Carolyn Satter is the Director of Production for San Diego Theatres and is USITT’s Vice President for Commissions. When she was looking for a way to support the Institute’s Setting the Next Stage campaign, she came across an easy and effective way to contribute. We’ve asked her to share her findings as other members may also be able to use this method to contribute.

I have been a member of USITT for more than 20 years and my passion for the organization has grown over that time. When asked to join the Campaign Cabinet for the Setting the Next Stage campaign, I found another way to give back to an organization that has made an indelible mark on my career in technical theatre.

As we were developing the process for giving, I heard about a very simple way to donate that may work for others. It’s called a “Required Minimum Distribution” or RMD.

If you have an IRA and are at or above the age where you are required to make a yearly withdrawal, you can allocate a percentage of that amount to USITT.

The process is quite simple. When signing the paperwork for your RMD, indicate USITT as the additional recipient. When the request is processed, USITT receives the payment.

This completed two goals for me. First, there was no hit to my current finances and second, I could participate in the Setting the Next Stage campaign at a level higher than I had previously anticipated!

-Carolyn Satter

Did you know?

If you’re at least 59 1/2 years old or older, you can take a distribution from your IRA and then make a gift without penalty. If you itemize your deducations, you can take a charitable deduction for the amount of your gift.

If you’re 70 1/2 years old or older, you can give any amount up to $100,000 each year from your IRA directly to USITT or another qualified charitable organization without having to pay income taxes on the gift. Your gift can satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution and you’ll see the impact of your generosity today.

No matter your age, you can designate USITT as the beneficiary of all or a percentage of your IRA. As a tax-exempt, 501(c)3 non-profit organization, we receive your gift tax-free.

These links will connect you with our online pledge forms, either for a one-time gift for the total amount of your pledge or for a multi-year pledge payment schedule.

If you want to make your payment in some other form (IRA distribution, gift of appreciated stock), let one of us know, and we’ll connect you with the right staff person at the National Office to assist you.

The anniversary celebration at our 60th Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Houston, April 1-4, 2020, will be epic!  We hope that you’ll join in the celebration today with your gift for Setting the Next Stage!

USITT Setting the Next Stage Campaign Co-Chairs: Lea Asbell-Swanger, Bill Byrnes, Michael Murphy, Sylvia Hillyard Pannell, Carolyn Satter, and Mark Shanda