» You Should Know...
» Ways to Give
» Gift of Cash
» Donate Online
» Estate Planning
» HGH Heritage Society
» Vehicle Donation Program
» Shopping
» House Wish Lists and House Essentials

You Should Know...

Home of Guiding Hands spends less than 10% on administrative costs, (9.65% based on 2004-05 fiscal year). This means more than 90% of your undesignated donations directly benefit the people assisted by our programs and services. And 100 percent of designated donations are allocated in accordance with your wishes.

Ways to Give

Home of Guiding Hands receives state and federal reimbursements for providing care and training to individuals with developmental disabilities. The gap between reimbursed funding and our actual costs is growing rapidly, reimbursement rates remain relatively flat and rising costs of doing business in California increases (worker's compensation, other insurances, utilities, transportation, etc.). We need your help to close this funding gap. Your support ensures the future of HGH and our ability to provide high quality care for people with special needs. As an individual or a corporation, there are many ways in which you can support Home of Guiding Hands.

Gift of Cash

Home of Guiding Hands accepts cash donations as well as VISA, MasterCard and American Express. Donations can be mailed or delivered directly to our administrative offices located at 1825 Gillespie Way, Suite 200, El Cajon, CA 92020. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit corporation all cash donations are tax deductible.

For more information regarding gifts of cash, please contact Angie Swader, Administrative Assistant: angie@guidinghands.org or (619) 938-2855.

Donate Online

Donations may be made online by going to the secure portal at Just Give.org. It's free for you and for us. The minimum donation is $5. Donate Now!

Estate Planning

Through effective planned giving, you can balance your personal financial goals and your interests while realizing significant tax benefits. Various types of planned gifts are possible from a simple bequest in your will to charitable trusts. Planned giving can add to your current income or offer additional retirement income, while earning a current tax benefit and contributing to HGH's future.

For more information regarding Estate & Planned Giving, please contact Carol Fitzgibbons, Executive Director: carol@guidinghands.org or call (619) 938-2857. If you have already included HGH in your estate plan, please let us know so that we can include you as a member of our Heritage Society.

HGH Heritage Society

We invite you to join other Heritage Society members who have made a commitment to support HGH through bequests or planned gifts. Membership is extended to individuals who have provided for HGH in their wills, living trusts, special needs trusts, charitable trusts, designated HGH as a beneficiary of life insurance or IRA, 401K, or other pension plan.

Benefits of Heritage Society membership include a certificate of membership, recognition in "The Guiding Hand", an annual recognition event, and invitations to all HGH special events.

For more information regarding the HGH Heritage Society, please contact Carol Fitzgibbons, Executive Director: carol@guidinghands.org or call (619) 938-2857.

Vehicle Donation Program

If you have a surplus car or boat you don't need, consider donating it to HGH. Your donation could earn you valuable tax benefits while helping people with developmental disabilities. HGH accepts vehicle donations of all kinds. As of January 2005, you may deduct the full price HGH receives from the sale of your vehicle. This greatly simplifies the process for you, the donor, because you no longer have to research and come up with an estimate of the fair market value of the vehicle. This process eliminates the risk of you overstating the value of your deduction on your tax return. You'll know exactly the amount you may deduct, eliminating guesswork. This saves you both time and risk.

You will receive a receipt at the time we pick up your vehicle and a second receipt as soon as it is sold, letting you know the exact amount for which it sold. That amount is your tax deduction.

For more information regarding the Vehicle Donation Program, please contact Marcy Blumberg, Events Coordinator: marcy@guidinghands.org or call (619) 938-2854.

Shopping –

Please take into consideration the following:

Albertsons/SavOn Community Partners Card – Each time you shop at Albertsons or Sav-On, HGH benefits. With your card, a percentage of every purchase you make is donated back to Home of Guiding Hands. Sign up at your local Albertsons or Sav-On store, or visit www.albertsons.com/cp/.

eScrip – Southern California merchants provide HGH with a donation (up to 8 percent) of each purchase you make with an eScrip registered debit or credit card. Participating merchants include VONS (you must use your VONS CLUB CARD in addition to your registered debit/credit card to track purchase), Safeway, Carl's Jr. Restaurants, Big 5 Sporting Goods, American Airlines, Coco's Restaurant, Claim Jumper Restaurant, Macy's (purchases must be made with a registered Macy's Card) and many more. For a complete list of participating merchants visit the eScrip website at www.escrip.com.
iGive.com – Shop on line at www.iGive.com, and put your shopping dollars to work for HGH. The iGive online shopping mall offers more than 500 online stores, each offering a return percentage to the charity of your choice. Visit www.iGive.com/hgh and sign up today to benefit Home of Guiding Hands with your online purchases.

House Wish Lists and House Essentials

State reimbursements for people with developmental disabilities only cover so much, - leaving little money for those extra items that improve a person's quality and enjoyment of life. These items are dependent on your donations. Our House Wish List is a list of items requested by one or more of our 28 community homes or by the residents themselves. In addition, the 24/7 operation of our 28 homes is very costly and only partially funded by the State's reimbursement rates. There is an ongoing need for assistance with major purchases such as appliances, flooring, furniture, therapeutic equipment and major remodeling projects, that improve the home environment - House Essentials.

Please note: Home of Guiding Hands partners with reputable businesses that do not license, sell, exchange or distribute any specific information concerning individual program participants to any third parties not directly involved in the specific giving programs. Your privacy is stringently protected.