If your employer has a matching gift program, you can double your gift to Child Advocates of Fort Bend. Fill out the Matching Gift Form from your human resources or payroll office.  Use the form at the bottom of this page to make your gift today.

To help ensure the sustainability of services, you are invited to make a multi-year gift and become a member of our Voices For Children Multi-Year Giving Society. Pledges are made over five years with the total value of the pledge being recognized on our donor wall, in the Annual Report and donor newsletter the year you make your pledge.  See section on Voices For Children or contact Suzanne Slavin at sslavin@cafb.org or 281-344-5106.

The Gala For The Children and Christmas Home Tour are wonderful opportunities for individuals, corporations and local businesses to support Child Advocates of Fort Bend while entertaining clients and being community-involved. Sponsorships range from $100 – $50,000 with benefits associated with different levels of giving.  See section on Gala or Christmas Home Tour or contact Tarina Sheridan at tsheridan@cafb.org.

Thank you for your interest in supporting Child Advocates of Fort Bend County. Our hope is to serve you and your family with helpful information. We have an increasing number of friends at CAFB who have made an investment of a lifetime through bequests, gift annuities and other plans.

At Child Advocates of Fort Bend County, Texas (CAFB), we help strengthen the voice of the child, heal the hurt and break the cycle of abuse and neglect for children and their non-offending family members of Fort Bend and surrounding counties. Our two nationally affiliated programs Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC allow our staff and volunteers to truly help and heal children from birth to 18+. We need your help to continue this worthwhile mission, whether through support that goes directly to the CAFB, or to its endowment or to its innovative programs. Your gifts can make a difference.

How to Give

As with any decision involving your assets, we urge you to seek the advice of your professional counsel when considering a gift to CAFB. If you would like us to recommend someone, please contact Lisa at lmoore@cafb.org or 281-344-5108 for more information.

1. Bequest: You designate our organization as the beneficiary of your assets by will, trust or other instrument.
2. Charitable Gift Annuity: You transfer your cash or appreciated property to our organization in exchange for our promise to pay you fixed income (with rates based on your age) for the rest of your life.
3. Charitable Unitrust: You transfer your cash or appreciated property to fund a charitable trust. The trust sells your property tax free and provides you with income for life or a term of years.
4. Charitable Annuity Trust: You transfer your cash or appreciated property to fund a charitable trust. The trust sells your property tax free and provides you with fixed income for life or a term of years.
5. Charitable Lead Trust: You transfer your cash or property to fund a lead trust that makes gifts to us for a number of years. You receive a charitable deduction for the gift. Your family receives the remainder at substantial tax savings.
6. Sale and Unitrust: If you give a portion of your property to us to fund a charitable remainder trust, when the entire property sells you receive cash and income for life.
7. Bargain Sale: We purchase your property for less than fair market value. You receive the cash and a charitable deduction for the difference between the market value and purchase price.
8. Give it Twice Trust: You may be looking for a way to provide your children with income while making a gift to charity. The Give it Twice Trust is a popular option that allows you to transfer your IRA at death to a term of years uni trust.
9. Life Estate Reserve: You may desire to leave your home or farm to us at your death but would like to receive a current charitable tax deduction. A life estate reserved might offer the solution you need!

Here are 5 Simple Ways to Make a Legacy Gift:

Making a bequest, and other beneficiary designations: you can easily designate Child Advocates of Fort Bend as the beneficiary of your assets by will, trust, or other beneficiary designation instrument. A planned gift vests after your lifetime. Some of the suggested gift types below can be given now during your lifetime, or arranged for within your charitable bequest or trust to be given after your lifetime as a planned gift:

1. Gifts of Retirement Assets: A gift of your IRA, 401(k), 403(b), pension or other tax-deferred plan is an excellent, simple way to make a gift. This allows you to enjoy your current income while living, and to still support the mission of Child Advocates of Fort Bend upon your passing. IRA Roll Over or Distribution Option: If you are over age 70 ½, you can make a tax-free transfer from an IRA directly to Child Advocates of Fort Bend, or you may choose to gift the assets after your lifetime.
2. Gifts of Stocks and Bonds: A gift of your appreciated securities, including your stocks and bonds, is easy to make. You could avoid capital gains taxes that would otherwise be due if you sold them directly.
3. Gifts of Cash: This is the simplest and easiest way for you to make a gift. Your estate will receive a charitable tax deduction providing you with potential savings on the same year’s tax return.
4. Gifts of Insurance Policies: This gift can be made outright for cash value, or by naming Child Advocates of Fort Bend as beneficiary. A gift of your life insurance policy, for example, is an excellent way to do this. If your life insurance policy is no longer needed, or will no longer benefit your survivors, consider making a gift so that others may benefit from your generosity. You may also consider transfer of ownership to Child Advocates of Fort Bend of your paid-up policy.
5. Gifts of Property: A gift of real estate or other appreciated property such as a home, vacation property, vacant land, farmland, mineral rights, commercial property, collectible, or jewelry can make an excellent choice to offset a potential capital gains tax.

Child Advocates of Fort Bend welcome donations of items or services to help support the children, the Gala auction, and our office. We request the clothing, shoes, backpacks, stuffed animals, blanket or toys be new.  We are always in need of gift certificates to local stores which can be used to purchase needed items for the children. We do not accept used items.  If you would like to make an in-kind donation, see our Wish List  below or contact Irene Wisner at iwisner@cafb.org.

Child Advocates of Fort Bend has arranged for donations of cars, airplanes, boats, motorcycles or trucks. Contact Lisa at lmoore@cafb.org.

Child Advocates of Fort Bend participates in the TX CASA Specialty License Plate Program. Supporters can order a custom license plate with the phrase “Big Voices for Little Texans”.  For ordering information, go to https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/license-plates?fbclid=IwAR0Htok17h_DxVxfCqp9Olx376zbg8dL1RlEAqINaKWiX2j9Y4110qBttZ4  or visit your local tax assessor’s office and ask for the Court Appointed Special Advocate license plate.

Child Advocates of Fort Bend is registered for AmazonSmile. This is a program through Amazon.com that will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Ft Bend County Child Advocates, Inc. To shop via AmazonSmile, go to http://smile.amazon.com/ch/76-0337426.

Kroger shoppers can contribute to Child Advocates of Fort Bend by registering their existing Kroger Plus Card on line at krogercommunityrewards.com.  If you do not have a Kroger’s Plus Card you can go online and create a new account.   Our Non-profit Organization number is 90432 and must be referenced in all correspondence.

Child Advocates of Fort Bend has partnered with Goodshop.com so when you shop at thousands of your favorite shops like Walmart for food, Best Buy for electronics and Kohl’s for clothes, you will be saving money and donating a portion of your purchase to Child Advocates of Fort Bend. Contact Catherine Zapalac at czapalac@cafb.org for more information.

Child Advocates of Fort Bend benefits by receiving a cash donation to fund new and
existing programs and increased community awareness through local events.

You benefit by being able to reduce your taxable income when taxes are itemized.
Plus you avoid the costs associated with selling your car. No need to pay for
advertising, no loss of privacy and possible security risk, and no need to pay for
vehicle registration, insurance, and repairs to keep your car in running condition
while you wait for a buyer.

In most cases we can take your car, running or not. However, it must have an engine
and be towable. Contact a representative at 1-855-500-7433 to find out if your vehicle
qualifies for pick-up.

Many types of motor vehicles are accepted including airplanes, boats, motorcycles,
trucks and cars. if you are uncertain as to whether or not your vehicle is eligible,
please contact the vehicle donation program toll free at 1-855-500-7433.

We make donating your car as simple and convenient as possible. A tow company
will contact you within two to three business days after completing a record of the
donation. Call our representative toll free at 1-855-500-7433.

No. Special arrangements can be made by calling our representative.

The only paperwork needed is a signed, clear title. We would prefer that you have
your title with you when you call-in your donation. (Please note: a clear title indicates
the title is in the name of the donor without a lien.)

For states that require smog certificates or safety inspections, you may donate your
vehicle without these documents.

When your vehicle is picked up, the tow truck driver will give you a document called
a “donation receipt”. The donation receipt is a legal document and should be kept.
Do not allow your vehicle to be picked up unless you are given a donation receipt,
unless other arrangements have been made in advance. If you have any questions
about this please call our toll-free number, 1-855-500-7433.

In the rare event that you receive any notification of a lien sale, DMV actions or other
activity related to your donated vehicle, please contact us toll free at 1-855-500-7433.

Yes, our driver will issue a donation receipt at the time of pick-up. This is not the final
tax receipt if the sale price of your vehicle exceeds $500. This initial acknowledgement
will indicate the donor’s name as well as the year, make, model and condition of the car
being donated. It will be the only receipt if the vehicle sells for $500 or less. If that
happens, it is up to the donor to determine the value of their deduction as long as it is
$500 or less.

For vehicles that sell for more than $500, donors are no longer responsible for determining
the deductible value of their donation. Instead, they will receive an IRS Form 1098-C,
Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes if the proceeds from the sale
exceed $500, stating the amount of the gross proceeds from the sale of the donated
vehicle. The amount listed on IRS Form 1098-C, Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats,
and Airplanes will be the gross proceeds of thte deductible donation.

According to the tax law effective January 1, 2005, if the claimed value of the donated
vehicle exceeds $500, the taxpayer is limited to the gross proceeds of the sale.

An IRS Form 1098-C, Contributions of Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Airplanes will be
mailed to the donor within 30 days of the sale. It will state the amount of gross proceeds
received from the vehicle, provided the vehicle sold for more than $500 and if the donor
provided their Social Security number. This will be the tax receipt for the charitable
contribution.

If a vehicle sells for $500 or less, it will be up to the donor to determine the value of their
deduction as long as that figure is $500 or less.