The Roper Legacy Society (RLS) acknowledges the thoughtful generosity and foresight of those individuals who have included the Seamen’s Church Institute in their estate plans as an important philanthropic commitment to furthering the Institute’s mission. Through their planned gifts, RLS members create a tradition that sustains and enables SCI to continue to meet the immediate needs of mariners through pastoral care, continuing education and training, and advocacy.

There are many ways to join the RLS, including naming the Seamen’s Church Institute as a beneficiary of your estate, retirement plan, or life insurance policy, or by setting up a charitable remainder trust or charitable lead trust. Not only can your gift provide potential exemptions from estate, capital gains, and/or income taxes*, but in making this commitment, you can be confident that you will be enabling the future mission of SCI.

For more information on gift options or to join today, email [email protected]. You can download the RLS Form here.

One of the easiest ways to make a planned gift is through a bequest in your will or trust specifying a gift to The Seamen’s Church Institute of New York & New Jersey (SCI), which can be for a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or a certain piece of property.

Please consult your financial and/or legal advisors to determine which type of gift is best for you and for legal requirements regarding these gifts.

You may make a significant planned gift with minimal legal paperwork by making The Seamen’s Church Institute the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or a retirement account—IRA, 401(k), or 403(b)—often by completing a one-page form available from your account provider. Retirement plans are among the most highly taxed assets one can hold. By naming SCI as the beneficiary of your retirement plan, the funds remaining upon your death are not taxed, and your loved ones have no hidden income tax liability. Similarly, by naming SCI as the sole or partial beneficiary of your fully-paid life insurance policy, you may be able to avoid the estate tax on the proceeds.

Please consult your financial and/or legal advisors to determine which type of gift is best for you and for legal requirements regarding these gifts.

An IRA Charitable Rollover provides you with an excellent opportunity to make a gift during your lifetime from an asset that would be subject to multiple levels of taxation if it remained in your taxable estate. To qualify, you must be age 70½ or older at the time of the gift, and transfers must be made directly from a traditional IRA account by your IRA administrator to SCI. Funds that are withdrawn by you and then contributed do not qualify. Gifts from 401(k), 403(b), SEP, and other plans are not qualified charitable distributions. Your gift of up to $100,000, per spouse per year, counts toward your required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year from your IRA.

Please consult your financial and/or legal advisors to determine which type of gift is best for you and for legal requirements regarding these gifts.

A charitable remainder trust allows you to make a gift to The Seamen’s Church Institute while continuing to receive the interest and earnings on your investment during your lifetime and receiving a substantial charitable income tax deduction. You can choose either a fixed income or a set percentage of the value of the trust, both of which are set annually. A charitable remainder trust may allow you to avoid capital gains tax on your donated assets, and you will receive a tax deduction for a portion of your gift. The trust will provide you with income for life while contributing to SCI in the future; when the trust is terminated, the remainder will pass to SCI.

Please consult your financial and/or legal advisors to determine which type of gift is best for you and for legal requirements regarding these gifts.

This legal arrangement gives your home to The Seamen’s Church Institute now and allows you to continue living in it while providing you with substantial tax savings. You deed your home to SCI, and the deed will include a provision that gives you the right to use your home for the rest of your life, while you continue to provide for the maintenance, insurance, and taxes on the property.

Please consult your financial and/or legal advisors to determine which type of gift is best for you and for legal requirements regarding these gifts.

A charitable lead trust is the opposite of a charitable remainder trust. It gives the Seamen’s Church Institute income for a set number of years but retains the principal for you or your estate. A charitable lead trust is especially helpful to you if you have a large estate and are concerned about federal gift and estate taxes. Removed from your estate, assets placed in a lead trust can be passed to loved ones exempt from these taxes.

Please consult your financial and/or legal advisors to determine which type of gift is best for you and for legal requirements regarding these gifts.