You can take an active and crucial part of our charitable works by donating. As a non-profit charitable organization, we rely upon people like you to help us fulfill our missions, and we offer a variety of donation options to make contributing easy and flexible.

Whether you’d like to make a recurring donation, establish a long-term legacy or simply make a one-time contribution, we value and appreciate your support.

You can designate where your donation will go, or even identify specific items that you’d like to sponsor through our Wish List.

Give a Gift Now

We need your help to continue to provide the services we offer, and one of the fastest and easiest ways to help is to provide a cash donation via credit card through our secure online form. You may choose to give your gift a special meaning by designating it in honor or in memory of a loved one. When you go to fill out the form to donate, you will be prompted to select which specific charity you wish your generous contribution to support. For more information on our specific charities, please visit our Donate Now page.

Many employers will match the contributions made by their employees, allowing your gift to a Masonic Charity to be doubled or even tripled. Please check with your personnel department to learn about your company’s matching gift policy, and to obtain the correct form to send in with your contribution.

The Masonic Charities is honored to receive your sincere gifts, made in memory of loved ones or in honor of someone who is celebrating a birthday, an anniversary or a holiday. For gifts of $25.00 or more, we will be happy to acknowledge your gift to persons you would like us to notify.

Just visit our Donate Now page and we’ll process your gift quickly and securely.

If you have publicly traded, appreciated stock held “long-term” (at least one year and a day), including mutual funds, bonds and other types of stock, we can work with you to transfer those assets to support one of our Masonic Charities.

Benefits include (1) Gifts of long-term appreciated securities are deductible up to 30% of adjusted gross income with a five-year carry-over for any “excess” deduction amounts; (2) Partial or complete avoidance of capital gains tax and; (3) Life income gifts can convert market uncertainty to guaranteed stable income.

Each person’s financial circumstance is unique. We highly recommend consulting your own financial professional before making any type of securities gift.

Click here to view our Securities brochure.

If you have furniture, electronics, art, vehicles, medical equipment, boats, antiques, clothing, jewelry, or any other type of personal property that you would like to give to a Masonic Charity during your lifetime or at death, you may enjoy tax benefits up to the fair market value for the item or items while assisting a charity in a time of need.

For further information on how you can make a gift of tangible personal property to any one of the Masonic Charities, contact us!

Providing a Recurring Gift can be a convenient way to provide long-term support for our efforts! You, the donor, authorize a specified amount of money to be electronically transferred either from your checking account or a credit card charge monthly. For tax purposes, at the end of the calendar year, we provide you with a statement of all your monthly transactions. It is safe and easy, and you can cancel your authorization at anytime by notifying us in writing.

You can request a Loyalty Club form via the contact page and we’ll be glad to get you started!

*Annual Fund Gift Club BenefitsPlumb Club
$100 – $249.99		Level Club
$250 – $499.99		Square & Compass
Club
$500 – $999.99		Deputy Grand
Master’s
Jewel Society
$1,000 – $2999.99		Grand Master’s
Jewel Society
$3,000 +
Name listed in Annual Report
of Donors
Recognition Club Gift
Invitation to a Private Reception
Name Recognition on
Mission of Love Wall
Invitation to Annual Donor
Recognition Dinner
Masonic Temple Framed
Print Signed by Grand Master
Tax Deduction


*Giving clubs are based on unrestricted annual giving during the current year (except for planned gifts) that benefits all Masonic Charity programs / funds. Previous year annual fund giving will define your qualified current year giving level. Giving clubs and all membership levels and benefits subject to change.

With your support, children in need are provided with academic, social and recreational opportunities. Most importantly, they are given a second chance at life. Purchase items through the Masonic Children’s Home Giving Catalog to ensure the daily needs of our children continue to be met!

With your help, residents are provided with unique opportunities to experience joy, continue lifelong interests and feel dignified as they age and receive care. Purchase items through the Masonic Villages Giving Catalog to ensure the daily needs of our residents continue to be met!

Our Wish List

Download Our Wishlist

Leave a Legacy of Love

A will or living trust that includes one or more of the Masonic Charities as a charitable beneficiary can be structured in a variety of ways. You can elect to leave one or more of the Masonic Charities a specific dollar amount. Or, you can set a percentage of the total value of your estate, or the remainder of your estate, to go to one or more Masonic Charities after you have provided for family and friends. You also may choose to make an unrestricted gift, which gives the Masonic Charities maximum flexibility to use your gift where it will have the most impact.

We recommend that you or your legal advisor contact the Office of Gift Planning to obtain the appropriate legal language you plan to use in your will or trust document. Out of appreciation to donors considering a bequest to Masonic Charities, our licensed staff attorney may offer complimentary assistance in providing a general overview of your plans and advise you on how to prepare for a meeting with your own attorney. To request assistance, please contact us using the button at the bottom of the page.

Your will is a written document that directs your assets to the people and causes you care about, executed in accordance with the formalities required by state law.

A revocable living trust can hold a majority of your assets during your lifetime, and it directs where the trust assets go later. This document can become the instrument by which your assets are distributed at your death, in essence acting like a will. Plus, assets in a living trust bypass the probate process.

To view our “Leaving a Legacy of Love” brochure, please click here

A charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) is an irrevocable charitable gift that pays you and/or someone you choose a fixed income, part of which may be tax-free. It is guaranteed income for life. After the passing of the donor(s), the remainder of the CGA goes to the charity.

A CGA may be structured as either a one-life gift annuity, in which you or your designated beneficiary receive the income for life; or, as a two-life gift annuity that provides income to you and another beneficiary, such as your spouse.

How much do CGAs pay?

CGAs pay donors at rates set by the American Council on Gift Annuities. The rates are usually very attractive compared to many other income sources, but are less than commercial annuities (hence the “charitable” nature of the transaction). The older you are, the higher the annuity rate you will receive. Historically, rates have ranged approximately from 4% to 9%. Rates are fixed for life, and depend on the age of the donor(s) at the time of the gift.

Is there a minimum amount or age?

For Masonic Charities, there is a $5,000 minimum contribution. There is no maximum, and donors have completed CGAs in excess of $1 million. The minimum age for a single beneficiary is 60, and for a couple, ages 60 or older.

How can I fund a Charitable Gift Annuity?

A CGA may be established using cash or appreciated securities. If you use securities, you may considerably reduce your capital gains tax liability.

Are there any tax benefits?

You are entitled to claim a charitable deduction on your income taxes in the year you establish a CGA. The amount of your deduction is the present value of the charitable portion of your gift, determined by your age(s) and the federal discount rate in effect at the time you make your gift.

Who can benefit from a CGA?

Usually the donor(s) themselves are the beneficiaries. However donors can choose to benefit another person(s), such as a family member(s). Up to two people can be beneficiaries.

For more information…

For a confidential illustration showing potential income and tax benefits from a CGA, please contact us.

Deferred Charitable Gift Annuities

Like a regular CGA, a deferred CGA will pay you, you and your spouse, or another individual you designate a fixed income on a future date which the donor chooses. The longer the delay between the creation of the deferred CGA and the start of payments, the larger the income tax charitable deduction resulting from the gift and the higher the annuity rate. Deferred CGAs can supplement IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s or Keogh plans. And, if you donate appreciated securities, you may be able to reduce your capital gains tax liability, as well.

A charitable remainder trust (CRT) allows you to transfer assets into a separately managed trust that will provide you (and/or the lifetime of those you name, such as your heirs) income for your life or a specific period of years (up to 20 years). Upon the trust termination date, the remaining principal will go to the designated Masonic Charity. Any income tax on the plan assets transferred to the charitable remainder trust would then be deferred until paid to the designated heirs, and the estate would receive a charitable deduction based on the remaining value of the assets passing to the designated Masonic charity.

Click here to read our CRT brochure.

We will be happy to discuss with you and your advisors the type of planned gift that may best help you accomplish your goals, based upon your individual circumstances. For more detailed information about Charitable Remainder Trusts, please contact us.

A lead trust is the opposite of a remainder trust, where the remainder goes to charity. With a lead trust, the trust pays income to the charity for a term of years, usually around 20, or for the life of the donor. When the trust terminates, the remainder of the trust passes to your children, another designated beneficiary or reverts back to you. This donation strategy is generally appropriate only when donation amounts exceed $500,000.

We recommend that you consult with your legal and financial advisors when considering establishing a Charitable Lead Trust. To learn more about making these trusts, please contact us.

A unique way to make a charitable gift through your estate plan is to name a Masonic Charity as a beneficiary of all or a portion of a retirement account, such as Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), 401(k)s, 403(b)s and Keoghs. You can also select an endowment fund or activity of the Masonic Charities to benefit from a retirement gift.

If you designate one of the Masonic Charities as a beneficiary of all or a portion of a life insurance policy that has served its original purpose, your estate may receive a charitable estate tax deduction. Many find this is a way to make a larger charitable gift than otherwise possible. Another option is to name the Masonic Charity as the beneficiary and owner of an insurance policy, which may entitle you to an immediate income tax deduction.

A gift of real estate, especially a gift of a principal residence or vacation residence, may be an attractive way to make a substantial donation to one of the Masonic Charities. Real estate may be donated outright, through your estate or indirectly through a life income plan which would provide you with a stream of income for life. If the real estate has appreciated in value, you will avoid any capital gains taxes that may be due when you sell the property.

Gifts of real estate are subject to specific policy guidelines. If you are considering a gift of real estate, either outright or through your estate plans, you should consult with your legal and financial advisors. We will be happy to work with you and your advisors to complete this gift. Donations of real estate must be approved by the Masonic Charities prior to transfer.

Legacy Societies

FLS_logoThe Franklin Legacy Society recognizes and honors persons of vision and foresight who have taken the initiative, through their estate plans, to strengthen and enhance the good works of one or more of the Masonic Charities of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Through their benevolence, members of the society are helping to ensure that the vital missions of the Masonic Charities will be available for the benefit of future generations.

Click here to see the brochure.

Who is Eligible for Membership?

Membership in the Franklin Legacy Society is open to anyone who has included a provision in any amount for one or more of the Masonic Charities in their will, revocable trust, life insurance policy or retirement plan. Also eligible are people who have entered into a planned gift arrangement, such as a life estate, charitable gift annuity, pooled income fund, charitable remainder trust or charitable lead trust, with a Masonic Charity.

If you qualify, complete the contact form, and we will forward you a short membership application for completion. Upon receipt of the completed membership application, we will forward your Franklin Legacy Society membership packet.

Members of the Franklin Legacy Society are recognized in the following ways:

  • Invitations to special events
  • Your name(s) on a special donor wall*
  • Your name(s) in the Annual Report for the Masonic Charities*
  • Recognition with the society’s lapel pin depicting Bro. Benjamin Franklin at work at his printing press
  • A distinctive book clock

* NOTE: Donors may choose to remain anonymous while participating in the activities of the Franklin Legacy Society.

Please contact us for more information.

MCH_logoFor more than a century, children have come to us with many varied needs: nutrition, health care, security, clothing, education, guidance and love. Once they come “home,” they are cared for as individuals, each valued for his or her strengths, skills and unique personalities.

The potential of the children who come to us depends on those willing to help them secure brighter futures. It is only through your charitable contributions that the Masonic Children’s Home is able to provide the 24-hour-a-day, 365-days-a-year care, support and resources that truly make this a “home” for the children.

The Masonic Children’s Home Centennial Society recognizes and honors persons of vision and foresight who have taken the initiative to ensure that these precious youth will be offered a fresh start – a chance to attain the dreams they never before dared to hope for – today, and in future generations to come.

Who is Eligible for Membership?

The Masonic Children’s Home Centennial Society is open to anyone who has included a provision for the Masonic Children’s Home in their will through a bequest or other type of planned gifts such as a Charitable Gift Annuity, securities, an insurance policy, property or trust.

How May I Become a Member?

If you have already provided for the Masonic Children’s Home in your financial plans as outlined above, or would like to do so, complete the contact form, and we will forward you a short membership application for completion. Upon receipt of the completed membership application, we will forward your Masonic Children’s Home Centennial Society membership packet.

Members of the Masonic Children’s Home Centennial Society are recognized in the following ways:

  • Invitations to special events including the annual Youth Appreciation Day and the annual Donor Dinner.
  • Inscription of your name, or your honoree’s name(s)*, in the new Centennial Garden that will be created as an extension of the existing beautiful outdoor Donor Recognition Garden on the children’s home grounds.
  • Recognition in the Annual Report for the Masonic Charities*
  • Subscription to the “Home’s Grown Kids” newsletter
  • Members of the Centennial Society automatically become members of the Franklin Legacy Society, enjoying all the benefits of belonging to that society, as well.

* NOTE: Donors may choose to remain anonymous while participating in the activities of the Masonic Children’s Home Centennial Society.

Click here to view our Centennial Society brochure.