Overview
Friends of Lake of the Woods (FLOW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that raises donations to enhance community projects, existing amenities, or infrastructure, which are not budgeted by the Lake of the Woods Association (LOWA) but have received the board’s approval.
- FLOW accepts open-ended or project-specific cash and credit card donations to fund projects that have the endorsement of LOWA as well as FLOW.
- FLOW also accepts non-cash donations (land, stocks, bonds, etc.), which can be readily converted to cash and used for the same purpose.
1. Have a specific idea or a project you would like to see funded? Start here.
2. Want to fund one of our ongoing projects or make an open-ended or non-project-specific donation? FLOW welcomes donations through our secure PayPal account or by check. If funding an ongoing project, please indicate which project you are funding by clicking on “Add special instructions for the seller” when you donate.
Checks made payable to FLOW may be mailed to:
FLOW
PO Box 282
Locust Grove, VA 22508
3. Want to make a non-cash donation? We accept:
- Required Minimum Distribution from an IRA: A Required Mandatory Distribution (RMD) allows older IRA account owners to donate their IRA withdrawals to a charity, such as FLOW, from an traditional IRA when the owner of the IRA turns 70 1/2. By doing this you are avoiding a taxable event which could put you into a higher tax bracket and perhaps causing your social security payments to be taxed. If you want to avoid this you can directly transfer all or a portion of the RMD, up to $100,000, to a charity. The benefit for you is paying no tax on the donated amount and you may be eligible for a tax deduction. Please consult your tax advisor prior to donating your RMD to charity.
- Gift of Appreciated Stock: If you have a highly appreciated stock, you can donate it directly to a charity such as FLOW. The benefit to you is receiving a tax donation (if you itemize your taxes) and avoid paying capital gains. Please consult your tax advisor prior to donating a gift of appreciated stock to charity.
- Charitable Remainder Trust: An arrangement in which property or money is donated to a charity, but the donor (called the grantor) continues to use the property and/or receive income from it while living. The beneficiaries receive the income and the charity receives the principal after a specified period of time. The grantor avoids any capital gains tax on the donated assets, and also gets an income tax deduction for the fair market value of the remainder interest that the trust earned. In addition, the asset is removed from the estate, reducing subsequent estate taxes. While the contribution is irrevocable, the grantor may have some control over the way the assets are invested. CRTs come in three types: charitable remainder annuity trust (which pays a fixed dollar amount annually), a charitable remainder unitrust (which pays pays a fixed percentage of the trust’s value annually) and a charitable pooled income fund (which is set up by the charity, enabling many donors to contribute). Please consult your tax advisor prior to donating your CRT to charity.
- Donating Your Home or Land: If you have land or a home but no heirs, you may want to consider donating the asset to a Charity. By transferring the home to FLOW you may receive a tax deduction, while helping the place you loved to live. Prior to making this decision, please consult your tax advisor to determine if this is right for you.
If you are considering a non-cash donation to FLOW please email admin@friendsoflow.org
Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Your donation will help FLOW fulfill its mission to enhance the Lake of the Woods community for its residents through your ideas and private donations.