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News - Charity Gets Practical for
Armenian Donors
June 5, 2003
As emerging nations
grow thirstier for aid and the global economy grows leaner, Armenia Fund USA provides
donor-friendly gift options to help fuel assistance to the homeland.
It has been getting harder to write away money these days, as bills and payments
seem to spinning a compelling case of their own. Nevertheless, the need for international
aid grows stronger as global markets and political systems shift. Young nations
such as Armenia and Kharbagh require more attention than ever before, as the world
map seems to be up for redrafting. One particular organization, Armenia Fund USA,
which focuses on ground-level infrastructure in the motherland, has taken on the
challenging giving environment by launching new ways to donate, which turn charity
around into an option that benefits the donor on a personal level.
Nonprofits
have long been employing incentivized giving for businesses through corporate
sponsorships. The era of donations that benefit individual patrons has come upon
us at a time when every dollar counts, for everyone. The charge of introducing
progressive programs in the Armenian non-profit realm is being led by Armenia
Fund USA, which is introducing a planned giving option and an interesting program
called “In Lieu”, which encourages Armenians to make a pledge to rebuilding Armenia
and Karabagh instead of a traditional gift.
“In Lieu is a way for Armenians
to make lasting gifts in the name of another,” says Armenia Fund USA’s Chairman,
Kevork Toroyan. “At one point or another, we have all found ourselves wondering
what to give for a baptism, a wedding, a birthday, or in the event of a passing.
We want to give Armenians an option for commemoration or celebration with a deeper
meaning and a lasting effect.”
Yet another practical method of supporting
a charitable organization, which has gained popularity in the past five years,
is the planned gift. As people begin to consider tax advantages and financial
planning on a long-range basis, the establishment of trusts or bequests becomes
a viable method for making a contribution that directly benefits one’s financial
position.
“We have to start thinking about offering our constituency more
dynamic avenues for making charitable gifts,” commented Dany Beylerian, acting
executive director of the Fund. “We all have Armenia and Karabagh in our hearts,
but that may not always be enough to spur aid. We are committed to building a
sustainable future for the motherland, and we want to involve the Diaspora in
a way that makes them feel like investors as well as benefactors.”
As
Armenians, we have many vibrant and crucial non-profits building, advising, and
supporting Armenia as it establishes itself as a functioning democracy and secures
a stable economy. The truth is that the success of Armenia’s future as a sustainable
nation is dependent on the Diaspora’s ability to give, nurture and protect. Armenia
Fund USA is one of the charitable organizations that has taken stock of the current
giving environment and the burgeoning needs of the homeland to come up with proven
and innovative options for supporting social welfare and sustainable infrastructure.
We are all feeling the strain of purse strings, but it is helpful to remember,
that our need is but a fraction of what so many across the globe have been feeling
for decades past.
For more information on Armenia Fund USA’s “Planned
Giving” and “In Lieu” programs, please call (212) 689-5307, email [email protected],
or visit the office at 152 Madison Avenue, Suite 803, New York, NY 10016.
Armenia Fund USA is dedicated to investing in vital self-sustaining initiatives
in both Armenia and Karabagh, ranging from infrastructure projects such as the
North-South and Goris-Stepanakert highways and social welfare projects in healthcare
and education.
Founded in 1992, Armenia Fund USA is part of the Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund, the first international, non-governmental, non-profit, non-political
network representing all constituents in the Armenian Diaspora.
Armenia
Fund USA is dedicated to upholding transparent procurement policies and supervising
quality control, ensuring that all funding dollars make it in to the right hands,
every step of the way. Board members and hand picked ground-level supervisors
directly control how funds are allocated and spent. Armenia Fund USA does not
involve the government in the application of funds and ensures the utmost accountability
for every precious dollar donated towards building foundations for a sustainable
future.
Armenia Fund USA is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Contributions
are 100% tax deductible.
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