Membership gifts support legislative lobbying and are not tax-deductible. Make a membership contribution and receive your membership card.

Donations to the ACLU of New Jersey Foundation support litigation and public education efforts. Unlike membership gifts, donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

We also offer a variety of other ways to give: 

Matching Gifts

Want to make your gift dollars go farther? You may be able to do just that through your company's matching gift program. Thousands of companies, small and large, have matching gift programs that will match one-for-one, or even double, tax-deductible contributions made by their employees. Your employer may be one of them!

If your company has a matching gift program, all you to have to do is obtain a matching gift form from your personnel office or matching gift coordinator, fill it out completely and send it along with your contribution to:

American Civil Liberties Union Of New Jersey Foundation
P.O. Box 32159
Newark, NJ 07102

Check today to see if your company's matching gift program will help you maximize your support for the ACLU's work to protect and defend liberty. For more information, email donate@aclu-nj.org or call (973) 642-2086 ext. 1721.

Give a Gift of Stock or Mutual Funds

Making a gift or fulfilling a pledge through a transfer of stock or mutual funds can be very advantageous. By donating securities directly to a charitable organization such as the ACLU-NJ Foundation, you may avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation of the asset. You may also receive an income tax deduction.

Each individual's tax situation is different. Consult with your tax advisors about the best ways to make charitable gifts.

Please contact Diane DuBrule, Development Director, at donate@aclu-nj.org or (973) 854-1721 to arrange a donation of securities.

The ACLU-NJ Foundation Tax Identification Number (EIN) is 22-2010593. This number substantiates that this is a tax-deductible gift.

Workplace Giving

The ACLU-NJ participates in United Way, Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), and New Jersey State Employees Charitable Campaign (NJSECC). Simply designate the ACLU or ACLU-NJ as the intended recipient of your gift when you make your pledge. Check with your campaign coordinator for the appropriate code or designation to make your gift, and put your money to work protecting civil liberties for all!

Individual Retirement Account Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)

Federal law allows people age 70½ or older to make direct transfers up to $100,000 per year per person to charitable organizations from their Individual Retirement Account (IRA), without the withdrawal being treated as taxable income. The withdrawal can be counted toward your Required Minimum Distribution.

Transfers must come directly from your IRA, made payable to the ACLU of New Jersey Foundation. 401(k), 403(b), and other retirement plans do not qualify. Ask your advisor about transferring funds from these other accounts to an IRA.

Simply contact your IRA custodian and follow their procedures to request a “Qualified Charitable Distribution” that includes your name and address information to:

ACLU of New Jersey Foundation
P.O. Box 32159
Newark, NJ 07102

In terms of federal tax implications, the transfer is not recognized as a taxable withdrawal from your IRA, and does not afford you an income tax charitable deduction. Tax laws vary by state. New Jersey treats the distribution as taxable income. This information is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please consult your own advisor regarding your particular circumstances and whether this is a good way for you to make charitable gifts.

Gift Planning

Every day, there are supporters who tell us that our country is headed in the wrong direction and they want to do as much as possible to make a difference. If you feel the same way, then a planned gift or bequest to the ACLU-NJ may be the answer that fits your values, family, and financial situation.

By leaving a legacy, you can personally support the ACLU-NJ's activities and help us to make our government an instrument of freedom, fairness, and equality.

Create Your Legacy and Support the ACLU using Giving Docs

The ACLU is pleased to offer its supporters free access to an estate planning service through Giving Docs, an independent third-party platform that makes it simple to support the loved ones and causes you care about most.

Join with other ACLU supporters on the Giving Docs platform to plan your legacy. It’s free for life for our supporters. Go to aclu.org/givingdocs to get started now!

Together – with your planning for the future – we can build a world that is more just, free, and fair.

Bequests

There are many ways that you can make a gift through your will or living trust. A residuary bequest is a bequest in which a percentage of your estate is designated to the ACLU-NJ Foundation (ex. I bequeath 25% of my estate to the ACLU-NJ Foundation). Alternately, you may designate a specific amount to support the ACLU-NJ Foundation (ex. I bequeath $50,000 to the ACLU-NJ Foundation).

It is often simpler to express your bequests as a percentage of your estate. If your estate were to change in value, you would not, as a result, be required to make changes to your will since bequests remain proportional to your estate.

Please contact the ACLU-NJ Development Department at (973) 642-2086 ext. 1721 or by emailing donate@aclu-nj.org for specific language and to notify us of your plans.

Tax Note: Not every estate benefits from an estate charitable deduction. Please check with your estate planning professional to determine if this deduction would benefit your estate.

Beneficiary Designation

A beneficiary designation for the ACLU-NJ Foundation is a simple and meaningful way to help ensure a strong future for individual rights. After your lifetime, these assets will transfer directly to the ACLU-NJ Foundation without going through probate.

Beneficiary designations can be made for:

  • Retirement plans, such as IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, etc.
  • Life insurance policies
  • Bank and brokerage accounts and other types of deposit and investment accounts, where allowed by state law and offered by your financial institution

Once you decide to designate the ACLU of New Jersey Foundation as a beneficiary, simply contact us at (973) 642-2086 ext. 1721 or email donate@aclu-nj.org to confirm details.

Tax Note: Gifts of life insurance policies and retirement plans are considered non-probate assets and automatically bypass probate court. They are, however, subject to potential taxes, just like any property you own upon your death. Designating the ACLU Foundation as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy or retirement plan may allow you to avoid taxes that could apply if you were to leave these assets to heirs other than your spouse. As always, check with your estate planning professional about your specific plans.

Charitable Remainder Trust

A charitable remainder trust can be tailored to accommodate a wide variety of gift assets and to meet your personal financial and philanthropic goals. Charitable remainder trusts may offer you a number of important benefits:

  • An income tax charitable deduction
  • Increased spendable income
  • No capital gains tax when appreciated property is transferred to the trust
  • Reduction of your taxable estate
  • Provides for the long term support of the ACLU

To establish a charitable remainder trust (CRT), you make an irrevocable contribution of cash, securities, or other property to a trustee of your choice and designate a person or persons who will receive income. (You may be one of them.) The income beneficiaries designated by you may receive the income generated by the trust for a term not to exceed twenty years or for life. When the specified time of payments has concluded, the appointed trustee pays the principal to the ACLU-NJ Foundation.

There are two basic types of Charitable Remainder Trusts:

  • Charitable Remainder Unitrust: A unitrust provides a fluctuating annual payment based on a percentage of the trust's assets as revalued each year. If the unitrust's assets grow over time, the beneficiaries will receive a larger annual payment.
  • Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust: An annuity trust pays a fixed dollar amount each year, regardless of how the investments perform. The annuity trust provides the donor with the most secure income, as each payment is always the same.

When you make a gift to establish a CRT, you are entitled to an immediate income tax charitable deduction for a portion of the value of the donated assets. The size of the deduction is based on the projected value of the ultimate gift to the ACLU-NJ Foundation from the trust. For more information on charitable remainder trusts and projected figures based on your particular situation contact us at (973) 642-2086 ext. 1721 or email donate@aclu-nj.org.

Life Income Plans

A life income plan may be the perfect way for you to make a gift while providing an income for yourself or others. The ACLU-NJ Foundation offers a number of life income plans, one of which may suit your personal and financial objectives. While the details vary, these plans all offer the following benefits:

  • Payments to you and/or another beneficiary for life or a term of years
  • An immediate federal income tax charitable deduction
  • Potential increase in income
  • Reduction or possible avoidance of capital gains tax on appreciated property
  • Potential reduction of your taxable estate
  • The satisfaction of helping to secure individual liberties for future generations

One of the most popular Life Income Plans is the Charitable Remainder Trust. Through this arrangement, you would irrevocably transfer cash, securities, or other property to a trust, managed by a trustee of your choice, to generate income for you or another beneficiary for a set number of years or for life. When the specified time of payments ends, the trustee pays the remaining principal in the trust to the ACLU-NJ Foundation.

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