Friday, December 21, 2007


What type of charitable gift makes the most sense for you?
We will work with you to figure out the gift plan that meets your needs and helps the world’s poorest women attain economic self-sufficiency. Many of our supporters find the Goals & Benefits chart very helpful. However, the easiest way to get the information you need to understand your choices is to contact us.



Gift Planning can provide solutions to real life problems,such as:
Would you like to sell real estate or stock that has grown in value, but are discouraged by the amount of capital gains tax you would have to pay? - Donate appreciated stock or all or a portion of the real estate, instead of using cash for your gift. The income tax deduction is for the current value of the stock or real estate, and you pay no capital gains tax on the difference between what you paid for the asset and what it is worth today.
Are you looking for a way to plan your legacy without having to pay your attorney to change your will? There is a very simple cost-free way to make your legacy an end to chronic hunger – name Freedom from Hunger a beneficiary of your retirement plan or life insurance policy.
Are you “sick and tired” of managing your rental property or ready to get off the “stock market roller coaster”? You can receive the income earned on the amount of your gift for the rest of your life – Join Freedom from Hunger’s Pooled Income Fund, or find out if a remainder unitrust or remainder annuity trust makes sense for you. Whichever one you chose, the amount left over supports microfinance programs for the world’s poorest women.
Are you concerned about the amount of inheritance taxes that your family will have to pay? You can be a philanthropic role model for your children and grandchildren and provide an appropriate inheritance for your heirs – we can show you how a charitable lead trust provides microfinance and health protection services to the world’s poorest women today, while saving inheritance taxes and providing appropriate distributions to your heirs in the future

Your passion for helping the very poor attain economic self-sufficiency and ending their own hunger – for good – will be permanently memorialized by i


Your passion for helping the very poor attain economic self-sufficiency and ending their own hunger – for good – will be permanently memorialized by including Freedom from Hunger in your estate plan. It’s very simple to continue your support for women and their families in developing countries by making a bequest in your Will or Living Trust, or by naming Freedom from Hunger as the beneficiary of your retirement plan, life insurance policy, bank account, or mutual fund

If you’re interested in minimizing the out-of-pocket cost of your gift, and maximizing tax savings, there are a variety of choices for you to consider that help you while you help others.

Workplace Giving
Whether it's prompted by the annual workplace giving campaign or it's just something you've always meant to do, you may want to take advantage of a special benefit offered by many employers: giving through payroll deduction. Federal employees have a special opportunity to designate a charity through the annual Combined Federal Campaign.
Payroll deduction is one of the easiest ways to support your favorite cause. You can designate exactly how much you want to give and choose the organization you wish to support. The rest is done automatically…until you say it's time to stop.
Freedom from Hunger participates in workplace giving through Global Impact, which represents more than 50 of the most respected U.S.-based international charities in workplace giving campaigns across the nation. Global Impact touches more than 400 million lives worldwide through disaster relief, education, health training and economic programs that promote self-sufficiency.
When filling out your workplace giving form, use code #10731 or simply Freedom from Hunger, at 1644 DaVinci Court, Davis, California, 95618.
And thank you for the support!

How We Make a Difference
No handout can accomplish as much as a good self-help program. We partner with hard-working poor women and in-country organizations to implement proven programs that address the causes of poverty, ill health and hunger. Our sustainable approach ensures that the progress we make together today will build into the future-and help more and more families.
As the New Year approaches, think of the mothers, the children, and families who could be thanking you. Donate to Freedom from Hunger.

As the year ends, Freedom from Hunger would like to offer you the opportunity to give a life-changing gift to women in some of the world’s poorest countries.
Your tax-deductible donation will help us bring self-help solutions to poor women and children living on a $1 a day or less --
Our Credit with Education program enables women to feed their children, improve their families’ health and walk the path to self-reliance. We combine health and nutrition education with cash credit to build home-based businesses. Equipped with these powerful resources-provided by people who care -- women are leading their families toward a brighter future.

You can donate your car to a wide range of charity organizations, but picking the most representative ones requires getting some previous information. So before actually donating your car, make sure you get some relevant info about the charity organization, its purposes, projects and usage of your car. You might find out that there are various organizations that have different goals and you will probably find, among them, a great cause and possibility to donate your car to something meaningful. Even more, make sure that your car is going to go to an eligible organization that is serious in its acts and has valid previous work. In order to be sure, speaking directly with the charity agents is the safest way to go. In fact, the IRS requests that the donors are aware of the type of the fundraiser society they choose. When talking to the charity representatives, the most important information regards the exact usage of your car, if it will be sold, fixed up, offered to the less fortunate people and so on. Besides these, you should check up if the charity organization is qualified and in order to know that for sure, you can review the organization’s state registrations and financial situations, administrative costs and charitable programs.
Charitable donations and car evaluations
Another important thing before donating your car is evaluating it in a correct way. There are various guides on the market that offer elaborate instructions, in order to establish the valid value of your car, depending on its general condition, accessories, age and mileage. After making sure that you selected the correct charitable organization and the optimum evaluation, you should be aware of the fact that you are required to complete and attach an IRS form to your tax return, in case you are claiming a car donation that values 500 $ or above.
Donating a used car to charity is a great solution if you are planning to purchase a new car or if you are simply willing to contribute to acharitable activity. Knowing and following some steps before the actual car donation avoids further worries, as it makes the process a safe and fulfilling one.
Are there any hidden facts about used car donation that I should be aware of?
First of all, not every used car donation programs are functioning legally. Before you make your used car donation, you should check with the IRS if the charity is a non-profit organization listed under paragraph 501 (c) (3) in the IRS Publication 78.
Secondly, check out if the used car donation program is run in-house by the charity itself or by a third party. If a third party is operating the used car donation program, you should ask what percent of the profit made by selling the donated cars actually goes to the charity. Often,third-party operated used car donation programs produce small amounts of money for the charity. Smaller charities do not afford the costs of transportation and storage for the donated cars, not to mention the costs involved in charity auctions. This is the main reason why charities accept to have their used car donation programs run buy third-party brokers.

Car Donation Programs - Guide For successfully donating a vehicle to charity Donating a car to charity is often tax deductibleIt has been around for years but recently it has become a very popular way for charities to raise funds and help their organizations. However not all charities are the same, and neither are the steps you need to follow to donate. This guide is intended to help you make an informed decision when you a looking for the right charity to donate your vehicle.
The truth is if you donate your car to charity it is the best way to get rid of vehicles that you would get next to nothing for in trade. When you donate to a charity they will process the donated vehicle in various ways.
If the donated vehicle is in decent operating order and just needs some minor repairs it may be just fixed up and donated directly to a family.
If the vehicle is of greater value it is likely that it would just be send to auction and put on the block. The charity would take the proceeds from the sale and use them to help their organization.
If the donated vehicle does not operate or is in need of extensive repairs it may just be stripped of all the valuable components and sold off separately. The remainder of the car, the scrap metal, would be sold off and recycled as well. Of course the proceeds from selling the car off would be use to help those that rely on the charity.
There are several steps you should take to be sure there will be no unwanted surprises that pop up during the donation process.
First, check up on the charity - See who they are and what their organization supports. You want to be sure the money is going to a worth while cause that you support.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007


Mercedes R320L CDI SE
Whether it's by train or plane, there's nothing like travelling first class. With enormous seats and uncompromised luxury, Mercedes wants its new R-Class to be the automotive equivalent. But will buyers be prepared to pay for an upgrade?On sale in the UK next month, the premium estate will be available in standard and long-wheelbase forms. Both offer three rows of two seats, along with a choice of two petrol engines or a diesel unit. Surprisingly, 70 per cent of sales in Britain are expected to go tothe long-wheelbase version, so we drove the R320L CDI.Sharing its underpinnings with the M-Class, the biggest all-wheel-drive R-Class is huge - 369mm longer than its off-road sibling, with a 3,215mm wheelbase. Both rows of passenger seats provide plenty of leg and shoulder room, while even the rearmost pair offer acceptable headroom. Easy access to the back is made possible by middle chairs that slide forward, and large rear doors - although the size of the latter means there's not room to open them fully in car parks.With a raised driving position and huge dimensions, the R-Class handles like an SUV, but a lower centre of gravity means it doesn't suffer the ponderous changes of direction that afflict many off-roaders. There's little steering feel, but despite its size the R320 is stable when cornering. The diesel powerplant, proven in other models, is strong and refined.Air-suspension is an option, but our test model sat on conventional springs and offered decent comfort. If you've got a long journey to make, the R-Class is about as relaxing as any car can be.

Veteran Motor Car Club of America
The purpose of the Veteran Motor Car Club of America is to encourage the acquisition, preservation, and restoration of antique and historically significant automobiles. The VMCCA is dedicated to promoting good fellowship and cooperation between its membership; to disseminating accurate historical and technical information; and to sponsoring tours, events, and exhibitions of antique and historically significant automobiles.

Car Club Listings
Great Old Cars listings of Classic Car Clubs are categorized into three main areas: Regional Listings, National/International Listings and Canadian Listings. Although we have referred to these as "classic car clubs", listings include all types of cars: Classic Cars, Specialty Cars, Sports Cars, Exotic Cars, Antique Cars, Vintage Cars, Hotrods, Street Rods, Muscle Cars, Trucks, Military Vehicles and Foreign or International Carsif you would like your car club added to our istings are organized by State. Regional Listings are local clubs that have a focus on events and functions within their local community. Memberships usually consist of individuals living in that specific area.: These are larger clubs that have events and functions that cater to a larger population. Membership is large. Clubs in this category may be focused on specific car manufacturers but they also could be general in Regional clubs where events and functions are community based. These are local clubs within the Canadian border.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Things to look for


Things to look for:
Misspelled words on the face of the check• Borders on the check appear uneven• Magnetic number line is uneven/printed too low or too high on the bottom of the check• No Bank logo or Corporate logo, or if there is, it does not appear to be crisp and clear• The check # in the upper right hand corner does not match the check # in the magnetic line on the bottom of the check• Look at the City or State where the check was issued from, is that the location where you are sending your vehicle or where the purchaser said they live• Blurry or fuzzy printing. Good checks are clear. If blurry, then it could indicate that it has been photo copied or scanned. • Raised numbers or letters. Check should be smooth.• Always verify the check before depositing it to your account. Do not call the telephone number on the face of the check, if one is provided, use an independent source to obtain the telephone number, such as the yellow pages or Directory Assistance. There are also online verification of telephone numbers searches such as “Reverse Lookup”.

Donating a vehicle to charity


Donating a vehicle to charity
But some people who give away an old auto might find their tax break smaller than they expected. And a few donors, thanks to the intricacies of vehicle gift guidelines, might be able to boost their deduction amounts.Giving away a clunker to a charity used to be straightforward. You could claim the old car's fair market value, that is, the amount a willing buyer would pay a willing seller for the product. Typically, you'd refer to auto valuation services such as the Kelley Blue Book or online auto services to get an idea of the donated car's value, give it to your favorite nonprofit and then drive off with a tax break equal to that valuation amount. No more.Because some taxpayers got greedy, the rules on how much you can write off were tightened a couple of years ago. The move to put the brakes on auto deductions shifted into high gear after a Government Accountability Office report found wide discrepancies between the value that some vehicle donors claimed on their tax returns and the actual worth of the donated cars. These excessive vehicle valuations, according to the GAO, cost the Treasury $654 million in tax revenue in 2000.Since 2005, deduction amounts for some donated vehicles have been dramatically limited. The precise tax break depends on the donor's claimed value of the gift and how the charity uses the vehicle."This puts taxpayers in the unusual situation of not knowing the size of their deduction when they make the donation," says Bob D. Scharin, senior tax analyst at RIA, a publisher of tax guides.
$500 limitIn most instances, a taxpayer must take into account a $500 threshold on vehicular gifts. This value amount applies to autos, boats and even airplanes. When the donated vehicle's value (based on credible fair market value analyses) exceeds that amount, claiming the deduction gets more complicated.This valuation ceiling comes into play when a charity sells a donated vehicle.In this case, just how much a taxpayer can deduct depends on the amount the sale nets.For example, you donate your old station wagon that's worth $1,000. Under the old rules, that would be the amount you could deduct. But now, if the charity turns around and sells your donation for $800, your deduction is limited to the lower sales price.The charity must give you substantiation of the IRS-allowed donation amount within 30 days of when you turn your car over to the charity or, if the group sells the auto, within 30 days of the vehicle's sale.By now, you should have gotten word from the charity as to what it did with your old vehicle. If you haven't heard from the charity, give it a call and ask that it send, or resend, you the donation specifics.Plus, you now must include a copy of the acknowledgment with your tax return. Previously, such receipts were generally only kept by the taxpayer in case the IRS questioned a claimed deduction
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