Contributions
Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) offers all its training and competition opportunities free of charge to its athletes and families. The organization operates one of the largest programs in the US with more than 18,000 athletes and 46,000 volunteers.
All athletes are able to participate free of charge thanks to the generosity of our supporters. Contributions are needed to offer athletic, developmental, health and social opportunities. Special Olympics Pennsylvania does not receive grants from government agencies, the United Way or the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation.
When you help an athlete, everyone wins. Special Olympics programs help athletes do better at school, home, work or in the community. Athletes develop their self-esteem to overcome a variety of life's challenges.
Make a Donation
There are numerous ways you can support our athletes to enrich their quality of life, self-confidence, social life and much more. Below is a list of giving options available to you. Please locate the gift option that fits your needs or call Special Olympics Pennsylvania at (610) 630-9450, ext 230.
Donate by Mail
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Donate Online
Now you can make an online donation to support Special Olympics Pennsylvania (SOPA) by using your credit card. Simply access the online contribution form on the Special Olympics Inc. Web site.
When you fill out the form, you have two options in the section where you designate where your gift will be used:
I want my gift to be used by Special Olympics in this state:
--or --
I want my gift to be used by Special Olympics Inc.
Use the pull-down menu to indicate that you would like your gift to benefit SOPA.
If you do not wish to submit your gift online, you can print out the form and mail it to directly to SOPA at:
2570 Boulevard of the Generals
124 Washington Square
Norristown, PA 19403
-- or --
to Special Olympics Inc. in Washington D.C.
If you have any questions, contact SOPA at (610) 630-9450.
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Donate by Mail
Please send a check, money order or credit card information (i.e. card holder name, type of credit card, gift amount, expiration date, mailing address and phone number) to:
Special Olympics Pennsylvania
2570 Blvd. of the Generals
124 Washington Square
Norristown, PA 19403
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Donate by Telephone
Make a donation using your credit card by calling Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s office at (610) 630-9450, ext. 230 during regular business hours.
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Workplace Giving
Payroll deduction through your workplace makes giving easy. Support Special Olympics Pennsylvania through your employer’s United Way, Combined Federal Campaign and other charitable programs. Most workplace giving programs provide the option to select a specific charity for your donation so please designate Special Olympics Pennsylvania when filling out your pledge form. If your employer doesn't currently have a workplace giving campaign, please call (610) 630-9450, ext. 230, to set one up.
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Matching Gifts
Double or triple your tax-deductible donation to Special Olympics Pennsylvania through your company's matching gift program. Thousands of companies match charitable contributions made by their employees. Find out if your company will match your donation to Special Olympics with our Matching Gift Companies. You may also visit your personnel office to ask if they match charitable donations, obtain a matching gift form, fill it out completely and mail it along with your contribution to:
Special Olympics Pennsylvania
2570 Blvd of the Generals
124 Washington Square
Norristown, PA 19403
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Planned Giving -- Leave Your Legacy
The Olympus Society was established in 1995 to honor Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s 25th anniversary. The society can help you fulfill your charitable vision to benefit the dreams of tomorrow’s athletes and families.
In the Olympic tradition of excellence and grandeur, Olympus Society members are the guardians who protect our athletes' futures. By providing for Special Olympics Pennsylvania in your estate plan, you become a member of the Olympus Society and benefactor our athletes’ future.
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Why Leave a Legacy?
Planned giving allows your financial needs and charitable goals to work hand in hand. You can take advantage of tax savings to receive a lifetime income, to minimize your estate taxes or to provide for your loved ones in the future. At the same time, the charitable portion of your gift benefits the hopes, dreams and joy of our athletes.
Your estate planning advisor will help you determine which of the following options is best for your financial goals. Special Olympics can help you leave a legacy that benefits athletes in your area or a need that is close to your heart.
If you would like more information about the Olympus Society, please call (610) 630-9450, ext. 230, for a complimentary copy of our booklet, Your Will, the Benefits of Making and Updating Your Will.
Special Olympics Pennsylvania has created The Olympus Society to recognize the generosity and foresight of individuals who have provided a bequest to Special Olympics. Our legal designation is: Special Olympics Pennsylvania Inc., a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, Federal Tax ID number 23-2078543.
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Donor Benefits
Private philanthropy is the foundation of Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Our organization does not receive grants from government agencies or the United Way. In turn, our athletes benefit when foundations, individuals or corporations give.
Your interest in giving may be inspired by the desire to preserve the memory of a loved one, to fulfill a moral obligation, to pay tribute to a friend or family member, to express gratitude for a service well-performed or to demonstrate deep-felt humanitarian concerns.
Depending on the asset given and the gift arrangement selected, a donor can generally expect to obtain some or all of the following benefits:
- Fulfillment of personal philanthropic goals
- Reduction of income tax through a deduction for the gift
- Avoidance of capital-gain tax on gifts of long-term appreciated property
- Retaining a stream of payments for life for the donor and for other beneficiaries
- Eliminating federal estate tax on property passing to charity upon the donor's death
- Reduction of costs and time in estate settlement
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Kinds of Gifts
There are many ways to make a planned gift. The most popular gifts include naming Special Olympics Pennsylvania as a beneficiary in a will, making Special Olympics Pennsylvania the owner and beneficiary of a life insurance policy, making a gift of tangible personal property (such as a work of art) or real estate. One very popular gift vehicle, the charitable gift annuity, provides lifetime income payments to the donor in return for a gift of cash or marketable securities.
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Securities and Real Estate
Popular alternatives to cash are gifts of appreciated property, such as securities and real estate. Such gifts generate significant tax benefits. In addition to receiving an income-tax charitable deduction for the full fair-market value of the property, the donor escapes any potential tax on the capital-gain element in the gifted property. To qualify for this double tax benefit, the property must have been held for more than one year.
Sometimes family considerations do not permit the making of an outright gift. This is often the case when the gift is a personal residence or farm. Instead, the donor may consider a gift of a remainder interest in the property. In that situation, the donor retains the right to possess and enjoy the property while obtaining a current income-tax deduction for the present value of the charity's remainder interest.
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Tangible Personal Property
As with gifts of securities or real estate, a donor is entitled to a charitable deduction for gifts of tangible personal property, such as works of art, rare books, or stamp or coin collections. If the use of the contributed property is related to the exempt purpose of Special Olympics Pennsylvania (e.g. sports equipment, training, competition), the donor is entitled to a charitable deduction for the full fair-market value of the property (subject to the 30% ceiling and carryover rules).
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Deferred Gifts
Deferred gifts are not available for use by Special Olympics Pennsylvania immediately. This gift is a contract providing for the payment of a fixed income, like a regular gift annuity. However, income payments do not begin until a future date, chosen by the donor. The longer the delay between the creation of the deferred gift annuity and the commencement of payments, the larger the income tax charitable deduction resulting from the gift. Deferred gifts allow donors to help ensure the future of our movement.
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Bequests
For many friends and parents of Special Olympics Pennsylvania, a bequest is the best way to benefit the goals and needs of our athletes. Bequests can be made through gifts of cash, securities, real estate and tangible personal property.
Cash Bequest
Special Olympics Pennsylvania receives a specific dollar amount. Below is sample language that you can share with your attorney to include Special Olympics in your estate plans.
"I give, devise and bequeath the sum of (amount) to Special Olympics Pennsylvania of Norristown, PA for [such of its general purposes as its Board of Directors may determine]."
-- or --
"I give, devise and bequeath the sum of (amount) to Special Olympics Pennsylvania of Norristown, PA for [use in its Summer Games Program]."
(Although the donor may identify a precise purpose for the gift, such specification is not necessary.)
Bequest of Property
Special Olympics Pennsylvania receives a specific asset(s), such as securities, an interest in real estate, or works of art, antiques and other tangible property. Below is sample language to share with your attorney.
"I give and devise the real property located at [123 Elm Street, Norristown, PA], together with any buildings thereon and any appurtenances thereto to Special Olympics Pennsylvania of Norristown, PA.”
-- or --
"I give, devise and bequeath my [specify item to be donated] to Special Olympics Pennsylvania of Norristown, PA.”
Residuary Bequest
Special Olympics Pennsylvania receives all or a percentage of the remainder of the estate after the payment of any specific bequests and all estate-related expenses.
Contingent Bequest
Special Olympics Pennsylvania is given a bequest only in the event of the death of other beneficiaries.
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Life Income Arrangements
A life income arrangement can allow a donor to make a substantial gift to Special Olympics Pennsylvania while still providing for the individual's financial needs. There are several types of plans, all of which combine lifetime payments for one or more beneficiaries designated by the donor with a gift to Special Olympics. These plans are attractive to many donors because they offer substantial tax benefits and may increase cash flow to the donor or a beneficiary, depending on the asset contributed. Life Income Arrangements include charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts and charitable lead trusts.
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Charitable Gift Annuity
The simplest gift arrangement, the charitable gift annuity is a contract between Special Olympics Pennsylvania and the donor, providing for the payment of life income at a fixed rate. The donor receives an income tax deduction in the year of the gift, subject to the usual rules of deductibility.
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Charitable Remainder Trust
A charitable remainder trust is a popular plan because of the financial and estate-planning flexibility it offers. A charitable remainder trust allows a donor to transfer assets into a separately managed trust that will provide beneficiaries named by the donor to receive income for life or for a specific period of years. The donor decides the payout of the trust in consultation with trustees who are selected by the donor. There are two general types of charitable remainder trusts: 1) the charitable remainder unitrust; 2) the charitable remainder annuity trust. Each is outlined below.
Charitable Remainder Unitrust
This is an individual trust paying a fixed percentage of the principal in the trust.
Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust
This is an individual trust paying a fixed-dollar amount.
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Charitable Lead Trust
The lead trust is different from the remainder trust in that the charity receives the income payments from the trust for a given number of years rather than the donor's beneficiaries. Also, at the end of the trust term, the assets of the trust are returned to the owner or his or her designee. This allows the transfer of assets to heirs while greatly reducing gift taxes. This vehicle is used many times to transfer assets to children and grandchildren. Again, the trust must be in the form of either an annuity trust or unitrust.
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Life Insurance
Life insurance can be the direct funding medium of a gift, permitting the donor to make a substantial gift for a relatively modest annual outlay. Insurance can also replace the value of an asset given to Special Olympics Pennsylvania. Life insurance allows a donor to make a substantial gift on an installment basis by making a series of modest payments. A gift of life insurance allows the proceeds to be paid promptly, without going through the time-consuming process of probate. Depending on the arrangement of the gift, life insurance can create a number of favorable tax consequences.
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Wedding/Special Occasion Favors
Knowing you are changing the lives of our athletes while celebrating a memorable occasion is a wonderful gift. If you are interested in donating to Special Olympics Pennsylvania through a special occasion please contact us at (610) 630-9450, ext. 230 or email khamilton@specialolympicspa.org.
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For More Information or Assistance
We at Special Olympics Pennsylvania are embarking on a campaign that will continue to challenge the world to recognize the abilities and contributions of people with intellectual disabilities. Since 1970, our supporters have helped replace fear, stigma and oppression with possibility and opportunity. If you would like more information about our athletes’ needs and giving opportunities, please contact us at (610) 630-9450, ext. 230. Thank you for your support and consideration.
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