Roger Messick relocated to New Jersey in July of 2008 from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He has a diverse background in the transportation and finance industries, and spent several years in outside sales. Roger has dedicated the last 16 years to the animal welfare field both with municipal facilities as well as humane societies. Roger is always on the forefront in making sure that the shelter is on the cutting edge of the latest developments in the field. Additionally, he has always been active in his community and has served in numerous volunteer positions, including former VP of the Texas Federation of Humane Societies. He is an ordained minister with the Association of International Gospel Assemblies. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas and attended the University of Nebraska. He is a Vietnam veteran, a licensed private pilot, and holds an extra class amateur radio license. He is also a former hobby beekeeper but his current passion, other than animals, is riding his Harley Davidson.
FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
As most of you know Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association is a non-profit organization which is entirely dependent on donations from individuals and corporations as well as the occasional grant to provide for the continuing care of the animals that enter our shelter. We are completely independent and receive no funding for any national organization or local, state or federal government.
One of the questions I am often asked is, “How can I help support Noah’s Ark?” Many of you support us with donations either on a monthly basis or during one of our special appeals that are mailed out though out the year. For this we are very thankful and sincerely approached your continuing support. We also appreciate your “in-kind” giving of things off our wish list found on our website www.noahsarknj.org. And of course we can always use your old newspapers, blankets, towels and so on. But there may be some ways you might not have considered that are just about as easy.
The first of these is a bequest. A bequest is simply a gift made through a will. Bequests usually fall into two types: Specific Bequest and Residuary Bequest. Specific Bequest usually specifies a certain amount of money or assets that will be given to Noah’s Ark. While a Residuary Bequest gives the remainder or a percentage of the remainder to Noah’s Ark. Your attorney can help you with the wording or you can contact me if you need more information. If you decide you want to leave part of your estate to Noah’s Ark there is no need to completely rewrite you will you can have your attorney draw up a codicil in just a few moments at his or her office.
Another way to give is through a gift of life insurance. There are several ways to use life insurance to make a gift. The Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association can be named as owner and beneficiary of your fully paid policy, or you can purchase a new policy with the Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association as the owner and beneficiary. A policy that no longer serves its purposes (for dependents, a business that no longer needs insurance, and so on) can be changed to name the Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association as the owner and beneficiary. Finally, you may choose to designate the Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association as the beneficiary or partial beneficiary of a policy already in existence.
Other ways of giving are through trust. The first of these is the Charitable Remainder Trust. Transferring assets into a charitable remainder trust can provide you with a current income tax deduction and a stream of lifetime income for you, your spouse or children, then at the termination of the trust, the remaining assets are transferred to the Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association. The second most common type is the Charitable Lead Trusts. It is similar to a charitable remainder trust, except the Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association receives the income from the trust. Upon termination of the trust, the assets are transferred to your designated beneficiary. This allows you to make a significant gift through the income generated by the trust, while maintaining the assets for your heirs.
Then there are at least two other ways to give. One is through a gift of real estate. A charitable gift of real estate could be a particularly valuable decision from a tax perspective. If you have owned a piece of real estate for many years, it might have appreciated in value to the point that capital gains will be exceptionally high. If that property is instead donated to the Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare Association, you may be able to avoid the capital gains tax and realize a charitable deduction for the full fair market value of the real estate. Gifts of Stock are another way to give while helping the giver. Gifts of appreciated securities that you have held for over one year are especially advantageous from a tax perspective. There is normally no capital gains tax due on the appreciation, and your income tax deduction is based on the current fair market value of the gift.
If you are considering any of the above mentioned gifts we suggest that you contact your attorney, your accountant or your estate planner for full assistance. If you would like more information on planned giving please feel free to contact Roger Messick, Executive Director at (973) 347-4499 or at roger@noahsarknj.org.
