Outright Gifts

Making an outright gift is simple. For example, you give the Red Cross a check for $25 or $250. (Some donors magnify the value of an outright gift by donating a life insurance policy to the charity.) When you make an outright gift of assets—such as cash, stocks, real property, or works of art—you give all rights to the assets to the charity. Neither you nor your heirs retain any interest in the gift or any income that may result if the charity sells or invests the gift. If you give a charity a large outright gift—perhaps $25,000—your heirs may feel that you have diminished the inheritance they will eventually receive.