You can give in a number of ways: gifts by check or credit card, matching gifts, appreciated securities, gifts of property, charitable lead trust, charitable gift annuity, or charitable remainder trust.

Check or Credit Card
You may make a check payable to The Galileo School (mail to Development, 4040 Spring Valley Rd. Unit 204D Farmers Branch, TX 75244) or charge your gift to Master Card, or Visa.

Matching Gifts
Do you or your spouse or partner work for an organization or company that matches gifts to non-profit organizations, such as schools? Do you serve on a board of directors of an organization that matches gifts by their directors? Many companies offer matching gifts for employees, employees' spouses/partners and some retirees. Request a matching gift form from the company's benefits or personnel office and submit it with your pledge payments. What a wonderful way to increase your gift to Galileo!

Appreciated Securities
Donors may transfer appreciated securities as a form of payment on a pledge. It's simple:

• Authorize your broker to transfer shares to Galileo.
• Contact the Development Office at (214) 272-9610 or send an email to advancement@thegalileoschool.org to obtain the schools' account and routing numbers. It is very important that you contact the Development Office when making gifts of securities; brokers rarely contact the school, leaving securities vulnerable to the ups and downs of the stock market.

Beyond supporting Galileo through one's lifetime, there are opportunities to leave a legacy that continues the support of Galileo’s unique special needs mission. Through a bequest or other planned giving options, alumni, alumni parents and friends can make a statement about what matters most in their lives by including Galileo in their estate plans.

After reviewing the opportunities listed, you can request further information about any of the planned giving options. We can assist you in making a statement about how you valued the Galileo process during your lifetime, and how you would like to continue giving to support Galileo..

To explore further how to leave a legacy you can review giving opportunities such as those listed below.

Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA)

In exchange for cash or securities, the Galileo School will pay the donor or a loved one a fixed amount annually for the rest of his/her life or the lives of two annuitants.

Most donors can expect payout rates from approximately 6 percent to 9.7 percent annually. You can even support the initiatives of Galileo by designating 80 percent of the earning income to you and 20 percent to Hyde!

A minimum contribution of $25,000 must be made in order for a Charitable Gift Annuity to be established at Galileo.

Charitable Lead Trust (CLT)

Do you own a piece of income-generating property, such as an apartment building or office building?

Can you forgo the earnings from the property or another asset to fund a special gift to the Galileo School?

A Donor can make a gift over a period of years, or over a lifetime by creating a Charitable Lead Trust. Earnings go to Galileo and when the Trust terminates, the assets revert back to the donor or to a named beneficiary or loved ones, such as grandchildren.

Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT)

Would you or a loved one like to receive a fixed annual income for life and help support the initiatives of Galileo? By creating an irrevocable Charitable Remainder Trust, you can receive annual income until death when the corpus of the Trust is distributed to the Galileo School. You can even support the initiatives of Galileo now by designating 80 percent of the earnings income to you and 20 percent to Hyde!

Gifts of Life Insurance

Charitable gifts of life insurance can either be the gift of an existing policy, naming Galileo as the beneficiary under that existing policy, or a cash gift to Galileo to enable it to purchase or pay the premiums on a life insurance policy.

If you choose to use the vehicle of your life insurance policy for a contribution, it is recommended that you discuss such a gift with a tax advisor, because the income tax rules can be complex. It is, however, well-worth investigating this straightforward and satisfying way to make a substantial gift from existing life insurance policies if heirs are provided for and the policy is no longer needed.

Gifts of Property

Do you have a vacation home in Florida or California that you rarely use? Do you have a cabin  in  Colorado that you have owned for a long time but don’t think your children will ever use it?

The real estate market has remained active while the stock market has ridden a roller coaster. Real estate might represent a perfect gift to Galileo because the sale of appreciated real estate often leads to capital gains taxes, real estate agent and attorney fees, etc. Many of these taxes can be avoided by involving a non-profit organization in your plans. Some donors might even choose to occupy a property for life, with the asset becoming valuable to the Galileo School upon death