Give today, shape tomorrow

The power of a blended gift

Millions of people currently live without access to clean water. A blended gift allows you to fund clean water today while preparing a planned gift for the future through your will or estate.

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About blended gifts

A blended gift combines an immediate donation with a planned, future gift. It’s a powerful way to jump-start your legacy. You’ll fund clean water today and ensure your support for years to come.

Why give a blended gift?

Immediate impact: Today, 703 million people still lack access to clean water. By making an immediate gift now, you’ll provide clean water for people who urgently need it – unlocking health, education, opportunity, and more.
Lasting legacy: The global water crisis is an ever-evolving challenge. Your future gift ensures we can adapt our solutions and approach to meet changing needs until everyone has the water access they deserve.
See the results: When you make a blended gift, you’ll see your generosity at work in the short-term, while knowing your long-term legacy is secure.

Your giving options for a blended gift

Combine any immediate and deferred gift

For today – immediate gift options:	For tomorrow – deferred gift options:
Cash donation Tax benefit: You can deduct cash donations up to 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI) in a given year, provided you itemize deductions.	Bequest (will or trust) Estate tax deduction: Including charity: water in your will or trust allows you to reduce the taxable portion of your estate, potentially lowering or eliminating federal estate taxes.
Stock or securities donation Avoid capital gains tax: Donating long-term appreciated stocks (held for more than a year) allows you to avoid paying capital gains tax, which can be up to 20% or more depending on your income level. Full market value deduction: You can deduct the stock’s full fair market value at the time of donation – typically up to 30% of your AGI when itemizing deductions. Tax savvy: The combination of avoiding capital gains tax and receiving a deduction often allows for a more significant donation at a lower net cost to you.	Beneficiary designations (retirement accounts, bank accounts, DAF accounts) Avoid probate: Making charity: water a beneficiary allows assets to pass directly to the organization, bypassing probate and potentially reducing administrative costs. Tax-efficient for retirement accounts: Retirement assets left to charity: water avoid income taxes that heirs would typically pay on distributions, preserving the full value for our mission.
Qualified charitable distributions (QCD) Tax-free distribution: Individuals aged 70½ or older can donate up to $100,000 per year directly from their IRA to a qualified charity without paying income tax on the distribution. Married couples with separate IRAs can donate up to $200,000. Satisfies RMD: The donation can count toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) once you reach age 73. No need to itemize: Even if you take the standard deduction, you can benefit from the QCD’s tax-free treatment.	Life insurance policy Charitable deduction: If you transfer ownership of the Whole Life Insurance Policy to charity: water, you may receive a deduction for the policy’s current cash value. *subject to approval Estate tax exclusion: Proceeds paid to charity: water are not included in your taxable estate, potentially lowering estate taxes.
Donor-advised fund (DAF) Immediate deduction: Contributions to a DAF are immediately tax-deductible, even if you choose to distribute the funds over time. Avoid capital gains tax: Like stock donations, you avoid capital gains tax when contributing appreciated assets. Flexibility: A DAF allows you to strategically invest your charitable dollars and easily recommend grants in just a few clicks.	Charitable gift annuity (CGA) Immediate tax deduction: You can receive an income tax deduction for a portion of your contribution in the year of the gift. Capital gains reduction: If funded with appreciated assets, you may reduce or spread out capital gains taxes over your lifetime. Estate tax benefits: After your lifetime, any remaining funds pass to charity: water and are excluded from your taxable estate.

For today – immediate gift options:

For tomorrow – deferred gift options:

Cash donation

Tax benefit: You can deduct cash donations up to 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI) in a given year, provided you itemize deductions.

Bequest (will or trust)

Estate tax deduction: Including charity: water in your will or trust allows you to reduce the taxable portion of your estate, potentially lowering or eliminating federal estate taxes.

Stock or securities donation

Avoid capital gains tax: Donating long-term appreciated stocks (held for more than a year) allows you to avoid paying capital gains tax, which can be up to 20% or more depending on your income level.
Full market value deduction: You can deduct the stock’s full fair market value at the time of donation – typically up to 30% of your AGI when itemizing deductions.
Tax savvy: The combination of avoiding capital gains tax and receiving a deduction often allows for a more significant donation at a lower net cost to you.

Beneficiary designations (retirement accounts, bank accounts, DAF accounts)

Avoid probate: Making charity: water a beneficiary allows assets to pass directly to the organization, bypassing probate and potentially reducing administrative costs.
Tax-efficient for retirement accounts: Retirement assets left to charity: water avoid income taxes that heirs would typically pay on distributions, preserving the full value for our mission.

Qualified charitable distributions (QCD)

Tax-free distribution: Individuals aged 70½ or older can donate up to $100,000 per year directly from their IRA to a qualified charity without paying income tax on the distribution. Married couples with separate IRAs can donate up to $200,000.
Satisfies RMD: The donation can count toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) once you reach age 73.
No need to itemize: Even if you take the standard deduction, you can benefit from the QCD’s tax-free treatment.

Life insurance policy

Charitable deduction: If you transfer ownership of the Whole Life Insurance Policy to charity: water, you may receive a deduction for the policy’s current cash value. *subject to approval
Estate tax exclusion: Proceeds paid to charity: water are not included in your taxable estate, potentially lowering estate taxes.

Donor-advised fund (DAF)

Immediate deduction: Contributions to a DAF are immediately tax-deductible, even if you choose to distribute the funds over time.
Avoid capital gains tax: Like stock donations, you avoid capital gains tax when contributing appreciated assets.
Flexibility: A DAF allows you to strategically invest your charitable dollars and easily recommend grants in just a few clicks.

Charitable gift annuity (CGA)

Immediate tax deduction: You can receive an income tax deduction for a portion of your contribution in the year of the gift.
Capital gains reduction: If funded with appreciated assets, you may reduce or spread out capital gains taxes over your lifetime.
Estate tax benefits: After your lifetime, any remaining funds pass to charity: water and are excluded from your taxable estate.

How it works

Contact a charity: water representative (contact form at the bottom of the page):
We’d love to have a conversation with you and discuss a meaningful plan for your gift.
Fill out the blended gift acknowledgment form:
Once we get in touch, we’ll share the blended gift acknowledgment form with you. This form helps us understand your gift intentions and ensures we can properly recognize your generosity today and in the future.
Make a gift today:
Support clean water with an immediate donation of cash, stock, or other appreciated assets.
Plan your future gift:
Include charity: water in your estate plans – whether through your will or trust, a beneficiary designation, or another planned giving vehicle.
Be a part of the impact:
Join The Tributary, a growing community of donors seeing the immediate benefits of their gifts while building an enduring legacy.

The opportunity

Your generosity brings hope and change to communities without access to clean water. With a blended gift, you can be a part of this transformation today – and ensure it continues tomorrow.

Join us in building a future where everyone has access to clean and safe water.

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The Tributary – charity: water’s legacy giving society

The Tributary is a community of givers who are making clean water part of their lasting legacy. By making a blended gift, you’ll join a group of invaluable supporters who help ensure that our work will continue until every person on the planet has access to clean water, and that the infrastructure exists to keep that water flowing for generations to come.

Let us know about your blended gift

A few years ago, we learned just how many people — 703 million people! — are still waiting on clean water. We knew we had to do something. It was important to us to provide immediate support as well as the kind that would extend past our own lifetimes. With this in mind, we joined The Tributary, an incredible community of legacy supporters. We included clean water in our estate plans by designating charity: water as a beneficiary of our retirement accounts.

Ben and Meghan

Get in touch

If you have any questions for our team, we want to provide the best support for you. We’d be happy to speak with you about your giving goals — with no obligation.

Name: Kees (Case) Groenewegen

Title :Associate Director of Legacy Giving

Phone: 646-688-2323

Email: thetributary@charitywater.org

Already included us in your estate plan? Let us know.