How to Support Your Local Scottish Rite Foundation

Earl E. Ihle, Jr., 33°
Director of Development

Barbara G. Golden
Director of Planned Giving

Photo: ©Maxwell MacKenzie, Washington, D.C.

There are several different ways you can help
your local Scottish Rite Foundations.

he Supreme Council has made supporting your local Scottish Rite Foundations’ charitable endeavors quite easy. Besides directly donating money or property to your local Scottish Rite Foundation for immediate use, you can make a future gift by contributing to the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction’s Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) program and designating that the balance of the gift, called the remainder, be given to your local Scottish Rite Foundation after the last income beneficiary passes away. With our Gift Annuity Program, you also can divide your remainder among the local and national Scottish Rite Foundations, in any percentage you elect; for example, you can provide for 25% of the remainder to go to a local Scottish Rite Foundation; 25% to another local Scottish Rite Foundation; and 50% to the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction. For donors who are over 70 years of age, a CGA offers a higher rate of return than the donors currently can get from certificates of deposit or other similar fixed-income investments. Moreover, if you have appreciated securities, you may be able to defer the tax on a portion of the capital gain you would recognize if you sold the security outright. If you have a low-yield stock that you have owned for a while, you could donate it for a CGA and obtain a higher return from the annuity than you get from owning the security directly. The income stream from the CGA to the income beneficiaries is based on their ages. And, even better, the IRS considers a part of this lifetime income stream to be a tax-free return of principal.

The minimum contribution to the Scottish Rite Foundation Gift Annuity Program is $5,000. Our Development Office will be happy to run an analysis for you of a hypothetical contribution to the CGA Program so that you can evaluate the benefits of a CGA and make an educated decision about whether it makes sense for you. There is no charge for the analysis, and it does not commit you to making a gift. It is just an example that can give you a better idea of the income stream, tax consequences, and donation that the charity will get from this type of contribution.

Another way for a donor to help a local Scottish Rite Foundation is by making a pledge to the foundation. Through the Scottish Rite Pledge Program, an individual may pledge to donate to the local foundation a certain sum per year for a period of up to five years or may make a pledge that will be satisfied through a specific bequest in the donor’s will or living trust. If you make a pledge, we will recognize you according to the Scottish Rite Donor Recognition Program for the full amount of that pledge at the time you make the commitment rather than when it is fully paid. For example, if you pledge $2,000 a year for five years to a local Scottish Rite Foundation, we will immediately recognize this $10,000 commitment through the Scottish Rite Donor Recognition Program. You will be recognized as a Patron, and we will display your name on a bronze nameplate in the Hall of Recognition. In addition, your name will be inscribed in the Gold Book of Recognition. An additional way for donors to help their local Scottish Rite Foundations is through bequests in their wills or living trusts. If you decide to add a local Scottish Rite Foundation or the national Scottish Rite Foundation, S.J., USA, Inc. to your will or living trust, make sure that you properly designate the Foundation by using its correct legal name and EIN (tax payer I.D.) number. You don’t want to risk having your personal representative or the probate court make an educated guess about what you intended to do with your assets because your will or trust is unclear.

If you want to give a bequest to a Scottish Rite Foundation in your will or living trust, you should find out: (1) the exact legal name of the organization; (2) its address; and (3), most importantly, its federal tax identification number. Many non-profits have similar names, but they have unique federal tax identification numbers. By using the exact legal name of the non-profit organization, listing its correct address and its federal tax identification number, you will eliminate the chance of your estate being distributed improperly. The Scottish Rite Foundation, S.J., USA, Inc. is happy to help any donor who wants to make a bequest to a Scottish Rite Foundation obtain the proper information to do so.

Finally, another way a donor can benefit his local Scottish Rite Foundation is by making a donation of $1,000,000 or more, divided between a local Scottish Rite Foundation and one of the national foundations—the House of the Temple Historic Preservation Foundation, Inc. or the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, Inc. We will honor this donor by having the donor’s original oil portrait displayed in the Pillars of Charity Portrait Gallery at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C. Moreover, the donor’s name will be inscribed on a bronze plaque in the Pillars of Charity Alcove, and the donor will be invited to a private lunch or dinner with the Sovereign Grand Commander. As long as $500,000 of the gift of $1,000,000 or more is designated for either the House of the Temple Historic Preservation Foundation, Inc. or to the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, Inc., the donor will qualify for this recognition.

Estate planning requires time and effort, but it will produce peace of mind and many other benefits, financial and personal. We are always willing to help our members achieve their estate-planning goals. If you would like a pledge form or information about making a bequest, simply call the Development Office and speak with Barbara Golden at 1-866-448-3773 or Earl Ihle at 1-866-748-3227.

- Our Development Team -

Barbara G. Golden, Esq., is the team's Director of Planned Giving. Barbara is an attorney with experience in tax, corporate, and commercial real estate law. She managed a non-profit legal services organization for several years and has extensive experience in fund-raising, grant writing, and program operations. Contacts: Tel. 202-777-3163; Fax 202-884-0183; or call 1-866-GIVESRF (448-3773) Toll Free; bgolden@srmason-sj.org.

Earl E. Ihle, Jr., 33°, is the team's Director of Development. He has been a member of the Fraternity for 30 years and served in 1978 as Master of Lafayette Lodge, #111, Baltimore, Maryland. He is also a member of Boumi Shrine Temple in Baltimore, the York Rite, and a dual member of the Scottish Rite Valleys of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Contacts: Tel. 202-777-3143; Fax 202-884-0183; or call 1-866-RITECARE (748-3227) Toll Free; eihle@srmason-sj.org. Dr.Thomas M. Boles, GC, is the team's Advisor on Philanthropies. A member of the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Ana Valleys, he has worked extensively in fund-raising for children's programs throughout our Fraternity. Contacts: Tel. 562-691-4227; Fax 562-691-5327; or call 1-800-SRMASON (776-2766) Toll Free; tboles@srmason-sj.org.