Meet Danielle

Danielle and her teenage daughter had outgrown their 1920s one-bedroom home that they had rented for several years. Between the ever-increasing rent and her daughter growing up quickly, Danielle knew she needed to do something. Danielle wanted her daughter to have her own room to decorate, a space for friends to hang out and the safety, stability and security that owning a home brings.  She found Habitat for Humanity of St. Augustine/St. Johns County (Habitat St. Johns) and now she has her happily ever after…

Originally from Iowa, Danielle moved to St. Augustine in 2010. She loves the area because of the excellent schools, the beaches, and the vibrant downtown. After several years of working various jobs in the construction and development industries, the recession forced her to refocus.

Danielle loves helping people and now, we are proud to share that Danielle and her daughter have moved into a Habitat St. Johns home that is safe and affordable!  This new home offers Danielle and her daughter the stability they need to excel. Danielle went back to school and is now a nurse after acquiring her degree.

Homeownership offers so many tangible and intangible benefits. As a donor & volunteer, you have many ways to help families like Danielle and her daughter get into a safe, stable home.

Different Ways to Give

Designate Habitat St. Johns as a Beneficiary of Retirement Assets or Insurance Policies

Name Habitat St. Johns as a beneficiary of your tax-deferred retirement assets and reduce your income tax or estate tax burden.

To make Habitat St. Johns a beneficiary, simply contact your particular asset plan administrator and request that Habitat for Humanity of St. Augustine/St. Johns County be named or added as a beneficiary. Asset plans with beneficiary designations may include your mutual fund, retirement account, charitable trust, or life insurance policy.

Good Tax News:

If you designate all or a part of your retirement plan to Habitat St. Johns, the amount of this gift is included in your taxable estate but is fully deductible as a charitable gift.

Generally, the full amount of your gift made through a beneficiary designation can be received by Habitat St. Johns and used for charitable purposes with no income tax due. The same asset, if left in your estate and not given to charity, may be subject to both income and estate taxes.

Non-retirement assets are the least susceptible to taxation and are often better assets to leave to family members.

 

Make a Gift of Your IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution

When planning your IRA withdrawal strategy, if you are at least 70½, you may want to consider making a charitable donation through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). You can make a QCD directly to Habitat St. Johns without the gift counting as income for federal income tax purposes. Contact your IRA plan provider to learn their procedures.

 

Make a Gift of Your Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds

A gift of stock is a great way to help avoid capital gains taxes, receive an income tax deduction, and support the work of Habitat St. Johns by helping a family find a stable home.

Your support will make a big difference and will help families in our community.

Support Habitat St. Johns by making a gift of stocks, bonds, or mutual funds and reap the benefits. Not only will you be helping to build safe, affordable homes for local hard-working residents and workers, but a gift of appreciated securities offers you significant benefits. These include an immediate charitable deduction for the full market value of the stock and avoidance of capital gains taxes that would normally be due upon sale. You must have held the stock for at least one year.

For more information on making a stock transfer, please contact our Habitat St. Johns office for the forms you can give your broker.

 

Make a Bequest to Habitat St. Johns in Your Will

Very often, the most transformative gifts, you can make a bequest by including language in your will that names Habitat for Humanity of St. Augustine/St. Johns County as the beneficiary of your estate. You can designate a fixed percentage, specific dollar amount, or a particular asset of your estate to Habitat St. Johns.

• You can bequeath all or a percentage of your residuary estate to Habitat St. Johns after you have provided for all other beneficiaries with specific bequests.

• You can name Habitat St. Johns as a contingent beneficiary by stipulating that Habitat St. Johns receives all or a portion of your estate if your named beneficiaries do not survive you.

• You can make Habitat St. Johns the remainder beneficiary of a trust that you establish in your will. This trust could provide income to one or more beneficiaries during their respective lives. Habitat St. Johns would then receive the principal of the trust at the death of the last surviving beneficiary.

If you are considering a bequest to Habitat St. Johns, meeting with your attorney to draft or update your will is typically the first step. Below is some information that you or your attorney may find helpful with your estate planning.

Sample Testamentary Language:

* A general bequest: “I give (_____dollars) (or a specific asset) (or ____percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate) to Habitat for Humanity of St. Augustine/St. Johns County, St. Augustine, Florida.”

* A bequest for a specific purpose: “I give (_____dollars) (or a specific asset) (or ____percent of the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate) to Habitat for Humanity of St. Augustine/St. Johns County, St. Augustine, Florida, to be used for the following purpose: (state the purpose, such as to a fund the purchase of land, building of homes, or to provide unrestricted support.)”

Because the needs and challenges facing Habitat St. Johns vary over time, we would ask that you consider the gifting language in your will and/or estate plans state any specific purpose for your gift as a preference, with the final determination left to the discretion of the Habitat St. Johns Board of Directors.

Good Tax News:

A bequest to Habitat St. Johns qualifies your estate for a charitable deduction equal to the entire value of your bequest.

 

Still Other Ways…

There are additional ways to give including charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts and other similar methods.

Feel free to call or email our Development Director, Tom Torretta to learn more about how you can give more than cash to help transform the lives of the hardworking families in our community who are finding it nearly impossible to live in St. Johns County. He can be reached at 904-826-3252 ext. 2001 or at [email protected].

Thank you for thinking about Habitat St. Johns and the families working hard to remain in the place they call home.