AETN Foundation - Special Giving

Special Gifts

Join Our Friends for the Future with a gift to the AETN Foundation

I believe that a person’s will is about so much more than property and money and other “things.” I want my will to reflect my values, my priorities; in short – my life. That’s why my estate includes a gift to the AETN Foundation. - Reverend Philip Hathcock (Maumelle)

AETN has been serving Arkansas and surrounding communities since 1966. Few organizations have a more direct impact on education, culture and our quality of life as the Arkansas Educational Telecommunications Network.

AETN reflects the values of our state - values we want to pass along to generations to come. Special gifts to the AETN Foundation can be the best way for you to be sure the programming that makes a difference in your life continues to be available for your children, grandchildren and all communities.

Special gifts through gift planning can benefit both donors and AETN in securing the future.

Special Gift Opportunities include:

Wills & Trusts - The most common way individuals provide for AETN in their estate plans.
Gift Annuities - A way for you to make a significant gift to AETN and receive an annual income for the rest of your life.
Charitable Remainder Trusts - A gift opportunity that allows you to take cash or an appreciated asset and convert it into income for you and an important gift for AETN.
Retirement Plans, Insurance and Real Estate - Convenient ways to support AETN's future, which may reduce your tax burden.

Click here for additional special gift planning information.

You can also contact Karen Cooper at 501-730-9310 or legacygifts@aetn.org.

This page is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, the services of an attorney or other professional advisor should be obtained.

Wills & Trusts

Gifts through a will or trust leave a legacy that will inform and educate future generations for years to come. You can structure your will to provide first for your primary concern, your family and still make a charitable gift.

You may choose to make an outright bequest to AETN by leaving a specific dollar amount, or a percentage of your estate. Some people leave the residue or part of the residue of their estate to the AETN Foundation.

The process of including the AETN Foundation in your will or trust is simple. The following is an example of bequest language:

I give, devise and bequeath to the Arkansas Educational Telecommunications Network Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation, the sum of $__________ (or ____% of my estate) for AETN's general use and purposes. AETN and the AETN Foundation are located at 350 South Donaghey, Conway, Arkansas 72034.

If you already have a will, a charitable bequest can be added with a codicil (or supplement) to the original will.
Your attorney or financial advisor may need AETN Foundation's Tax ID number, which is 71-0592505.

Gift Annuities

A Gift Annuity is a simple way for you to support the ongoing work of AETN. Not only does it provide a gift to the AETN Foundation, but it provides you or a beneficiary of your choosing with a partially tax-free fixed income payment for life and an immediate tax deduction.

Some of the advantages of a Gift Annuity are:

You receive a current income tax deduction equal to a large portion of your gift.
A portion of the income you receive is non-taxable.
Payments can be made to you or another beneficiary you choose.
Income from annuities can be deferred for a number of years and used to supplement retirement.
Income from the annuity is established and guaranteed when you make the gift.
If your annuity is funded with highly appreciated assets you will only have to report some of the capital gain and the rest is spread over a number of years.

Charitable Remainder Trusts

Giving through a Charitable Remainder Trust enhances AETN's ability to provide services and produce programming that truly impacts your life. A Charitable Remainder Trust is an option if you are looking to make a significant gift while providing current or future income for yourself or for others.

A Charitable Remainder Trust is set up by transferring cash or assets to a trust (at a bank or a trust management company). The trust pays you or a beneficiary you select an income for life or for a term of years. Upon the death of the income beneficiary or the expiration of the term of years, the prinicipal passes to the AETN Foundation for general purposes or for the purpose you designate.

The two most common Charitable Remainder Trusts are the Unitrust and the Annuity Trust.

A Unitrust pays you a fixed percentage of the trust's value, which is revalued every year. If the trust's value goes up, its payout increases. Likewise, if the trust's value decreases, the distribution decreases. You may make additional gifts to this trust.
An Annuity Trust distributes your income as a fixed dollar amount - a percentage of the trust's initial value regardless of the trust's value. You cannot add gifts to this trust.

Retirement Plans, Insurance and Real Estate

AETN touches the lives of people of all ages throughout Arkansas and surrounding communities, providing the highest quality, non-commercial programming in cultural and performing arts, public affairs, science, natures and the rich history and culture of Arkansas.

The following examples are creative gift options you might consider that provide various benefits to you as well as help secure the future of the Arkansas Educational Telecommunications Network.

Retirement Plans

You may have accumulated funds in your company pension plan, Individual Retirement Account, or other private fund that are beyond your needs or potentially subject to a number of taxes. Naming the AETN Foundation as a beneficiary of all or part of your retirement plan may reduce estate taxes for your loved ones. Under current tax law, if you leave your retirement plan to heirs, those assets are first subject to estate taxes, then to income taxes-frequently resulting in a combined tax burden of more than 70 percent!

Life Insurance

A simple way to make a significant future gift is to name the AETN Foundation as the beneficiary to receive all or a portion of the proceeds of a life insurance policy no longer needed for its original purpose. You may also purchase a new policy with the AETN Foundation as the beneficiary. Either will provide you with a charitable deduction.

Real Estate

A gift of your residence, a farm, vacation property or other types of real property is a creative way to make a meaningful gift to the AETN Foundation and receive tax benefits. The benefits include a charitable income tax deduction for the fair-market value of the property, avoidance of capital gain tax on the property's appreciation at the time the gift is made and potentially reduced estate taxes and probate costs.