to the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra helps ensure its continued excellence and its permanence as an institution. Donations help students do what they love, advance as musicians, and build lifelong friendships, funding retreats, special concerts, private lessons, instrument and music rentals, the orchestra’s international tours, and other general administrative needs. Your gifts also help to fund the events that bring alumni and current members together.
There are a variety of ways you can give to the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, including by credit card, via Stripe or Paypal, or check. We have also established a Friends of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra Endowed Fund whereby gifts will be directed to Harvard University with funds disbursed to the HRO by the Office of the Arts and the HRO’s Music Director. Gifts to the Endowed fund are intended to support the long-term financial goals of the HRO.
We also expect to be able to accept gifts of appreciated securities, distributions from donor-advised funds, or by designating the Foundation as a beneficiary on IRA’s.
We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all gifts are fully tax-deductible. The Foundation's EIN is 04-2444738.
Donating appreciated securities – such as stock or mutual funds – is an extremely efficient way to give to the HRO due to the associated tax advantages. When you transfer ownership of long-term holdings, you receive a charitable deduction for their full market value at the time of transfer (up to 30% of your adjusted gross income). If your deduction is greater than 30%, you are eligible to carry any unused deduction forward for up to five years subject to the same annual limit until it has been fully used. When a gift of securities is made, the donor benefits by not having to sell the securities and therefore avoids realizing capital gains, and the Foundation benefits from a gifted amount that may greatly exceed your cost basis.
If you would like to donate a gift of appreciated securities, please contact us first. We also recommend that you consult your financial planner beforehand for any gifts of securities.
For many people, the most practical way to make a significant gift to the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra is through their estate. Please consider gifting to the Orchestra through:
a codicil to your will
an amendment to your revocable trust
a retirement plan beneficiary designation
naming the Foundation as the beneficiary of your life insurance plan
a donor advised fund or private foundation succession plan
Estate plans should be prepared by and with the advice of an estate planning professional (lawyer, accountant, financial advisor, etc.) to ensure that your intentions are carried out. The Foundation is not able to provide legal advice or counsel on matters pertaining to gift planning. Contact us if you are interested in a planned gift. Please note, gifts designated for specific purposes must be approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Since assets in a donor-advised fund are invested tax-free, making a distribution from such a fund to the Foundation allows you to combine tax benefits with the flexibility to support multiple causes. If you are using a donor-advised fund to make charitable contributions, please consider including the Foundation as one of your causes. If you would like to make a gift to the Foundation through a donor-advised fund, please contact us.
Designating the Foundation as a beneficiary of your retirement plan is another tax-efficient way to show your support. Retirement assets are often subject to income tax when distributed and estate taxes—but when you make an IRA Charitable Contribution, the Foundation will receive all or a part of the plan assets undiminished by estate and gift taxes. Any individual who is 70 ½ or older can transfer tax-free gifts (up to an annual maximum of $100,000) directly from their IRA to the Foundation using the IRA Charitable Rollover.
If you would like to make an IRA Charitable Contribution to the Foundation, please contact us. To start, you can request a beneficiary designation form from your plan’s administrator, naming the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra as the beneficiary.
