Ways to Give

Child & Family Services of Southwestern Michigan, Inc.

Make a Donation

Child & Family Services needs your help in a variety of ways: from our annual fundraiser, the Festival of LIghts, to memorials, to remembering us in your will. Please consider making a secure online donation to CFSSWMI today. Your gift provides help and creates hope throughout Southwestern Michigan for the elderly and the young.... many of whom are homeless, hungry and hurting. Since 1891, Child & Family Services has served people based on need. Now, we need your help. Thank you!

Donations Can Be Made by:

Check
Make checks payable to Child & Family Services of Southwestern Michigan, Inc., or CFSSWMI.

Mailing address:

       CFSSWMI
       P.O. Box 8789
       Benton Harbor, MI 49023

By Credit Card

Credit card gifts can be made online by clicking the Donate button below, or by calling the CFSSWMI Finance office at 269-925-1725. We take Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. You will need to identify the credit card and provide your account number, name on the card and expiration date.

Donations of Real and Personal Property

Thank you for considering a gift to Child & Family Services of Southwestern Michigan, Inc. (CFSSWMI). Friends donate property to CFSSWMI as a significant way to support the agency. But they also know they will receive attractive financial benefits as a result of the gift. These benefits have contributed to the increasing interest in property donations. Since 2003, over $5.9 billion of real estate and $829 million of art and collectibles has been gifted annually to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. Every gift is important and goes a long way towards ensuring long-term stability for the future of the programs of CFSSWMI.

There are a number of ways to support CFSSWMI. You may choose to make an outright gift to the annual operating fund, a commemorative or memorial gift to the agency through the Berrien Community Foundation, or perhaps you would like to leave a legacy by including CFSSWMI in your estate plans. We will be delighted to welcome you to the Child & Family Service of Southwestern Michigan, Inc. family. Depending on the nature of your gift and on your needs and objectives, you can potentially:

Avoid capital gains taxes due on the sale of property.
Reduce income taxes.
Reduce estate taxes.
Receive an annual income.
Eliminate the burden of maintaining and paying for property.
Support CFSSWMI in an alternative way.
Create a significant legacy.

Personal Property Donations
Land or other real property may be given to Child & Family Servicse as an outright gift or used as an asset within a charitable trust. You may also opt to donate a home and retain the right to occupy the property throughout one's lifetime, Personal proerty, such as paintings or rare books, may also be contributed. If you are interested in discussing the advantages of such a gift, contact our financial director at 269-925-1725.

Gift Planning
Planned gifts, such as charitable remainder trusts and gifts to CFSSWMI, benefit the agency and can provide you with income for life. you may also enjoy significant benefits, including tax deductions, avoidance of capital gains taxes, and increased income. For more information on planned gifts, please contact our Financial Director at 269-925-1725.

Bequests
A gift to the agency in a will allows you to make a substantial contribution to the agency without diminishing valuable assets. A bequest can also significantly reduce estate taxes.

Knowing if it is Right

As you think about a gift of real estate or personal property, consider what you own and ask yourself the following:

Do I have real estate that is difficult or expensive to manage?
Will I owe significant taxes if I sell?
Do I have a substantial taxable income that a gift of property might offset?
Do I have a property that, if donated, would provide me with income?
Do I own a piece of art that I don’t enjoy as much as I once did?

If you answered, “yes,” to any of the questions above, you could benefit by gifting property to CFSSWMI.

It is the policy of Child & Family Services of Southwestern Michigan, Inc. not to sell or exchange its agency donor list with other organizations or disclose privileged information regarding donors or gifts to unauthorized parties. If a donor wishes to remain anonymous or their gift is restricted, this is duly recorded and honored.