WHY GIVE TO THE SSA?

Help young people become outstanding citizens in aviation and in the world.

“Soaring is an activity that allows young people to develop and excel.” ~ Ken Sorenson, Past Chair

We all want to share with others our passion for the magic of soaring. Philanthropy allows us to mature young people to be outstanding citizens in aviation and elsewhere. The rigor of soaring’s training regime creates young leaders for our sport, for aviation, and for our society. Your generous contributions to the SSA provide the means to promote our sport; engage in advocacy to preserve and protect the airspace we use for our current members and generations to come. Whether you make a current donation or provide for a gift through your estate, your support counts.

  • Secure Soaring’s Future

  • Provide Lifetime Learning

  • Expand Opportunities to Soar

  • Foster America’s International Competitiveness

  • Encourage New Generations of Soaring Pilots

  • Achieve Safer Soaring

WAYS TO GIVE

Tax-Smart Donations

A charitable gift annuity is a gift made to our organization that can provide you with a secure source of fixed payments for life.

With the help of an attorney, you can include language in your will or trust specifying a gift to be made to family, friends or Soaring Society of America, Inc. as part of your estate plan, or you can make a bequest using a beneficiary designation form.

If you are 70½ or older, an IRA charitable rollover is a way you can help continue our work and benefit this year. Make a gift that is not subject to the deduction limits on charitable gifts.

This is a simple and affordable way to make a gift to support Soaring Society of America, Inc. You can designate us as a beneficiary of a retirement, investment or bank account or your life insurance policy.

This is a way to make a contribution of your property to fund a trust that pays Soaring Society of America, Inc. income for a number of years. You can pass on some of your assets to your family while reducing or eliminating gift or estate taxes.

You may be concerned about the high cost of capital gains tax with the sale of an appreciated asset. Perhaps you recently sold property and are looking for a way to save on taxes this year and plan for retirement. A charitable remainder unitrust might offer the solutions you need!

If you are tired of the fluctuating stock market and want to receive fixed payments, a charitable remainder annuity trust may provide you with the stability you desire. A charitable remainder annuity trust pays a fixed amount each year based on the value of the property at the time the trust is funded.

The “give it twice” trust is a popular option that allows you to transfer your IRA or other asset at death to fund a term of years charitable remainder unitrust. We call this kind of unitrust a give it twice trust because you can use the trust to pay income first to your family for a number of years and then distribute the balance of the trust to charity.

The SSA Foundation

All gifts to SSA are greatly appreciated! Gifts to the annual Eagle Fund and other gifts given without restriction normally will be kept within SSA and used to support current operations. Gifts that are designated by the donor as endowment gifts (the original gift is maintained and only the income from the gift is available for expenditure) and other gifts that are intended to be held by SSA and spent over a period of longer than one year are normally transferred to the SSA Foundation for investment and management. To learn more about the SSA Foundation and how it holds, manages and invests your long-term gifts, click on the link below.

SSA FOUNDATION

DONATE HERE

Choose What to Support

  • Scholarships

  • US Soaring Team

  • Soaring Safety Foundation
  • Member Services

  • In Memory of…

  • In Honor of…

Join the Society of Eagles

& be featured in the SSA Soaring Magazine

The Society of Eagles recognizes supporters who have donated or indicated their (non-binding) intent to support SSA programs through a major gift.

Solitary Eagles

Society Of Eagles Solitary Eagles giving

$10,000+ Donation

The Solitary Eagle designation recognizes donors who have made aggregate donations to the SSA of at least $10,000.

David Robertson
Phil Umphres
Dianne Black-Nixon
Nelson Ittner
AIG Insurance
Karl Striedieck
Lea County State Bank
Leon Brashkamp
Doug Jacobs
Alice Johnson
Silicon Valley Comm. Bank
G. Tim Welles
Sam Zimmerman
Kenneth Sorenson
John H. Weber
John Stoffel
Barry Stott
Bruce Dage

Tawny Eagles

Society Of Eagles Tawny Eagles giving

$10,000+ Estate

The Tawny Eagle designation recognizes those who have declared their intent to make a gift to the SSA from their estate of at least $10,000.

Phil Umphres
SSA Director
Anonymous Region 11 Member
Larry Tuohino
Doug Jacobs

Bald Eagles

Society Of Eagles Bald Eagles giving

$50,000+ Donation

The Bald Eagle designation recognizes donors who have made aggregate donations to the SSA of at least $50,000.

Clifford P. Robertson, III
Anonymous
Rudy Kunda
Pat Costello
Ben Greene Estate
Lawrence Wood
Robert L. Robertson
Conrad Hilton Foundation
The Ittner Family Fund
Burke Family Trust
Mozer Family Trust
Page Family Trust
Bill and Backy Ivans Estate
George Moffatt
Alice C. Johnson

Golden Eagles

Society Of Eagles Golden Eagles giving

$50,000+ Estate

The Golden Eagle designation recognizes those who have declared their intent to make a gift to the SSA from their estate of at least $50,000.

Carol Ann Garratt
SSA Foundation Trustee
Fernando Silva
Beth Ann & Paul R. Schneider
Karl Striedieck
Christopher Woods
Anonymous SSA Mbr
Kenneth & Michelle Sorenson

Ensure the Success of Our Mission

The SSA’s has set its course with six major missions foremost in mind. Endowment resources are necessary to assure the success of each of them. Broadly these missions are:

Provide Lifetime Learning

To enable Lifetime Learning the SSA must provide a wide range of services and information to the membership. Soaring magazine, web sites, e-mail lists and newsletters are just some of the communications media that must be developed and used. Training materials at all levels from ab initio through advanced cross-country must be developed and disseminated. Access to improved weather services should be provided. Volunteers will require staff support to do these things effectively. Long-term stable resources are a must.

Expand Opportunities to Soar

Expanding our Opportunities to Soar requires a long-term program within SSA to help establish new soaring sites and to protect and foster existing ones as air and land spaces become ever more crowded. Your contributions will provide support for site development and preservation programs and help establish capital funds that can be loaned to clubs and commercial operators for related purposes.

Foster America’s International Competitiveness

Fostering America’s International Competitiveness means providing U.S. international teams with ongoing, stable endowment funded support the will permit the participation and training of our very best pilots and the development of a truly world class team.

Encourage New Generations of Soaring Pilots

The SSA is committed to Encouraging New Generations of Soaring Pilots by helping enthusiastic youth enter and blossom in the sport. Your contributions will help the SSA develop programs and scholarships to encourage high-school youths to earn their wings and to help college-aged youth continue learning and soaring through university and local soaring clubs.

Achieve Safer Soaring

Achieving Safer Soaring is an unending task for the SSA and its Soaring Safety Foundation (SSF), undertaken with a goal of making soaring the safest of all sky sports. The Soaring Safety Foundation has a complete program of safety practices and publications. Your contributions will help continue current programs and sponsor future ones.