Giving Options

About Your Donation

Private support of the Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ) is vital to its success. To assist donors, the CSJ provides a range of donation options. All are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by federal law.

All gifts to the CSJ are evaluated regularly by the Board of Directors and an independent auditor. Full fiduciary responsibility for the management of donor accounts and distribution of funds to beneficiaries is administered by CSJ staff and a professional team of advisors, including accountants, attorneys and certified financial managers.

For More Information

Please contact the National Office for more information or to make an endowment, legacy or other major gift.

202.547.2900 | csj@osia.org

How to Make a Donation

Donations to the Commission for Social Justice® may be made safely and securely online, over the phone with a credit card, or by mail to:

Commission for Social Justice
219 E St., NE
Washington, DC 20002

Gift Types

When you make a gift to the Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ), you have flexibility in determining how the funds will be used, as well as multiple options for making your gift.

Unrestricted Gifts

Unrestricted gifts, large or small, are among the most valuable to the CSJ because they allow us to allocate funds wherever the need is greatest, and to take advantage of unique funding opportunities as they arise.

Directed Gifts

Directed gifts allow you to designate your donation to a specific CSJ program, or to an endowment you may establish. When you make a directed gift to the CSJ, you enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you are supporting a program that is personally meaningful to you.

Giving Options

Outright Gifts

When you make an outright gift to the Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ), your contribution can be put to work immediately, providing funding for current programs. An outright gift may be composed of almost any asset of value.

• Cash gifts, the easiest gift to make, may be made online, by phone or by mail, using a credit/debit card or a personal or business check made payable to the CSJ.
• Gifts of appreciated securities, stocks, and bonds may also provide tax advantages when transferred to the CSJ before they are sold. In some instances, donation of securities may provide a twofold tax benefit, creating an income-tax deduction as well as eliminating the capital-gains tax that would have been due on their sale. If you own securities that have declined in value, you may wish to sell them and donate the proceeds to the CSJ. In this way, you establish a loss on the securities for tax purposes and claim a deduction for a charitable contribution. It is recommended you consult your financial advisors for more information on tax advantages for donation of securities. Kindly contact the National Office if you wish to make a gift of this nature.
• Gifts of real estate and other property may provide multiple benefits. You can possibly avoid capital gains tax and claim a charitable deduction of the full fair market value of the property. Please contact the National Office if you plan to make a gift of this nature.

Recurring Gifts

Making recurring monthly gifts is an easy way to provide support that ensures ongoing reliable funding for CSJ programs.

Recurring giving is automatic. Once you sign up, your donation is automatically charged to your credit card on the same day each month. You do not need to do anything more. You may continue making monthly donations as long as you wish. If the need arises to change the credit card to which your monthly donations are charged, to change your donation amount, or to suspend making a gift altogether, contact the National Office and your request will be immediately processed.

Memorial / Tribute Gifts

Honor a loved one’s memory with a memorial gift or celebrate a loved one’s special occasion by making a tribute gift.

Whether you are fulfilling a family member’s wish to support the Commission for Social Justice or surprising a friend with a gift that truly embraces the meaning of giving, a donation to the CSJ an easy and meaningful way to do good while honoring someone special.

Memorial gifts may be made in honor of someone who has passed away. If you wish, a gift notification may be sent to a person you designate.

Tribute gifts may be made for any occasion – or no occasion at all! Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, even Christmas, are all perfect opportunities to make a tribute gift to someone who is proud of his or her Italian heritage, is charitable…or simply has it all. The person you are honoring will be notified of your gift if you wish

Memorial and Tribute gifts are quick and easy when made online and the recipient or designee can be notified by e-card (fastest method) or by mail*.

Not comfortable making this gift online? Complete and return the Memorial/Tribute Gift form to make your donation.

*Please allow up to 5 days for e-card notifications to be sent, and at least 7 days for mail notifications to be sent. If you are making your gift through the mail, rather than online, please note that processing the gift and notifications may take longer.

Gift Pledges

The Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ) welcomes your gift through a pledge – a formal statement of intention to make a gift to the CSJ.

With a pledge, you may complete your gift by making regular payments over time, allowing yourself to give more generously than you originally may have considered. Each payment on your pledge is eligible for an income-tax deduction in the tax year in which it is made.

Please contact the National Office if you would like to make a pledge to the CSJ.

Endowments

Endowments provide security over the long term by expanding the CSJ’s permanent financial base and creating a predictable source of future income for programs. The principal donation remains untouched.

Please contact the National Office if you would like to establish an endowment.

Legacy Gifts / Planned Giving

Considering philanthropy in your estate planning is an excellent way to make an impact on a cause that is meaningful to you, while planning for your future and that of your loved ones.

There are multiple ways you can include the Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ) in your estate planning:

• Designate the CSJ a beneficiary of some or all of your estate. Gift options include but are not limited to Wills, Living Trusts, IRAs and Life Insurance policies.
• Make estate gifts to the CSJ during your lifetime (often decreasing the tax responsibility placed upon your heirs). Gift options include but are not limited to substantial outright gifts of cash, securities or real estate, Charitable Trusts and Retained Life Estates.

Whichever option you decide, you are choosing to help the CSJ in a very significant way.

As with any major financial decision, it is recommended you consult your financial planner, attorney and/or other advisors prior to establishing a legacy gift / planned giving to determine what options are available and best suited to your needs.

Please contact the Legacy Giving Department at 202.547.2900 or by email for more information, to establish a legacy gift or if you wish to establish a legacy gift of a type not mentioned below.

Bequests (Wills & Living Trusts)

Bequests allow you to leave money to the CSJ, and are accomplished through an executed Will or Living Trust. Substantial gifts can be made without affecting your family’s current security. The amount and the ultimate use of the funds may be designated by you or left to the discretion of the CSJ.

IRAs & Other Tax Advantage Retirement Plans

Payments from IRAs to individual beneficiaries generally are reduced by various taxes (estate, federal and state income taxes), leaving your beneficiaries in some cases with very little of the initial value. By designating the CSJ as the beneficiary of your IRA (or other retirement plan), the CSJ will have the use of 100% of the proceeds.

Life Insurance

You may name the CSJ as the beneficiary of any Life Insurance policy. You make all the premium payments, retain ownership of the policy, and have full access to the cash value. You may also name the SIF as the owner of an insurance policy.

Matching-Gift Programs

A simple way to increase your donation to Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ) is to find out if your company has a matching-gift program.

Such programs typically match a percentage or sometimes all employee contributions to charitable organizations, making the employer a partner in their employees’ personal philanthropy.

To institute a matching gift:

• Obtain a matching-gift form from your employer, complete it, and provide it to the CSJ with your contribution.
• In some cases, a matching gift request must be made to your employer after you make your donation to the CSJ. Kindly contact the National Office at the time you make your donation if you plan to request a matching gift.