Make a Big Impact With a Future Gift

Giving through your trust or will is a powerful way to leave a lasting impact on the causes and organizations that matter most to you. By including a charitable bequest to Catholic Charities in your estate plan, you can provide vital support and make a difference for years to come. A charitable bequest allows you to designate a specific amount of money, property, or a percentage of your estate. This type of giving can also offer tax benefits to your estate and heirs, making it a wise financial decision as well as a philanthropic one. Whether you're passionate about early childhood or adult education, refugee support, affordable housing, or relieving homelessness, a charitable bequest can help ensure that your values and priorities are carried on for generations to come.
The future of our organization is built on today’s planned and deferred gifts. Together with our most faithful donors, we will continue to serve people in need far into the future.
If you have included Catholic Charities in your estate plans, or would like more information on how to do so, please contact us so we can answer your questions and acknowledge your commitment to our brothers and sisters in need. Notifying us of your plans will enable us to include your future in our records and will ensure that your gift is used according to your wishes. However, if you prefer to remain anonymous, we will keep your name and gift in strict confidence.
Gift of Cash
  • One of the easiest and most common ways for you to support Catholic Charities is with a gift of cash. Cash can be used to support our work in the form of:
    • An outright gift. By making a cash gift by check, credit card, or setting up an automatic transfer from your bank account today, you enable Catholic Charities to meet our most urgent needs and carry out our mission on a daily basis. You will have the opportunity to see your generosity in action and will also receive a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize on your tax forms.
    • A payable on death (POD) account. A POD bank account or certificate of deposit names one or more persons or charities as the beneficiary of all funds once you, the account owner, pass away. The beneficiary you name has no rights to the funds until after your lifetime. Until that time, you remain in control and are free to use the money in the bank account, change the beneficiary, or close the account.
Gift of appreciated securities
  • Securities and mutual funds that have increased in value and been held for more than one year are popular assets to use when making a gift to Catholic Charities. Making a gift of securities or mutual funds offers you the chance to support our work while realizing important benefits for yourself.
  • When you donate appreciated securities or mutual funds in support of our mission, you can reduce or even eliminate federal capital gains taxes on the transfer. You may also be entitled to a federal income tax charitable deduction based on the fair market value of the securities at the time of the transfer.
  • Securities are most often used to support our work in the form of:
    • An outright gift. When you donate securities to Catholic Charities, you receive the same income tax savings that you would if you wrote a check, but with the added benefit of eliminating capital gains taxes on the transfer, which can be as high as 20%.
    • A transfer on death (TOD) account. By placing a TOD designation on your brokerage or investment account, that account will be paid to one or more persons or charities after your lifetime.
Donor-Advised Fund
Please see our dedicated page on Donor-Advised Funds by clicking here
Gift in your will or Living Trust
  • You want to leave money to Catholic Charities in your will. You also want the flexibility to change your will in the event that life circumstances change. You can do both.
  • In as little as one sentence, you can complete your gift. This type of donation to Catholic Charities in your will or living trust helps ensure that we continue our mission for years to come.
  • Recommended Language*:
    • To ensure your gift goes to the greatest needs of the community: "I give to Catholic Charities, a nonprofit corporation currently located at 2010 Bridge Blvd SW, Albuquerque NM, 87105, or its successor thereto, _________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted charitable use and purpose."
    • Or to designate your gift for a specific purpose: "I give to Catholic Charities, a nonprofit corporation currently located at 2010 Bridge Blvd SW, Albuquerque NM, 87105, or its successor thereto, _________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property]. This gift should be used for (state purpose) if and so long as Catholic Charities determines that the need exists. If Catholic Charities shall determine at the outset or at a later time that the need does not exist, or no longer exists, or for some reason it is not possible (or prudent) to administer my gift as originally intended, then Catholic Charities may, in its sole and uncontrolled discretion, direct the use of my bequest for a purpose related as closely as possible to that stated above."
Beneficiary Designations
  • Not everyone wants to commit to making a gift in their wills or estates. Some prefer the increased flexibility that a beneficiary designation provides by using:
  • It is very simple to name Catholic Charities as a beneficiary. Start by requesting a change-of-beneficiary form from your policy administrator or download the form from your provider's website. Make your desired changes and return the form to establish your gift.
  • After a person's death, retirement accounts are exposed to income and in some cases estate taxes, which at a combined rate could rise to 75% or higher. The only way to avoid these taxes on your retirement plan is to give those assets to a charity. By designating Catholic Charities as your beneficiary, you will ensure 100% of the value of your account benefits those we serve.
  • Next Steps:
    • Contact the administrator of your retirement plan, insurance policy, or bank account for a change-of-beneficiary form, or simply download a form from your provider's website.
    • Decide what percentage (1 to 100) you would like Catholic Charities to receive and name us, along with the percentage you chose, on the beneficiary form. Return the completed form.
    • Contact us at the information provided to let us know your goals for the gift so we can ensure it is used as you intend.
Real Estate
  • Want to make a gift to Catholic Charities without touching your bank account? Consider giving us real estate, such as a personal residence, vacation home, farm, commercial property, or undeveloped land. Such a generous gift helps us continue our work for years to come and also helps you. When you give Catholic Charities appreciated property you have held longer than one year, you qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction and you may minimize or eliminate capital gains tax. And you no longer have to deal with that property’s maintenance costs, property taxes, or insurance. You also don’t have to hassle with selling the property, and neither do your heirs. You can deed the property directly to Catholic Charities or ask your attorney to add it to your will or trust agreement.
  • Contact us or your legal or financial representative to learn how to give real estate to Catholic Charities through:
    • An outright gift
    • Your will or trust
    • A Donor-Advised Fund
    • A retained life estate
    • A charitable remainder trust
    • A bargain sail
    • A charitable lead trust
    • A memorial or endowed gift
​Catholic Charities is not a legal or financial advisor. Please consult with a professional you trust with the advisement and management of your estate.
The mission of Catholic Charities is to put faith in action to improve the lives of those in need. We provide services to promote self-sufficiency, strengthen families, fight poverty, and build community. As the local 501(c)(3) affiliate of Catholic Charities USA, we remain dedicated to finding solutions to some of the most pressing social challenges individuals, children and families face regardless of race, religion, color, country of origin, disabilities, gender, age, or sexual orientation.