How to Give

Memorial Contributions - Give Now

If you would like to make a contribution to Hospice of Chattanooga in memory of someone who has died, please tell us:

• Name of the Deceased
• Your Name, Address & Daytime Phone
• Special Instructions – only if you have a specific family member who should receive notification or a special message for the family.

Any gift to Hospice of Chattanooga and The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation may be made as a Memorial Gift. The Foundation will acknowledge receipt of your gift within one business week after receiving it and the family will be contacted at the same time. The amount of your gift will not be shared with the family member.

Monthly Giving - Give Now

Join our monthly giving group by choosing any amount you’d like to give each month. You can set your gift up online or call us to charge your credit card monthly. At the end of the year, you will receive a receipt of your total giving.

Workplace Giving

If your company has a United Way program, you can designate Hospice of Chattanooga as your charity of choice.

Many companies also have a Matching Gifts program – ask your company if your donations will be matched and send us a copy of the procedure for matching your donation.

Special Events

Donations of goods and services to support Holiday Hearts and other fundraising events are accepted year round.

Travel packages, restaurant gift certificates, original artwork and many other items add so much to our silent auctions! For more information, call (423) 892-4289 or e-mail sheila.thompson@hospiceofchattanooga.org.

Or plan your own event to benefit Hospice of Chattanooga – contact Garry Mac, Senior Vice President if your group wants to do a benefit for Hospice of Chattanooga.

Christmas, Holiday and Year End Gifts

Giving through The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation enhances your holidays and sends a beautiful message to your friends and loved ones. Call us or click here from November 1 through February 14th to enter your list and gift information.

Everyone on your list receives a beautiful greeting card notifying of your gift in their honor! “A holiday gift in your honor has been received by The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation from __________________/”

Benefits of Year End Giving:

Careful planning of year-end gifts allows you to do more for others and still improve your own position both today and tomorrow. A quick inventory of your estate may provide potential gifts of real estate, life insurance policies, retirement plan assets and others. Timing your gift is important – but of course the real benefit you receive is in giving so generously to provide our care and services to others!

Receive an immediate income tax deduction in the year you make the gift.

Avoid all capital gains tax on outright gifts of appreciated property

Create an income for yourself and others with a trust arrangement

May reduce your future estate taxes

Your Gifts Make a Difference

Your contributions and donations truly make a difference and ensure that our expert care, education and support are available to our entire community in these 3 areas:

Children and Teens

Hospice of Chattanooga cares for babies, small children, even teenagers. When most people think of Hospice they have a vision of an older, sick person. They do not think about a little baby that is born with a heart defect or a disease that will take that baby’s life soon.  They do not think of stillborn births. They do not think of the young child with cancer who won’t live to adulthood.  They don’t think of the teenager whose life will end due to injuries from a tragic accident.  It’s just not something you would normally think about.  But we do.

At Hospice of Chattanooga we have a special team of people who are focused on the hospice care needed for children.  Our pediatric program began over a decade ago and through great dedication and service to children we have become a leader in pediatric hospice care.

In our Perinatal program, we make sure that babies who are dying can live with their parents, at home, during what is left of their life.  At Hospice of Chattanooga we believe that, even though short, whatever time parents have with their child is precious and should be cherished.

Your gift to the Foundation will help us ensure that we never turn away a mother in need of these services, even if she cannot afford this type of care.  It is sad to say, but the number of these type of instances grow every year and so do the demands to fund the team. 

Please consider this area for your help today.  Our 2012 goal for the funding of these teams is $300,000

Grief Counseling and Spiritual Care

The loss of a loved one is one of the most stressful events in our life.  That person is gone yet we remain and we are angry, sad, maybe even guilty and always will feel some level of despair at their loss. For every person, grieving takes on a different look but we know the painful emotions can last sometimes months and years.  Our Hospice of Chattanooga team does not want anyone to go through the grieving process alone.

We have a counseling program that keeps us in touch with you and other family members for at least 13 months following a loss so we can help you cope and adjust to the loss.  There is individual counseling available as well as group sessions and special nights for families to gather and discuss their challenges surrounding a loss. 

Each year we offer camps that are a venue for children and grandchildren (small to teens) to come together and share how they do, or how they can, better deal with the death of someone who has such a special place in their heart.  These camps really do impact lives and are so important to the parents or grandparents who bring the kids.  We should mention that many of the kids are not even with us due to a connection to hospice care.  Some are from homes where there has been a suicide, a death from natural causes or maybe because they lost someone in a war.  We welcome all who desire to be a part of camp.

Your donation can help us serve more children in these camps, help us to provide more camps in this region and give us the ability to provide necessary materials for all that our counselors do.

Commitment to Care for All

“Not all hospices are the same”  we say, and you may wonder what is different about Hospice of Chattanooga?  We believe it is our commitment to care for all who need our services, regardless of their race, their religion or ability to pay.  The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation is the fundraising group that understands there are, many times, patients who are not eligible to have their care paid for by Medicare, don’t have any insurance and don’t have a way to pay the out of pocket expenses for their care.  For these patients there is a standard set of guidelines that, if met, qualifies the patient to have their care paid for by the Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation.

We do not feel anyone should be denied care and we hope you feel that way too.  A donation to our Patient Assistance fund will help us pay for the anticipated half-million dollars in charity care we will deliver in the coming year.

Planning Your Legacy

Nothing is more meaningful than providing help and support to those dealing with terminal illness. Please keep in mind that your gift to The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation not only provides essential care to thousands of patients and families but also may offer financial and tax benefits to you as a donor. We are always available to assist you and your advisors to help plan gifts that sustain our mission today and help us plan for the future.

Giving Through Your Will or Trust

Plan today for future giving by including The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation in a bequest in your will or revocable trust.

Sample language for bequests:
“I, __________________ your name, give and bequeath ___ % of my residual estate/ or the sum of $______________ amount to The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation for endowment or unrestricted use as the governing body or Hospice of Chattanooga, Inc. may see fit.

Giving Through Your IRA – click

Only available to persons age 70.5
The IRA Charitable Rollover allows individuals age 70.5 and older to make direct transfers of up to $100,000 per year to Hospice of Chattanooga and other authorized 501c3charities without having to count the transfers as income for federal income tax purposes.

Individuals can complete an IRA Charitable Rollover through December 31, 2011. Transfers must come directly from your IRA to Hospice of Chattanooga. If you have your retirement assets in a 401k, 403b, etc… you must first roll those funds into an IRA then you can direct the IRA provider to transfer the funds directly to Hospice of Chattanooga.

You can also name Hospice of Chattanooga as the beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k) or other qualified plan.

For more information, please contact Meg Crimmins Beene, CFRE, at The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation, 423-892-4289, ext. 10136/ meg_beene@hospiceofchattanooga.org

Gifts of Stock

You may transfer appreciated stocks, bonds or mutual fund shares you have owned for one year or more to Hospice of Chattanooga. (HOC) HOC sells your securities and uses the proceeds for its programs.

You’re entitled to these two benefits in the year you deliver the securities to us:

• A charitable income tax deduction for the fair market value of the stocks, up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income. You can carry over any unused deduction for up to five years.
• Avoidance of long-term capital gains tax on the stocks’ appreciation.

You receive an immediate income-tax deduction for the fair market value of the securities on the date of transfer, no matter what you originally paid for them.

You pay no capital gains tax on the transfer when the stock is sold. Giving appreciated stock is often more beneficial than giving cash.

Gifts of Life Insurance & Annuities

You may change the beneficiary to direct your life insurance policy or other annuities to The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation. These gifts are also exempt from inheritance tax, income tax or probate.

• Transfer ownership of a paid-up life insurance policy to The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation.
• You receive the gift credit and an income tax deduction for the lesser of: the cash surrender value or the total of your premium payments.

Information for Lawyers and Other Professionals

The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation offers support information for charitable gift planning options. The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation and Hospice of Chattanooga do not offer legal or financial advice. We strongly encourage prospective donors to work with their attorney, financial advisor, estate planning professional, trust officer, accountant or other appropriate professional before making any decisions based on information provided through the web site, printed materials or other sources.

Please feel free to contact us directly for information or assistance to identify ways to work together for your clients in finding tax-wise and beneficial ways to support the mission and ministry of Hospice of Chattanooga.

Contact:
Meg Crimmins Beene, CFRE
The Hospice of Chattanooga Foundation
meg_beene@hospiceofchattanooga.org
423-892-4289, ext. 10136