Donating

We Will Come Back...

We would like to thank everyone who has offered support during this challenging time, and have compiled a representative list of how people are helping. If you would like information about how you can help or if you have a fundraising idea, please contact Irene Bush, Acting Development Director, at .

Star Island depends on the generosity of those who support us in these ways:

Annual Fund | Sustaining Stewards | The McGill Society | Planned Gifts | Special Opportunities

The 2007 Star Island Annual Fund

We are facing many challenges at Star this year, and we need your support now more than ever to pay for important electrical and fire safety work and to help offset the enormous losses in room and board due to our delayed opening. Please support the Star Island Annual Fund to the fullest extent you are able and help secure Star Island for generations to come.

Donations and pledges are accepted year-round at our Portsmouth Office:

Star Island Annual Fund
10 Vaughan Mall, Suite 8
Portsmouth, NH 03801

We also accept credit cards via our secure online form or through the office at (603) 430-6272. We welcome one-time gifts as well as monthly, quarterly, or annual installments.

Please feel free to email our Acting Development Director Irene Bush at to discuss the particulars of any gift.

Sustaining Stewards

Star Island has embarked on a major facilities campaign to catch up on deferred maintenance, and address equipment and building needs that will save money in the future and make the island safer and more enjoyable for all now. Sustaining Stewards are those generous souls who significantly increase their annual giving to a level of $5,000, $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 or more and make a promise to sustain that level of giving for five years.

The McGill Society

Judy McGill Case, Honorary Chair

The Fred and Ginny McGill Society honors those who, like the McGills, have a bright vision for the future of the Shoals, are committed to the preservation of the islands for future generations, and have shown that commitment by including Star Island in their estate plans.

All estate gifts go to the Permanent Trust to help insure Star Island's future. Income from the trust is used to help offset operating expenses.

The importance of the Permanent Trust was underscored this year when the Trust loaned Star Island $550,000 to help pay for necessary safety work and to help offset lost revenue.

There are many ways you can join the McGill Society. These include:

  • Giving through your will.
  • Adding a codicil to your will
  • Designating Star Island the beneficiary of a certificate of deposit, life insurance policy, commercial annuity or retirement plan.
  • Opening a bank account in trust for Star Island
  • Giving a remainder interest in a residence or farm.
  • Creating a Charitable Remainder Trust.

Please consider including Star Island in your estate plan. Your gift will help ensure that Star Island will be here for your grandchildren and their grandchildren.

If you have already done so, please let us know. We would like to include you in the Society and present you with a commemorative pin in appreciation of your generosity.

If you would like more information about ways to become part of the McGill Society, please contact Irene Bush, Acting Development Director, at or (603) 430-6272.

Planned Gifts

If you would like to make a gift that will help Star Island and receive a fixed lifetime income and tax benefits, consider a charitable gift annuity.

A charitable gift annuity is an arrangement through which you make an irrevocable gift of cash or appreciated securities in exchange for a nonprofit's promise to pay a guaranteed lifetime income. Rates are based on age and never change.

Because we are affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association, you can use the UUA's charitable gift annuity program to benefit Star Island. The minimum age is 55 and the minimum gift is $5,000. This program is open to anyone who would like to support Star in this way—regardless of religious affiliation. And when you make a gift through this program, you will automatically become a member of the McGill Society.

Here's how it works:

  • Contact Star Island Corporation for information about how the gift would work for you. If you want to proceed, we will facilitate your gift and maintain contact with the UUA on an ongoing basis about any issues of concern to you.
  • The UUA will accept your gift, prepare the contract, make your payments, provide your tax information, and distribute the remainder to Star Island Corporation after your death.
  • The UUA uses rates recommended by the American Council on Gift Annuities, which currently range from 5.5% for age 55 to 11.3% for age 90 or above:

    Age

    Rate

    55

    5.5%

    60

    5.7%

    65

    6.0%

    70

    6.5%

    75

    7.1%

    80

    8.0%

    85

    9.5%

    90

    11.3%

    Sample Rates
    Current as of 2/15/2007.

For more information or to receive an illustration of how you can help Star Island and receive a lifetime income and tax benefits through a UUA charitable gift annuity, contact Irene Bush through the office at (603) 430-6272 or via email at

Special Opportunities

Pension Protection Act of 2006

If you are over age 70½ and have an IRA, you may be able to take advantage of a provision in the Pension Protection Act of 2006 that allows people with IRAs to transfer up to $100,000 directly to a charity without paying tax on the distribution.

Here are some things to be aware of:

  • You must be over age 70½ when you make the gift.
  • The provision only applies to gifts made in tax years 2006 and 2007.
  • The maximum amount that can be rolled over tax-free each year is $100,000.
  • The provision only applies to direct gifts to a qualified nonprofit. You cannot make a gift to a donor-advised fund.
  • The provision only applies to outright gifts. It does not apply to planned gifts such as charitable gift annuities.
  • The gift must be transferred from your IRA to the nonprofit. It cannot pass through your hands first.
  • You should consult with your financial advisor before making a gift.