tax-wise giving

See Your Generosity in Action

Make a difference today and save on taxes. It’s possible when you support Colorado Ballet through your IRA.

A Special Opportunity for Those 70½ Years Old and Older

You can give any amount (up to a maximum of $105,000) per year from your IRA directly to a qualified charity such as the Colorado Ballet without having to pay income taxes on the money. Gifts of any value $105,000 or less are eligible for this benefit and you can feel good knowing that you are making a difference. This popular gift option is commonly called the IRA charitable rollover, but you may also see it referred to as a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD for short.

Why Consider This Gift?

· Your gift will be put to use today, allowing you to see the difference your donation is making.
· Beginning in the year you turn 72, you can use your gift to satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution (RMD).
· You pay no income taxes on the gift. The transfer generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so you benefit even if you do not itemize your deductions.
· Since the gift doesn’t count as income, it can reduce your annual income level. This may help lower your Medicare premiums and decrease the amount of Social Security that is subject to tax.

Frequently Asked Questions

For those 59 1/2 years old or older:
If you’re at least 59½ years old, you can take a distribution and then make a gift from your IRA without penalty. If you itemize your deductions, you can take a charitable deduction for the amount of your gift.

At any age:
No matter your age, you can designate Colorado Ballet as the beneficiary of all or a percentage of your IRA and it will pass to us tax-free after your lifetime. It’s simple, just requiring that you contact your IRA administrator for a change-of-beneficiary form or download a form from your provider’s website.

Tip: 
It’s critical to let us know of your gift because many popular retirement plan administrators assume no obligation to notify a charity of your designation. The administrator also will not monitor whether your gift designations are followed. We would love to talk to you about your intentions to ensure that they are followed. We would also like to thank you for your generosity.

NEXT STEPS:

1. Contact the Advancement Team at 303-339-1714 or advancement@coloradoballet.org to discuss using your IRA to support Colorado Ballet and our mission.

2. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.

3. To include Colorado Ballet in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID. Please let us know of your gift (many retirement providers assume no responsibility for letting nonprofits know of your intentions, so your goals won’t be honored). 

Legal name: Colorado Ballet
Legal address: 1075 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204
Federal tax ID number: 84-6038137

Securities and mutual funds that have increased in value and been held for more than one year are one of the most popular assets to use when making a gift to Colorado Ballet. Making a gift of securities or mutual funds to us offers you the chance to support our work while realizing important benefits for yourself.

When you donate appreciated securities or mutual funds you have held more than one year to us 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 Colorado Ballet, you receive the same income tax savings that you would if you wrote us a check, but with the added benefit of eliminating capital gains taxes on the transfer, which can be as high as 20 percent. Making a gift of securities to support our mission is as easy as contacting the advancement team to receive instructions for instructing your broker to transfer the shares or, if you have the physical securities, hand-delivering or mailing the certificates along with a stock power to us in separate envelopes. (Using separate envelopes safeguards your gift—the certificates will not be negotiable without the stock power.)

A transfer on death (TOD) account. By placing a TOD* designation on your brokerage or investment account, that account will be paid over to one or more persons or charities after your lifetime. It is not necessary for the TOD designation to transfer all of the account solely to charity—you can designate a certain percentage of the account. With a TOD account, the beneficiary you name has no rights to the funds until after your lifetime. Until that time, you are free to use the money in the brokerage account, to change the beneficiary or to close the account.

*State laws govern payable on death accounts. Please consult with your bank representative or investment advisor if you are considering this gift.

A gift in your will or living trust. If you aren't ready to give up these assets during your lifetime, a gift of securities through your will or living trust allows you the flexibility to change your mind at any time. You can continue to receive dividends and participate in shareholder votes, and the securities are still yours if you need them for other expenses. In as little as one sentence you can ensure that your support for Colorado Ballet continues after your lifetime.

A donor advised fund. When you contribute to a donor advised fund with appreciated securities, you may receive a federal income tax charitable deduction for the fair market value of the asset and eliminate capital gains tax. Because of our nonprofit status, Colorado Ballet does not pay capital gain tax when we sell the gifted securities.

A memorial gift. If you have a friend or family member whose life has been touched by Colorado Ballet, consider making a gift to us in their name.

NEXT STEPS

1. Contact the Advancement Team at 303-339-1714 or advancement@coloradoballet.org for additional information on appreciated securities.

2. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.

3. If you include Colorado Ballet in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.

Legal name: Colorado Ballet
Legal address: 1075 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204
Federal tax ID number: 84-6038137

Interested in helping Colorado Ballet present exceptional classical ballet and contemporary dance through performances, training, education and community engagement but feel overwhelmed by the thought of writing another check or giving up your assets today? A simple, flexible and versatile way to ensure we can continue our work for years to come is a gift in your will or living trust, also known as a charitable bequest.

By including a gift to Colorado Ballet in your will or living trust, you are ensuring that we can continue our mission for years to come. Your gift also entitles your estate to an unlimited federal estate tax charitable deduction.

Use the following sample language to include a gift in your will to Colorado Ballet:

"I give, devise, and bequeath, to Colorado Ballet, a Colorado nonprofit corporation, (insert dollar amount, percentage of estate or exact description of property to be devised) for its unrestricted charitable use and purpose."

NEXT STEPS

1. Contact the Advancement Team at 303-339-1714 or advancement@coloradoballet.org for additional information on bequests or to chat more about the different options for including Colorado Ballet in your will or estate plan. 

2. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.

3. If you include Colorado Ballet in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.

Legal name: Colorado Ballet
Legal address: 1075 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204
Federal tax ID number: 84-6038137

Passionate about supporting Colorado Ballet and our mission even after your lifetime? It's not only possible, it's easy to do with a beneficiary designation to benefit Colorado Ballet. Just name Colorado Ballet as a beneficiary of all or a portion of your plan. You simply fill out a form that is entirely separate from your will—which makes this approach an easy way to give.

Not only is it an easy way to give, but it's also flexible—you aren't locked into the choices you make today. You can review and adjust beneficiary designations anytime you want.

NEXT STEPS

1. Contact the Advancement Team at 303-339-1714 or advancement@coloradoballet.org for additional information on beneficiary designations and how they can help support Colorado Ballet with our mission. 

2. Talk to your financial or legal advisor to learn which assets will or will not trigger taxable income when paid to a beneficiary. 

3. If you include Colorado Ballet in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.

Legal name: Colorado Ballet
Legal address: 1075 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204
Federal tax ID number: 84-6038137

A donor advised fund (DAF), which is like a charitable savings account, gives you the flexibility to recommend how much and how often money is granted to Colorado Ballet and other qualified charities. You can recommend a grant or recurring grants now to make an immediate impact or use your fund as a tool for future charitable gifts.

You can also create a lasting legacy by naming Colorado Ballet the beneficiary of the entire account or a percentage of the fund. With a percentage, you can create a family legacy of giving by naming your loved ones as your successor to continue recommending grants to charitable organizations. Contact your fund administrator for a beneficiary form.

NEXT STEPS

1. Evaluate a sponsoring organization to make sure it supports your interests, values and the type of asset you are considering as a funding source.

2. Get to know the organization's policies and procedures-from minimum contributions to administrative fees. Each organization handles these details differently.

3. Contact the Advancement Team at 303-339-1714 or advancement@coloradoballet.org to discuss using donor advised funds to support Colorado Ballet and our mission.

4. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.

5. If you include Colorado Ballet in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.

Legal name: Colorado Ballet
Legal address: 1075 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204
Federal tax ID number: 84-6038137

Want to make a gift to Colorado Ballet without touching your bank account? Consider giving Colorado Ballet real estate. Such a generous gift helps us continue to present exceptional classical ballet and contemporary dance through performances, training, education and community engagement for years to come. And a gift of real estate also helps you. When you give Colorado Ballet appreciated property you have held longer than one year, you qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction. You avoid paying capital gains tax. And you no longer have to deal with that property's maintenance costs, property taxes or insurance.

Another benefit: You don't have to hassle with selling the real estate. You can deed the property directly to Colorado Ballet or ask your attorney to add a few sentences in your will or trust agreement.

NEXT STEPS

1. Contact the Advancement Team at 303-339-1714 or advancement@coloradoballet.org to discuss the possibility of giving real estate to Colorado Ballet.

2. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor to make sure this gift fits your goals. 

3. If you include Colorado Ballet in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.

Legal name: Colorado Ballet
Legal address: 1075 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204
Federal tax ID number: 84-6038137