment income. After a donor passes away, their portion of the investment is removed from the fund and transfers to your organization.

Under Pooled income fund, you can view:

  • Name — The fund the donor invested in

  • Payment frequency — How often the donor receives distribution payments

  • First payment date — When the distribution payments begin

  • Number of units — How many units are assigned to the donor

  • Total units — How many units are in the fund

  • Percent — The percentage of total units assigned to the donor

With a retained life estate, a donor transfers a home to your organization, but retains the right to use it for a specified number of years or their lifetime. They may also specify an individual — or beneficiary — to use it after they pass away. After the specified period — or term — ends, the home transfers to your organization.

Under Retained life estate, you can view:

  • Discount rate— The percentage rate — determined monthly by the IRS — that helps calculate the donor’s charitable tax deduction

  • Address block — The address of the home

  • Term type — Whether the length of the trust lasts until a specific — or fixed — date, the life of the donor or their beneficiary, or the shorter or longer of either

  • Term end date — For a fixed term, when it ends

When your organization receives a planned gift that is not one of the other vehicles — such as a bargain sale to buy a property for less than fair market value — you can record it as other planned gift.

Under Other planned gift, you can view:

  • Payout percent— The percentage of the gift’s value your organization or the beneficiaries receive

  • Payment frequency — How often your organization or the beneficiaries receive payments

  • Payout amount — How much your organization or the beneficiaries receive from the gift

  • First payment date — When the payments to your organization or the beneficiaries begin

With life insurance, a donor selects your organization to receive the value of their policy after they pass away.

Under Life insurance, you can view:

  • Insurance carrier— The company that provides the insurance policy

  • Policy number— The policy’s identification number or account with the carrier

  • Policy type — The form of insurance the policy provides, such as term or whole life

  • Policy face amount — The stated amount your organization receives when the donor passes away

  • Premium amount — The amount the donor or your organization pays the carrier for the policy

  • Donor owns policy — Whether the donor owns the policy

  • Donor pays premium — Whether the donor is responsible for payments to the carrier

  • Premium fully paid — Whether the premium payments are complete