Ways to Give

Monthly giving is easy, efficient, and automatic. Your monthly gift of any size in support of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra provides the ASO with a steady and reliable source of income to plan and steward resources more efficiently.

Monthly donor benefits:

• Recognition in ASO publications and on the website as a monthly donor
• Recognition for your total annual giving level at the time you start giving monthly
• Access to insider updates and experiences

Become a monthly donor by completing the Give Today form!

The ASO welcomes gifts to celebrate and commemorate family, friends, and occasions.

These gifts are recognized in the ASO playbill under the heading of 'Honorariums' or 'Memorials'. Please include a note with your gift, stating who the gift is in honor or in memory of, and how you wish to be recognized in the playbill. If you also include that person or family’s mailing address, we are glad to inform them of your gift.

Your gift can increase its impact with an employer match! Your employer's match not only makes a difference to the ASO, but it may also increase your donor level and benefits.

Contact your employer’s human resources representative for specific information on your company's matching gift program.

Your gift of stock supports the ASO while providing tax benefits to you.

Simply inform your stock broker or financial advisor that you wish to make an electronic transfer of shares to the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s account at Stephens, Inc.:

• DTC #443
• FBO Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
• ST5007221

The ASO’s broker at Stephen’s Inc. will make every effort to sell the stock immediately upon receipt. In order for them to do this, it is important that you notify ASO of your intention to transfer stocks so that we can alert Stephens, Inc. to be on the lookout for the pending transfer.

For your tax purposes, your donation is completed at the time your broker transfers stock to the ASO’s account. Please consult your tax advisor about the actual amount of your deduction and the date of contribution.

The Endowment of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra helps fund annual operating costs for the organization, including musician salaries, administrative expenses, and education and outreach programs. Gifts may be made to the ASO Endowment at any time, including as a planned legacy gift bequest in your will.

To give to ASO’s Endowment:

• Make your check payable to The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Foundation
• Include a signed note stating the gift is for the Endowment
• Mail to the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Foundation, P.O. Box 7328, Little Rock, AR 72217

If you are 72 years old, have an IRA, and believe in ASO’s vision to transform Arkansas through the power of music, an IRA charitable gift may be right for you. A contribution to the ASO from your IRA may be considered a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) and might be a tax-free way to help satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution and support the music you love.

The process is simple: tell your financial advisors or IRA custodian that you would like to donate to the ASO. They will liquidate the appropriate investments and mail a check directly to the Symphony.

The information you will need:

• Donation amount
• Organization name: The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Society, Inc.
• ASO’s Federal Tax Identification Number: 71-6059542
• ASO’s address: P.O. Box 7328, Little Rock, AR 72217

IRA gifts received by the ASO may arrive without your name and contact information--please notify ASO’s Development Team that you have made your gift: Development@ArkansasSymphony.org or (501) 666-1761, ext. 112 or 129.

Gift Requirements:

If you are 72 years old, have an IRA, and believe in ASO’s vision to transform Arkansas through the power of music, an IRA charitable gift may be right for you. A contribution to the ASO from your IRA may be considered a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) and might be a tax-free way to help satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution and support the music you love.

• Refer to IRS Publication 590-B for full information
• You must be at least 72 years of age on the date of the gift
• Funds must be transferred directly to the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra from your IRA. You cannot take the money from your IRA and then write a check.
• To count toward your yearly RMD, the funds must transfer out of your IRA by your RMD deadline, often December 31. The process needs to be initiated earlier for this to happen.

No goods or services may be received for IRA QCDs. Please speak with your tax advisor regarding donor benefits and your IRA QCD. For more information, please review the IRS Publication 1771 - Charitable Contributions: Substantiations and Disclosure Requirements.

The ASO welcomes recommended grants through your Donor-Advised Fund. A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is a tax-efficient way to give to the non-profit organizations you care about, including the ASO.

DAF Donor Recognition

The ASO is happy to recognize you personally for DAF-recommended grants in playbills, on ASO’s website, and in other donor listings. Your sponsoring institution’s policies may govern the exact wording of that recognition.

Giving Through a Donor-Advised Fund

You may set up a DAF account under a sponsoring public charity, usually a financial or community institution like Vanguard Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or Fidelity Charitable, among others.

You make a tax-deductible donation of cash or other assets to that sponsoring public charity and are eligible for immediate tax deductions on that gift.

Your contribution to the sponsoring public charity is irrevocable; the sponsoring institution owns and controls the contribution; and you take on the role of a donor-advisor for the funds you originally donated, but you do not control the funds.

As a donor-advisor, you may make non-binding grant recommendations to benefit almost any IRS-qualified public charity with the money in the DAF account. Donor-advisors may also make recommended grants as part of their planned giving so that the remaining funds are disbursed to the recommended organization upon the death of the donor-advisor.

The sponsoring institution owns all DAF assets and makes all grants to other charities from its own assets. The DAF organization sponsoring your account will conduct due diligence to ensure the recommended grant will be used for legal charitable purposes before disbursing any recommended grants.

Tax deductions are associated with the original gift into the DAF account. The recommended grants disbursed to your favorite charities will not qualify for additional tax deductions, even if the receiving organization issues a tax receipt to the donor-advisor.

DAF Restrictions

ASO encourages you to give in the way that is right for you, whether through Donor-Advised Funds or other means.

Knowing the legal restrictions associated with Donor-Advised Funds allows you to make an informed decision on the best way for you to give. Three kinds of DAF restrictions may particularly impact how you choose to give to the ASO: new and existing pledges, donor benefits, and fundraising event tickets and purchases.

• Pledges – Donor advisors may recommend grants but cannot direct future grants. They may not make a legally-binding pledge from their DAF to the charity they want to support. Existing pledges also may not be fulfilled through their DAF. This restriction includes multi-year pledges.
  • The ASO asks that donors who wish to give through a DAF notify us of their intent to recommend a grant from a DAF, as this will assist ASO with future planning but is not considered legally binding.
• Donor Benefits – DAF grants are gifts from the sponsoring institution, even though recommended by the donor-advisor. These grants, by law, may not provide “more than incidental benefits” to a donor-advisor, their families, or other third parties. U.S. Pension Act of 2006, section 1231, imposes excise taxes on any donor, donor-advisor, or family member who recommends a grant that results in “more than incidental benefits.”
  • “More than incidental benefits” includes goods or services provided by the grant recipient organization; charitable auction purchases; tickets or tables to charitable events; the fulfillment of a financial obligation; required fees; scholarships where the donor-advisor has majority discretion regarding recipients; and more. Benefits of de minimis value such as name recognition in published materials, a key chain, or a coffee mug are allowed.
  • If you currently receive donor benefits with your annual giving level and are considering moving your annual contributions to DAF-recommended grants, please consult with your financial advisor and your Donor Advised Fund sponsoring institution to learn which ASO benefits you are or are not eligible to receive.
• Opus Ball and Fundraising Events – Opus Ball tickets and table purchases, auction purchases, and Education Challenge donations are an integral part of supporting the education arm of the ASO.
  • Opus Ball Education Challenge donations through your DAF are welcomed. Simply notify the ASO of your intent, and contact your fund’s sponsoring organization to clarify the language needed to recommend the grant. They may ask you to confirm that you have paid for the event tickets or table out of pocket.
  • By law, tickets, tables, and auction items may not be paid for either in full or in part through Donor Advised Funds, with the exception of instances when the ticket or table is then completely returned to the ASO without any attendees at the event. This restriction prohibits bifurcated payments to separately cover the non-deductible and deductible portions of tickets or tables. If you wish to attend any of ASO’s fundraising events, please plan to pay the full purchase price of tickets or tables out of pocket rather than through a DAF.
  • The ASO does not provide tax or legal advice. Please speak with your financial advisor about how donating to and recommending grants from a DAF impacts your personal situation and the benefits you may receive. Please consult with your tax advisor on the tax implications of your charitable gifts.

When you make a gift through your estate, either now or through your written will, you provide invaluable support to the ASO. You or your heirs may also receive various financial advantages such as significant tax benefits. Planned gifts can be an advantageous way to provide support for the ASO in the future and have a meaningful impact on future generations.

Legacy gifts support ASO’s long-term financial stability and may be designated to build ASO’s endowment. Any planned or outright gift may be made in honor of or in memory of a loved one, and extraordinary gifts may be recognized with naming opportunities.

Naming Opportunities

For extraordinary gifts to the ASO, both outright and planned, your generosity can be recognized with a named fund, chair, or other opportunities. For more information, please contact David Renfro, Chief Development Officer: (501) 666-1761, ext. 130 or DRenfro@ArkansasSymphony.org.

Future Gifts

Keep the assets you need for your lifetime, and give generously in the future by:

• Remembering the ASO in your will or living trust
• Designating the ASO as a beneficiary of your 401(k), IRA, bank or investment account, or other asset
• Making a gift of life insurance

Outright Gifts

A gift of stock or other assets can minimize capital gains and/or income taxes for you. Give to ASO’s Endowment, where your gift is held in perpetuity, with earnings supporting the ASO’s programs and future operations for years to come.

Charitable Remainder Trusts

Charitable remainder trusts give you tax benefits and lifetime income. When you set up a charitable remainder trust, you or other beneficiaries will receive payments for your lifetime or a specified term, after which the Symphony receives the remainder.

If you would like more information about making a legacy gift, please contact David Renfro, Chief Development Officer: (501) 666-1761, ext. 130 or DRenfro@ArkansasSymphony.org.

Please discuss your individual situation with your estate attorney, tax attorney, and financial advisors. The ASO does not offer tax or legal advice.

ASO welcomes volunteers for events throughout the season. Numerous volunteers are needed to usher during ASO Masterworks and Pops concert performances and at ASO Children's Concerts, as well as to greet patrons when they enter the concert hall. These ushers need very little experience–only a willingness to interact with the general public in a welcoming, inclusive manner. The ASO concert season runs from September through May annually. There are approximately 50 performances throughout the season, requiring 2-20 ushers at each concert, depending on the venue.

Additionally, ASO welcomes volunteers for Opus Ball, which is the ASO’s annual fundraising gala in the beginning of November. Volunteers would have the opportunity to help setup for the event and help throughout the evening as ASO raises money to support our wonderful music education programs.

Volunteers are also needed at Guild events, such as the Symphony Designer House event that takes place every other year in the spring. There are usually about 100 volunteers needed throughout the run of Designer House. Guild members also volunteer by going into schools with ASO quartet members to help put on “Orchestra & You” programs, which introduce children to all the instruments in a symphony orchestra. Please contact the Arkansas Symphony Guild at asogpresident@gmail.com for more information.