Ways to Give

More than 50 years after her life, Helen Keller’s dedication to empower people with visual impairments carries on around the world. What is known today as Sights for Hope is part of the legacy, as its inception traces to a speech she made in 1925.

A gift to Sights for Hope creates your own legacy of support for the transformation of lives of people with visual impairments. Planned gifts not only make legacy giving possible, but they can also provide other advantages such as tax benefits to the donor or lifetime income for the donor or others.

Ways to Give

It is easy to make a gift that provides the maximum benefit to you, your family, and Sights for Hope.

• Make a gift in your will
• Designate Sights for Hope as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy
• Designate Sights for Hope as a beneficiary of a portion of your retirement plan
• Create a trust that provides annual income to you and/or your family and ultimately reverts to Sights for Hope
• Create a trust that provides income to Sights for Hope and ultimately reverts to your survivors
• Donate property

Sample Bequest Language

Your attorney can arrange a gift by inserting the following language into your will or trust, or as an amendment thereof: “To Sights for Hope (federal tax identification number 23-1352260), I hereby give $ ____ (or ___%) of my estate.”
We encourage all donors to consult with their own professional tax advisors when making charitable gifts.

IRA Charitable Rollover

The IRA Charitable Rollover Provision allows individuals who have reached age 70½ to donate up to $100,000 to charitable organizations directly from their Individual Retirement Account (IRA), without treating the distribution as taxable income. This provision had expired on January 1, 2015, but was reinstated and made permanent.

Let Us Know

We hope that you would let us know of your plans so that we can express our appreciation and make additional arrangements if needed. Please contact our Advancement Office with details. Laws and regulations prohibit attorneys and financial professionals from informing organizations of planned gifts during your life.

Our Policies

A joint policy by Sights for Hope and the affiliated Sights for Hope Endowment Foundation directs that Sights for Hope shall keep up to $10,000 of any single unrestricted bequest or estate gift and transfer the remainder of any such gift to the endowment. However, if you wish for more of your gift, or your entire gift, to support our operations, we ask that you please inform us in writing.

The Sights for Hope Endowment Foundation is an independent nonprofit corporation that is affiliated with Sights for Hope and governed by a separate Board of Directors. The endowment foundation was established in 1980 to provide funding opportunities based on best investment practices to ensure our organization’s sustainability. The federal tax identification number for the endowment foundation is 23-2129736.

Employee matching gift programs are corporate giving programs that you can use to double, or even triple, your contribution. Some companies even match gifts for part-time workers and retirees.

How to Request a Matching Gift

1. Donate – Make a donation and save your tax receipt. Many matching programs will allow for up to one year after you have made your donation to request a corporate match.
2. Inquire – Contact your HR department directly to ask if they offer a matching gift program and ask if your employer will match your donation.
   
3. Match – Your company likely would provide a matching gift form that you can download and complete to complete the match. Consult your HR department for more information on your company’s policies.

I made a donation a few months ago. Can I still apply for a matching gift?

Maybe. Many companies allow employees to submit match requests for one year following the date of the donation.

Can my company’s matching gift be applied to a specific service provided by the agency?

Yes. If, for example, your initial gift is intended to support our guided transport service, the matching gift from your company will also be directed to that service.

Donors contribute appreciated securities, such as stocks, frequently as charitable gifts through their retirement and investment portfolios. Such contributions allow the donor to avoid paying capital gains tax upon transfer. Donors interested in giving securities should contact Sights for Hope’s Advancement office.

A vehicle symbolizes independence for many people. Your vehicle also will help others seize independence when you donate it to Sights for Hope.

Donate your vehicle to us quickly and easily and with free pickup through CARS network when you click the link below. You also can call 855.500.7433. The CARS network will sell your vehicle and provide sale proceeds to Sights for Hope.

We are happy to receive support from donors making designations through various United Way organizations. Please contact your employer’s human resources department for more information on how to support Sights for Hope through your local United Way.

Sights for Hope is happy to accept noncash gifts that benefit our mission.

Notes About Noncash Gifts

• Donated items may be are quarantined prior to their distribution.
• Among the items we cannot accept are used books and magazines.
• If we are unable to accept your donation, then we encourage you to locate your nearest Goodwill Donation Site.

Our Wish List

While we are grateful for a variety of noncash gifts, these are the items that we would appreciate the most.

• iPad Tablets – New and gently-used iPads are given to both employees and clients to support our agency’s ability to conduct virtual programming.
• Laptop Computers – New and gently-used laptop computers help support our caseworkers as they work in the field or work remotely.
• Vehicles – Our guided transport service is the most utilized Sights for Hope service as well as its most expensive. The donation of a new or gently-used vehicle helps support the service and the safety of our clients and drivers.