Make a one-time or automatically recurring endowment contribution online

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Make an endowment contribution by check:

Checks may be made payable to: “SIMPLY SMILES, INC”

Please mail to:

Simply Smiles / 1771 Post Road East / Westport, CT 06880

and include instructions to allocate your contribution to The Simply Smiles Endowment.

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There are many ways to contribute to The Simply Smiles Endowment to meet your philanthropic and financial goals. 

See the Legacy Giving Options & Strategies section below, and please feel free to contact us at any time:

Bryan Nurnberger

President & Founder, Simply Smiles, Inc

203-910-6209 (Direct)

bryan@simplysmiles.org

To notify us that you have included a gift to Simply Smiles in your estate plans, please complete this notification form.

NOTIFY SIMPLY SMILES OF ESTATE PLANS

Thank you!

To pledge a legacy gift to Simply Smiles please complete this notification form.

MAKE A LEGACY GIFT PLEDGE

Thank you!

I am happy to connect with you and discuss the Simply Smiles Endowment and how your contribution can be structured to meet your goals.

Bryan Nurnberger

President & Founder, Simply Smiles, Inc

203-910-6209 (Direct)

bryan@simplysmiles.org

Legacy gifts may be given to Simply Smiles or directly to the Connecticut Community Foundation, which manages the Simply Smiles Endowment. Your preferred approach may vary based on the nature of your gift. If you’re unsure which option best suits your intentions, please reach out—we’re here to help.

Professional Management: Partnering with the CCF ensures our endowment is professionally managed, invested for long-term growth, and is done so in alignment with Simply Smiles’ objectives and values. 

Expertise: The Connecticut Community Foundation offers their expertise to every Simply Smiles Endowment contributor helping to facilitate simple donations and the most complex gifts.

Permanence: Our permanent partnership with the CCF ensures that Simply Smiles will have the resources to continue our work for generations and that donor contributions are invested and used as intended.

The Connecticut Community Foundation has a long-term market outlook and strategy that doesn’t attempt to “time” or “beat” the market but that consistently generates strong returns. 

During the 2021-2025 period, CCF’s rate of return of 12% outperformed typical broad market index funds. To compare, Vanguard’s VTI ETF has generated an 8.8% rate of return since inception in 2001, and an S&P 500 fund has returned an average of 11.3% over the past 10 years.

Contributors to The Simply Smiles Endowment can choose to allocate their gifts to our “Traditional Portfolio” or our “ESG Portfolio”.

The ESG Portfolio (Environmental, Social, and Governance), invests in companies and funds screened for sustainability and ethical practices but generally has a lower rate of return.

Contributions can be directed to either portfolio or split between the two.

The Simply Smiles board of directors oversees The Simply Smiles Endowment. The Simply Smiles Endowment committee chair-person is David J. Rotatori, President & CEO of iON Bank. 

The Connecticut Community Foundation’s board of directors, board of trustees, and investment committee oversee the fund and use Shale Lapping, IPEX as an outside investment consultant.

The Connecticut Community Investment Committee recognizes that asset allocation decisions are the single most important determinant of portfolio risk and return. Assets are diversified to achieve overall investment objectives and minimize risk. The asset allocation is developed by simulating portfolio expected returns over time and examining their compatibility with desired investment goals and spending plans. In assessing risk and return, the Investment Committee assumes that the Foundation has an infinite or long term time horizon for its investments and that long term investors do not benefit from attempting to earn returns through short term asset class forecasts or market timing.

The Investment Committee utilizes mutual funds, including Exchange Traded Funds, for all investments in the fixed income, domestic equity and international equity asset classes. The Committee also concludes, on the basis of historical data on total return net of fees, that index funds are the most appropriate investment for several asset classes, especially US and International equities. The Investment Committee assigns the funds designated for each asset class to specific mutual funds and selects the appropriate index for performance evaluation of each asset class with assistance from its investment consultant.

Legacy gifts are recognized, with donor permission, in agency literature and communications.

Larger planned gifts may also be recognized through naming opportunities, as determined possible and appropriate by the organization. Examples of naming opportunities include academic scholarships and building dedications.

Unrestricted gifts are encouraged as they provide the greatest flexibility for the organization in applying funds where needed most. 

However, donors may choose to restrict their gifts for a particular purpose/project/program. In this case, ideally the donor will have discussions with Simply Smiles in advance of making the gift to ensure that the restrictions are consistent with the mission of the organization, can be accommodated from a programmatic and administrative perspective, and can be honored both in spirit and in actual application long-term.

Make a one-time or automatically recurring endowment contribution online:

CONTRIBUTE

Make an endowment contribution by check:

Checks may be made payable to: “SIMPLY SMILES, INC”

Please mail to:

Simply Smiles / 1771 Post Road East / Westport, CT 06880

and include instructions to allocate your contribution to The Simply Smiles Endowment.

Planning a posthumous gift to Simply Smiles in your estate plans is one of the most enduring ways to support the mission of Simply Smiles and to leave a legacy that will last for generations.

A donor may make a bequest or gift through his/her estate by including a provision in a will, living trust, retirement plan, or by naming Simply Smiles, Inc. as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy. 

The amount left to Simply Smiles can be expressed as a dollar amount or as a percentage of the assets to be given.

Larger estate gifts may qualify for naming opportunities such as higher education scholarships or building dedications.

You can donate appreciated shares of stock or mutual funds to Simply Smiles.

By doing so you will often receive greater tax benefits than by giving cash.

If you’ve owned the securities for more than one year, and you itemize your deductions, you can usually deduct the full fair market value of the donated shares and avoid capital gains tax making this one of the most tax-efficient ways to support Simply Smiles.

If you are 70½ or older and have an IRA, you can make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) directly to Simply Smiles. A QCD can reduce your taxable income and, once you reach age 73, it can also count toward your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).

You can give up to $100,000 per year (per IRA owner) through a QCD, and because the gift goes straight from your IRA to Simply Smiles, it is not treated as taxable income.

QCDs are one of the simplest, most tax-efficient ways to support Simply Smiles.

Anyone, of any age, with a life insurance policy can easily name Simply Smiles as a beneficiary in their life insurance policy by contacting whomever handles your policy.

A donor may name Simply Smiles as a primary or secondary beneficiary. Many policies allow you to specify a dollar or percentage amount that the policy will pay to Simply Smiles upon the policy holder’s passing.

A Charitable Lead Trust makes an annual payment to Simply Smiles for a period of years and at the end of the term, the remaining assets go to the donor’s children or other beneficiary. 

For example, an individual establishes a Trust and funds it with $500,000. The Trust agrees to provide Simply Smiles annual payments of $25,000 for 10 years. At the end of the 10-year period, the remaining assets in the Trust go to the donor’s children.

A Life Income gift allows a donor to give assets to Simply Smiles while providing the donor with income for a period of time before Simply Smiles is permitted to use the gift. 

For example, a donor gives $1 million to Simply Smiles, with the stipulation that $50,000 a year will be paid to the donor for 5 years.  After 5 years, the payments cease and Simply Smiles is permitted to use the remaining assets.

In exchange for an outright gift, Simply Smiles agrees by contract to pay a fixed amount each year to the donor or another beneficiary for life. 

For example, a donor gives Simply Smiles $5 million outright but Simply Smiles agrees to pay $10,000 a year to the donor for the remainder of his/her life.

A donor may establish a trust from which he/she (or their beneficiaries) receive annual payments for life and/or a specific term of years.  At the end of the term, the remainder of the trust assets go to Simply Smiles for the purposes designated by the donor. 

For example, a donor establishes a trust of $25 million. During the remainder of his/her life, the Trust makes annual payments to the donor until his/her death, at which time the remaining assets in the Trust are paid to Simply Smiles.

Gifts of non-cash assets like real estate are welcome. Though depending on the nature of the gift may be subject to review and acceptance by the Simply Smiles Board of Directors.

Absolutely. The above means of making a planned gift to Simply Smiles are just some of the most common strategiess.

Your financial professional may be able to advise you on other methods of supporting Simply Smiles.

You can also contact the Connecticut Community Foundation for options and guidance.