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    Overview

    We are deeply grateful to the many caring individuals who help support the spiritual and humanitarian work of Self-Realization Fellowship.

    All of our activities have one aim: to share the spirit and teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. Your support is a vital part of our ability to carry on Paramahansaji's work of spiritual instruction and upliftment. Your donations also enable us to freely provide many services to our members and the public.

    It is your assistance — through gifts large and small, and through your most welcome prayers and positive thoughts — that enables us to serve spiritually hungry souls in so many ways, including:

    Making sure that the writings and teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda remain affordable and available to all who are interested.

    Offering personal spiritual guidance and counsel in Paramahansa Yogananda's teachings to SRF members and friends worldwide.

    Continuing our stewardship of the shrines and ashrams where our Guru lived and meditated, so that our members and the public may find inspiration and blessings in these pilgrimage sites.

    Sending monastics to visit centers and meditation groups around the world — offering spiritual counsel and conducting classes and retreat programs to help our members more deeply practice Kriya Yoga meditation and other principles of spiritual living.

    Your donations also provide a significant part of the funding for many other day-to-day expenses of our Guru's society, including: paying the maintenance and utility bills for the offices at the Mother Center and our nearby Publications Center, Membership Services building, and distribution warehouse; automobile fuel and upkeep; ashram quarters and basic living expenses for the renunciants of the Self-Realization Fellowship monastic order; and salaries for our dedicated employees who serve in so many vital ways throughout the organization.

    Donate: Divine Giving

    Ways of Giving

    If you are interested in making a gift to Self-Realization Fellowship, there are many options that you may want to consider. Our planned giving vehicles provide you and your family with options for financial support and tax advantages, while at the same time offering benefits to SRF including:

    Outright Gifts

    Outright gifts include monetary gifts, automatic recurring gifts, memorial or tribute gifts, matching gifts, gifts of appreciated securities, mutual fund shares, tangible personal property, and real estate.

    Monetary Gifts

    A monetary gift is the most popular type of charitable gift. Monetary gifts are fully deductible, up to 50% of your adjusted gross income in the year of the gift. You may take unused deductions over the next five years.

    Gifts can be donated by mail, fax, telephone, or online:

    Self-Realization Fellowship
    3880 San Rafael Avenue
    Los Angeles, CA 90065

    Tel: (818) 549-5151 (Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)

    Fax: U.S.A./Canada: 800-801-1952

    Automatic Recurring Gifts

    Many donors wish to make automatic recurring gifts on a monthly basis. We offer two payment options:

    • Debit/Credit Card: Setup a recurring donation online
    • Direct Deposit from checking or savings account: Download and submit the Monetary Gift Form

    Matching Gifts

    Many companies offer matching gift programs to encourage employees to contribute to charitable organizations. Most of these programs match contributions dollar for dollar, and some will even double or triple the amount of your gift. If you wish to make a gift to SRF, please check with your company to see if it offers a matching gift program that will match your gift to make the most of your donation.

    If your company offers a matching gift program, you can request a matching gift form from your employer, and send the completed form with your gift to SRF by fax to 323-276-5612 or by mail to 3880 San Rafael Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90065. We will then contact your employer's matching gift program and handle the rest of the details.

    Srf Plannd Gvng Gfts App Securitis
    Your gift of long-term (you must have held the securities for more than one year) appreciated securities to SRF provides you with an income tax deduction for the full market value of the donated stock or bond, up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income; at the same time, it allows you to bypass the capital gains tax on any unrealized appreciation on the security. You may take unused deductions over the next five years.
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    Srf Plannd Gvng Gfts Mfshares
    Mutual fund shares that have appreciated in value make an excellent charitable gift with tax advantages similar to gifts of appreciated stocks and bonds. Generally, your mutual fund company must transfer the shares you wish to donate to a new account in SRF's name before they can be distributed to us, and the process for completing the gift can take up to six weeks.
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    Srf Plannd Gvng Gfts Tang Persnl Prp
    Gifts of tangible personal property may be used by SRF to further our founder's work, or sold so that SRF is able to realize proceeds through their sales to help us meet the many responsibilities of the organization. You may wish to make a gift to SRF of works of art, jewelry, gemstones, automobiles, rare books, stamps, coins, musical instruments, or other valuable collectibles. Gifts of intangible personal property, including copyrights, patents, and mineral rights, also make valuable gifts to SRF. Special rules apply to tax deductions for gifts of tangible personal property, which are detailed in our brochure on Gifts of Tangible Personal Property.
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    Srf Plannd Gvng Gfts Real Estate 1
    You may be considering giving real estate as a way of making a substantial gift to SRF. Almost any type of marketable real property can be used to make a charitable gift. (Donation of real estate is subject to acceptance by Self-Realization Fellowship.) The specific types of property that can be donated include primary residences, vacation or second homes, condominiums, undeveloped land, rental property, apartment buildings, commercial buildings, farms, ranches, forest land, and mineral rights. The property should, however, be unencumbered — as mortgaged property can pose practical problems for SRF and might result in adverse tax consequences for the donor. With an outright donation of real property to SRF, you are entitled to a charitable deduction based upon the fair market value of the property as determined by an independent appraiser.
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    You can also gift real estate to SRF as:

    • A Gift With Retained Life Estate by deeding your home, vacation home, or farm to SRF, and retaining the right to use the property for your lifetime (and your spouse's).
    • A Life Income Gift by placing appreciated real estate into a charitable remainder trust. The property is sold inside the trust, with proceeds reinvested to generate income for distribution to you during the term of the trust, with the remaining assets to go to SRF at the end of the trust term.
    • A Bequest by making a testamentary gift to SRF of your property in your will or revocable trust.

    Donate: Divine Giving

    Planned Gifts

    Planned gifts are a meaningful and important way to help continue the legacy of Paramahansa Yogananda’s sacred worldwide mission. Through a variety of gift instruments you can cater your giving to best meet your intentions to help further his mission. We invite you to use the link below to learn more.

    Bequest

    Charitable Remainder Trust

    Charitable Lead Trust

    Life Insurance

    Retirement Plan & IRA Assets

    Retained Life Estate

    We invite you to review the options available and determine the ways in which your contribution can make a difference.

    Learn more about Planned Giving and Bequests

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    Featured Projects

    Spring 2024 Message: “Help for a New Chapter of Growth in SRF”
    Winter 2023 Appeal
    Spring 2023 Appeal
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