Ways to Give

To donate online, please use our online form. 

To donate by mail or phone, please contact: 

Department of Fund Development
Melwood
5606 Dower House Road
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

Richard Kim-Solloway
Donor Development &
Membership Marketing Manager
301-599-4524

To set up a monthly recurring donation, please use our online monthly donation form. 

To donate in honor or in memory of someone, please use our online donation form. 

Employee matching gift programs are corporate giving programs. Many employers sponsor matching gift programs to match charitable contributions made by their employees. Gifts from employees' spouses and retirees may also qualify for a match. Search here to find out if your employer has a matching gift program. 

Matching gifts are a great opportunity to provide scholarships for job training participants, veterans and active duty military members and increase your employer’s community recognition through our community events.

If you volunteer with us, your company may also offer a volunteer grant program.

Requesting a Matching Gift

Requesting a matching gift is normally a five minute process which must be initiated by the donor.

1.     Donate - Make your personal donation and save your tax receipt. Many matching programs will allow for up to one year after you've made your donation to request a corporate match.

2.     Search - Find out if your company offers a matching gift program and review the guidelines. Contact your HR department directly to ask if they offer a matching gift program.

3.     Match -  Find your company's matching gift verification form. Print it, fill it out and send it to us.

Volunteer Grant Programs

Volunteer grant programs (also referred to as volunteer matching programs) are corporate giving programs in which companies provide monetary donations to organizations where employees volunteer regularly.

For example: If you volunteered your time to Melwood to perform outreach activities in your community and helped in the Administrative offices, your employer may donate cash for your volunteer time.

Each company has specific guidelines for their volunteer grant programs — search here to see if your company offers this benefit and find everything you need to submit your volunteer time. You can always contact your company's HR department for more information.

If you volunteer with Melwood, it's an easy way to provide us with additional financial support

Melwood is a proud member of the United Way in the National Capital Area and a participant in the annual Combined Federal Campaign. You can provide your support to Melwood in the National Capital Region by designating code #8148 when donating to the United Way.

If your organization participates in the Combined Federal Campaign, you can also donate to Melwood by designating code #21166.

Your donations are tax deductible and help advocate for an empower individuals with differing abilities to get job training, find jobs and more fully participate in the life of our communities.

A gift of appreciated securities held for more than one year may provide significant benefits to you as a contributor, such as:

• Entitling you to a charitable income tax deduction for the fair market value of the gifted securities as of the date of the gift.

• Eliminating capital gains tax that would ordinarily become due if you had sold the appreciated securities on the open market and donated the proceeds from the sale to charity.

• Claiming your charitable deduction against up to 30% of your adjusted gross income. Any unused deductions can be carried forward over the next five years.

• Providing a way to help you to achieve your long-term financial objective of reducing your income and estate taxes.

 

If you have securities that have declined in value over the years and are interested in donating them to charity, you may find it more advantageous to sell the securities first and contribute the proceeds to charity as opposed to donating the securities outright. This strategy should allow you to claim a deduction for both the loss from the sale of the securities as well as the charitable gift.

 

If you are considering donating stock that is subject to a cash merger or tender offer, it's important for you to note that you will be subject to tax on the capital gain even though the shares were transferred to us before the tender offer became effective.

 

You should always consult with your financial advisor before initiating a charitable gift arrangement.

 

Gifts of appreciated securities could provide even greater benefits to you through Planned Giving.

 

Ways to Give Securities
There are two ways to make a donation of securities: by Physical Delivery or through an Electronic Transfer Authorization. Be sure to notify us of your decision.

 

Physical Delivery

If you have physical securities, you may deliver them in person, by registered mail, or by courier to your local ACS office. If they are registered in your name, you will need to provide an Irrevocable Stock/ Bond Power Form. 

 

Electronic Transfer Authorization

Your broker can electronically transfer your securities to ACS. Because this request must be made in writing we provide an Electronic Transfer Authorization form.

Contributing mutual fund assets to charity can be somewhat more complicated than donations of cash or individual securities and Melwood can help to ease the process, by working with you and your Mutual Fund representative.

Charitable gifts of mutual fund shares confer the same tax benefits as gifts of individual securities.  But there are distinctions between mutual funds and other stocks … and those differences need to be taken into account when donating mutual fund shares.

If you have questions or need assistance to make a gift of mutual funds, please call Richard Kim-Solloway, Donor Development & Membership Marketing Manager, 301-599-4524 or email rsolloway@melwood.org 

Donating IRA assets to charity has a number of tax advantages. Charities, unlike individual beneficiaries, do not need to pay income tax on withdrawals from these accounts. And while there is no income tax deduction for a donor’s contributions, the sum going to charity is not included in his or her adjusted gross income or AGI. Unlike other donations, these are not subject to percentage limitations on charitable deductions.

Donating these assets, rather than taking minimum required distributions, may also enable older donors to avoid certain penalties that come with a higher AGI, such as higher Medicare premiums.

Under current law, the last day for making a qualified charitable donation from an IRA is December 31st.

For eligible tax years, individuals age 70½ or over can exclude up to $100,000 from gross income for donations paid directly to a qualified charity from their IRA. Key points about qualified charitable contributions (QCDs) include:

•          The donation satisfies any IRA required minimum distributions for the year.

•          The amount excluded from gross income isn’t deductible.

•          Donations from an inherited IRA are eligible if the beneficiary is at least age 70 ½.

•          Donations from a SEP or SIMPLE IRA aren’t eligible.

•          Donations from a Roth IRA are eligible.

•          Married individuals filing a joint return may exclude up to $100,000 donated from each spouse’s own IRA ($200,000 total).

For more information regarding making charitable contributions from a qualified IRA, or if you need assistance to make such a gift, please call Richard Kim-Solloway, Donor Development & Membership Marketing Manager, 301-599-4524 or email rsolloway@melwood.org

Real estate comes in a variety of forms. Before considering some of the ways that Melwood might structure gifts of real estate to maximize value for the donor and for the donee, it’s beneficial to consider some of the opportunities and limitations of the major types of real estate.

Personal Residences

For a significant number of donors, a personal residence is the only piece of real estate they will ever own. Many people have lived in a home for many years and may be both unfamiliar with, and somewhat intimidated by the prospect of trying to sell their house to move to a retirement community.

The uncertainties of the marketplace and the details of trying to coordinate the timing of the sale with the availability of the unit in the retirement community may appear daunting.  Melwood, along with your financial advisor, can help to ease this transition by helping you to determine the best arrangement for your unique needs.  Options for donating residential property include, but are not limited to:

• Outright Gift:  a transfer of ownership via gift deed.

• Gift Sale:  a transaction in which the property is sold and a predetermined portion of the sale is returned to the homeowner.

• Lifetime Tenancy:  a transaction in which the deed is transferred to Melwood, but the homeowner retains the right to reside in the home throughout his/her life.  Costs of home maintenance are negotiated between Melwood and the homeowner.

By taking on the responsibility for marketing the property, and by remaining flexible in sale timing, Melwood can often provide financial and tax benefits for the donors.

Vacation Homes

Our vacation preferences, those places we elect to spend our leisure time may change over the years. Sometimes, people find just the right spot where they return year after year that may, in fact, become a second, or even eventually, a first home. Often, the place that seemed so appealing at one stage of life, may later take on limitations that hinder the ability to explore other vacation destinations.  Or, as families mature, vacation homes may be used rarely, sitting empty for much of the year, producing no tangible benefit for the owner in the unoccupied weeks and months.

Whether as an outright gift, a gift into some life income arrangement, or a gift of an undivided partial interest entitling Melwood to use the property for a specific period of time during the year, vacation homes can often turn a financial or logistical liability into a tax savings, and a cash flow stream of far greater benefit to the donor, and produce a gift to Melwood at the same time.

Commercial Property

Commercial properties are more complex. The market for such properties is relatively narrow, and creative sales financing may become a key element to a successful gift transaction. For this reason, a team of experts in legal and marketing issues becomes even more critical when making a gift of commercial real estate.  However, these complexities notwithstanding, if all of the pieces fall into place, a gift of commercial real estate can be a tremendous boon for both Melwood and the donor.

Raw Land

Farmland:   Melwood’s mission was established on a horticultural therapeutic model, using horticulture as a way to reach and teach those with differing abilities to become more self-sufficient and productive.  At the same time, as the value of farmland has grown, many traditional farming families find themselves turning to other pursuits. 

Commercially Developable Property: Commercially developable, but currently unoccupied raw land can be a challenging real estate gift possibility. The process of turning raw land into developed property, and of realizing the inherent value in such property, is long and complex. Gift possibilities may occur at almost any stage in the process, from the fields of corn and soybeans to finished lots ready for sale or lease.  

Melwood would be interested in discussing the possible full or partial donation of any parcel of raw commercial or farmland.

Bequests are any assets bequeathed in a will or a trust. A bequest might be a specific amount of money or assets, a percentage of those assets, or the residual (what is left over after heirs and other obligations are paid) from an estate. Melwood works with the donor and the donor’s attorneys both in the creation of the bequest and in the execution of the bequest’s will or trust. For more information or to speak with someone about a bequest, please contact Richard Kim-Solloway, Donor Development & Membership Marketing Manager, 301-599-4524 or rsolloway@melwood.org

Beneficiary designations, or the gifts that occur outside of the will.  This might be an Individual Retirement Account or an insurance policy. A donor can make a nonprofit the beneficiary of these financial instruments. IRAs can also simply be rolled over to a charity. For some individuals this makes sense to avoid the tax bill when they start taking money out of the IRA.

Making a nonprofit the beneficiary of an insurance policy is sometimes done by a donor whose children or spouse will not need the funds; or by a donor who would love to leave more money than he can actually afford to a beloved cause. Insurance policies can also be cashed out and donated to Melwood.  Working with Melwood’s Director of Major Gifts, the donor's own financial planner sets up the instruments.  If you have made or are interested in speaking with someone about making a beneficiary designation naming Melwood, please contact Richard Kim-Solloway, Donor Development & Membership Marketing Manager, 301-599-4524, or by email at rsolloway@melwood.org

Endowment Gifts have a common objective: to provide support not just for one year, or even one generation, but in perpetuity. An endowment fund is a permanent fund in which only the spendable amounts are available for the designated purpose, while the principal is retained and continues to generate funds for future use.

Creating an endowment allows you to fulfill your own personal philanthropic goals while helping support the needs and mission of Melwood. Endowments may be established for many reasons including to:

•          permanently honor a loved one or mentor

•          say thank you for services received by a friend or loved one

•          celebrate personal and professional accomplishments

•          perpetually support job training and program excellence at Melwood

•          leave your permanent legacy

 

Endowments offer you benefits in the form of tax benefits under both state and federal laws. Depending on the type of asset given, and the type of gift arrangement selected, it is possible to enjoy current savings on income taxes and gift/estate taxes.  For more information or to speak with someone about making an endowment gift, please contact Richard Kim-Solloway, Donor Development & Membership Marketing Manager, 301-599-4524 or
rsolloway@melwood.org

A charitable gift annuity is a contract under which a charity, in return for a transfer of cash, marketable securities or other assets, agrees to pay a fixed amount of money to one or two individuals, for their lifetime.

A person who receives payments is called an "annuitant" or "beneficiary." The payments are fixed and unchanged for the term of the contract. A portion of the payments are considered to be a partial tax-free return of the donor's gift, which are spread in equal payments over the life expectancy of the annuitant(s).

The contributed property (the gift), given irrevocably, becomes a part of Melwood's assets, and the payments are a general obligation of Melwood.  Annuity payments continue for the life/lives of the annuitant(s) no matter what the investment experience of the gift annuity fund.

Charitable gift annuities remain one of the most popular of the planned gift instruments.  For more information or to speak with someone about a Charitable Gift Annuity, please contact us at donations@melwood.org.

Donating a life insurance policy to Melwood can be a powerful strategy. It allows you to make larger gifts than you might otherwise afford, while generating current tax benefits.

Whether this strategy is right for you depends on your specific circumstances and your family’s financial situation. It is also important to understand the tax implications of a charitable gift of life insurance.

In addition to death benefits, permanent life insurance policies allow you to build substantial cash values on a tax-deferred basis. You can withdraw or borrow against these funds to provide a source of retirement income or to meet other needs (keeping in mind that this may reduce the cash value as well as the death benefit paid to your beneficiaries).

Have you reached a point in your life where you no longer need life insurance? Perhaps your children are financially independent and your IRAs, 401(k)s or other savings are more than sufficient to meet your retirement needs. Under these circumstances, donating life insurance to Melwood may be an attractive option. Please contact us at donations@melwood.org for more information if you'd like to donate. 

A Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) is a tax-exempt trust that can liquidate an asset to create two interests: Income Interest, and Remainder Interest. The income interest is paid out to a designated beneficiary (such as the creator of the trust) for a lifetime or at the conclusion of the term, and the remainder interest is passed on to Melwood.

 

Who does it work for?

Charitable Remainder Trusts are a powerful tool that can address many personal financial goals while facilitating a significant gift to Melwood. Anyone who is subject to paying capital gains taxes on appreciated assets, whose estate is subject to estate taxes, would like to benefit charity, and has a need for income is a candidate to benefit greatly from a CRT.

A Charitable Lead Trust (CLT) is an irrevocable agreement in which a donor transfers assets to a trust that creates an income or lead interest for Melwood. The trust’s remainder interest either comes back to the donor or passes to some other non-charitable beneficiary-typically the donor’s heirs.

 

Who does it work for?

A Charitable Lead Trust is a powerful charitable planning tool used to generate an income tax charitable deduction or a gift or estate tax charitable deduction. A CLT is often used by individuals who have a significant income event or anticipate high estate and gift taxes in transferring their wealth to heirs.

An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) is a trust that is designed to hold life insurance policies. The purpose of an ILIT is to transfer ownership of the life insurance policy from the policy holder to an irrevocable trust in order to release the policy holder of the burden of estate taxes on the proceeds of the policy.

A donor establishes a trust, then transfers a new or existing insurance policy to the trust. The donor then transfers liquid assets sufficient to pay the first year’s premium to the trust. Each year, the donor makes a gift to the trust sufficient to pay the premiums due. At death, the life insurance proceeds are paid to the trust and distributed to beneficiaries under the terms of the trust.

 

Who does it work for?

An Irrevocable Life Insurance trust may be the right planning tool for a donor who has a desire to replace value of assets gifted to charitable entities in their estate. Donors who are sufficiently insured, but wish to purchase additional life insurance while keeping it out of their taxable estate may be good candidates for an ILIT.

Since the ILIT, and not the donor, owns the policy, the insurance proceeds will not be included in the donor’s federal gross estate. Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts are generally structured so that the initial gift and subsequent gifts to the trust qualify for the annual gift tax deduction.

Frequent Flyer Miles help Melwood fly veterans and active duty military to treatment for PTS(D) and traumatic brain injury.

You can put your un-used miles to work helping people of differing abilities through the generosity of several major airlines. The airline partners listed below permit their loyalty program members to donate their miles to help our “Operation: Tohidu” veterans and active duty military members participate in specialized treatment programs for Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury.

If you would like to donate your frequent flyer miles to Melwood, please contact your airline. The IRS recognizes the donation of airline miles or points as a gift from the airline to the charitable organization. Therefore, miles donated to Melwood are not considered tax-deductible by the individual donor. For further information, consult IRS Publication 526 and/or your personal tax advisor.

For more information and to donate your vehicle, please use our Online Vehicle Donation Form.

Since 1963, Melwood has provided training and employment for people of differing abilities and helping local employers to include those who are differently abled in their workforces, enhancing diversity and inclusion in the world of work.

Corporate and foundation partners are very important to Melwood and its mission. It is only through the financial and job creation support of the business and philanthropic communities that we can expand the role of the differently abled in our society and move them from welfare to work.

If your company or foundation would like to sponsor one of Melwood’s special events, please contact:

Department of Fund Development
Melwood
5606 Dower House Road
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

donations@melwood.org