Ways to Give

The VeteranShield Project^sm

...It's not about glory; it's about Their Story.

Ways to Give

Establish a VeteranShield Sponsorship Fund

By funding a VeteranShield Specific Sponsorship, you - or your organization - can fully or partially defray the cost of providing VeteranShields to honor specially selected and qualified Veterans and their families. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law (usually 100%).

You may fund an Individual VeteranShield Specific Sponsorship for only $1,000.* Sponsorship funding can be renewable or non-renewable, and you may elect to provide renewable funding in increments, up to your preset maximum pledge amount. You may restrict the Sponsorship using additional language. Please discuss with your financial or tax advisor. You may also want to include the VeteranShield Federal Tax ID number which is: 20-8672417.

We'll be happy to help you to design a personal Sponsorship program that will clearly outline any specific qualifications required for your support. As a Sponsor, you may freely specify any such requirements or restrictions** regarding qualified honorees, such as full (100%) or partial (25% minimum) sponsorship, hometown or home state, civilian employment (Corporate Sponsorships only), branch of service, military occupational specialty (MOS), period of service, theater of operations, combat awards, KIA or DOW, specific rank or ranks, etc.

All Specific Sponsorships, including any and all qualifying requirements, will be described in full on the VeteranShield.org website, in order to encourage qualified applications. All Sponsorship applications received will be screened and pre-approved by Veteranshield.org, before being forwarded to the Sponsor or their trustee for final approval, prior to being awarded.

Specific Sponsorship examples are shown below:

EXAMPLE #1: Specific to Unit/Conflict/Theater/Hometown/Combat Status/Rank/Battle(s)/KIA or Wounded Status.

"(I/We), John Q. Doe, hereby provide a (renewable/non-renewable) gift of $1,000.00, to be applied towards defering up to 50% of the costs of providing individual VeteranShields, in order to personally honor the life and service of any honorable U.S. citizen who served in: the 101st Airborne, United States Army, who joined the service from Anytown, USA, and served in the European Theater during World War II; in particular, we wish to (especially/exclusively) honor (any/only) such Veterans who 1) served in the combat infantry, 2) held a lower enlisted rank (E-3 or below), 3) fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and 4) was wounded or killed in action. Qualified applicants (must/need not) provide evidence of financial need. This expendable fund shall be named the Medal of Honor Recipient Robert D. Doe Memorial Sponsorship Fund."

EXAMPLE #2: Specific to Employment.

"(I/We), ACME Manufacturing, Inc., hereby pledge a (renewable/non-renewable) gift of $100,000.00, to be provided in $20,000 increments, and to be applied towards deferring up to 75% of the costs of providing individual VeteranShields, in order to personally honor the life and service of any honorable U.S. citizen who served in: the U.S. Armed Forces, who is a current employee of ACME Manufacturing with at least three (3) years of satisfactory employment, or an immediate family member of said employee. Qualified applicants (must/need not) provide evidence of financial need. This expendable fund shall be named the ACME Manufacturing Employee Sponsorship Fund.

EXAMPLE #3: Specific to State/Region/Hometown.

"(I/We), the Rotary Club of Anytown, Ohio, hereby provide a (renewable/non-renewable) gift of $5,000.00, to be applied towards deferring up to 100% of the costs of providing individual VeteranShields, in order to personally honor the life and service of any honorable U.S. citizen who served in: the U.S. Armed forces, who has a hometown of record in one of the following Northern Ohio ZIP codes: 435##, 436##. Qualified applicants (must/need not) provide evidence of financial need. This expendable fund shall be named the Rotary Club of Anytown, OH, Hometown Heroes Sponsorship Fund.

*Individual Sponsorships only; Corporate Sponsorships require a minimum $5,000 incremental payment in advance.

**Please Note: The VeteranShield Project will not promote, nor accept funding for, any VeteranShield Sponsorships that would discriminate against or differentiate Veterans on the basis of race, creed, religion, sex, national origin, or any other illegal designation.

All Sponsored VeteranShields will be identified on the VeteranShield.org website by noting the full name(s) of the sponsor(s), unless you choose to remain anonymous. The VeteranShield Project will send an acknowledgment of your contribution to the families and Guardians of all sponsored Veterans, unless you choose to remain anonymous.

Download the VeteranShield Sponsorship Fund Donation worksheet

Make a Contribution or Pledge

Your monetary contribution is important to the advancement of our mission. Make your contribution all at once or pledge to make the contribution over a specified time period. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law (usually 100%).

There are various ways in which you can make a contribution and/or pledge to support the work of the VeteranShield Project. They include:

A gift of cash or check made directly to the Project or via our secured online resource, PAYPAL. As with any gift made, your gift of cash can be made in memory or honor of a special family members, friend or associate.
A credit card contribution made directly to the Project or through PAYPAL. You can arrange to have us charge your credit card in increments each month until your pledge has been fulfilled.
A gift of stocks, bonds and other readily marketable securities.

Stock Donations

You can make a stock donation or donation of other highly appreciated assets directly to the VeteranShield Project.

Download the VeteranShield Stock Donation form

Example for donating [in kind] stock [or other assets that are highly appreciated]:

To donate $100,000, a person could sell the stock, pay the long term capital gains tax of $25,000 and make a net $75,000 donation. This action results in:

$75,000 to the Project
$75,000 in tax write off for the donor
$100,000 cost to the donor

The $100,000 is "worth" $75,000.

If the $100,000 in stock is donated directly to the foundation, there are no capital gains taxes. So the net result is:

$100,000 to the Project; we can sell the stock with no tax consequences
$100,000 tax write off to the donor
$100,000 cost to the donor

The $100,000 is "worth" $100,000.

Make a Tribute Gift

Make a contribution to The VeteranShield Project as a tribute to someone you care about to commemorate his or her special event of achievement.

Your tribute can be in recognition of a special occasion like a Birthday, Mother's Day, Anniversary, Graduation, Retirement or just to say, "I care about you." When you make a gift in honor of someone, we can send a letter on your behalf with acknowledgement of your contribution.

Make a Memorial Gift

You can make a memorial gift as a contribution to the VeteranShield Project in memory of someone who has passed away.

Your gift will honor the memory of the individual while also helping The VeteranShield Project to continue its efforts to honor our nation's Veterans. The VeteranShield Project will send an acknowledgement of your contribution to the family of the deceased individual, unless you choose to remain anonymous.

The family of a deceased loved one may request that friends and family members contribute to The VeteranShield Project in lieu of flowers. We will send a written acknowledgment to each contributor.

Planned Giving

The following four types of bequests direct your gift to The VeteranShield Project. You may restrict the bequest using additional language. Please discuss with your financial or tax advisor. You may also want to include the VeteranShield Federal Tax ID number which is: 20-8672417.

1. Percentage

"I give, devise and bequeath to VeteranShield.org, a nonprofit corporation of the State of California, located at 3141 Azevedo Drive, Sacramento, California 95833, ____% of my estate."

2. Specific

"I give, devise and bequeath to VeteranShield.org, a nonprofit corporation of the State of California, located at 3141 Azevedo Drive, Sacramento, California 95833, ________.

(Choose one)

The sum of $__________."
_________ shares of stock in _________ Company."
My real property commonly known as ____________."

3. Residual

"I give, devise and bequeath to VeteranShield.org, a nonprofit corporation of the State of California, located at 3141 Azevedo Drive, Sacramento, California 95833, all the residue of my estate, including real personal property."

4. Contingent

"In the event of the death of any of the beneficiaries, I give, devise and bequeath to VeteranShield.org, a nonprofit corporation of the State of California, located at 3141 Azevedo Drive, Sacramento, California 95833, (percentage, specific, or residual language as above)."

Planned Giving Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I leave a gift in my will for the VeteranShield Project?

Many individuals set aside a certain dollar amount through their will; others leave a percentage of their estate or any assets left over after their family has been provided for. Some people give something they own, such as a car or their home. Others leave a paid-up life insurance policy. (Sample language for all of these situations is provided below). For any bequest, it is important that you provide the correct legal name of our charity (Veteranshield.org), as well as our federal tax identification number (20-8672417), to make sure The VeteranShield Project receives your gift.

Q: Do I have control over how the VeteranShield organization will use my bequest?

Yes. You can specify whether you would like the assets to go toward establishing a VeteranShield Sponsorship Fund (see above). You can also specify whether the principal should be permanently invested, allowing VeteranShield.org to spend only the annual earnings (endowed fund), or whether VeteranShield.org may spend the principal amount of your gift at it’s discretion (expendable fund).

If you already have a will and any of the following has occurred, you should review your will and possibly consult an attorney to review it:

You have moved to another state.
Your financial, marital or parental status has changed.
Your children have grown up.
The tax laws have changed.
A person in your will has died.
You have decided to add one or more charities to your will.

When you include a bequest provision in your estate plan, the VeteranShield organization will enroll you in the Veteranshield Legacy Society which honors those who make lasting gifts to the community. (You also have the option of remaining anonymous.)

VeteranShield Beneficiary

You can add VeteranShield.org as a beneficiary of insurance policies, annuities, or retirement accounts.

Corporate Partnership

There are numerous opportunities for corporations to support the mission of The Veteranshield Project. These include but are not limited to:

Sponsorship opportunities--sponsor publications, components of our website, regional and annual meeting events, and many other high visibility initiatives.
Technical support--to provide materials, software, and technical expertise to defray the production costs of fulfilling the mission of The VeteranShield Project and related membership services.
General support--to support the overall mission of The VeteranShield Project.

For questions, to receive information regarding opportunities for corporations, or to have a member of The Veteranshield Project's development staff contact you about becoming a Corporate Sponsor, please contact Mark Withrow at mark@veteranshield.org.

Workplace Giving

Employer Endorsed Campaigns

Many companies endorse giving campaigns supported by employee contributions. Designate and/or look for The VeteranShield Project under your workplace campaign.

Bring The VeteranShield Project to Your Workplace

If your company does not have an employee-giving program or if you would like to include The VeteranShield Project in your existing campaign, please ask the person responsible for your company's workplace giving program to contact Mark Withrow at mark@veteranshield.org.

Other Ways to Give

Learn more about innovative planning techniques including such vehicles as charitable remainder trusts, lead trusts, bargain sales, gift annuities, donations to public charities, donations to private foundations, donations to donor advised funds and the naming of charities as the beneficiary of tax qualified retirement plans.

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