Since its formation in December 2007 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Indian Lake Theater continues to offer a wide array of fun and affordable programming thanks to the generosity of our donors.

For a theater in a historic building, donations help preserve not only the structure itself but the sense of tradition, nostalgia, and community pride that comes with it. Plus, your generosity helps cover the real costs of productions, licensing fees, maintenance, staffing, and more, so we can keep tickets and concessions affordably priced.

Click the “Donate” button below to make a tax-deductible donation:

A Quick Guide on Giving To the Indian Lake Theater

Cash Donations

Make an online donation using the “Donate Now” button above, or send a check (more below). When giving non-cash assets held for more than one year to public charities (including donor-advised funds), donors can deduct the full market value of those assets — up to 30% of their adjusted gross income (AGI). When giving cash, donors can deduct up to 60% of their AGI.

Checks can be made payable to the Indian Lake Theater and send to: Indian Lake Theater, PO Box 517, 6311 NYS Route 30, Indian Lake, NY 12842.

Matching Gifts

Does your employer match cash donations? If so, be sure to include any necessary paperwork with your gift or contact us for more information.

Gifts of Stock

Giving with appreciated stock held for more than one year remains a smart way to make a charitable contribution and minimize capital gains. Please reach out to Mary Alice O’Connor at director@indianlaketheater.org or 518-648-5950 for assistance.

IRAs

If you’ve reached 70 ½, you can make a qualified charitable distribution up to $108,000 tax-free from your traditional IRA. Those 73+ can use their required minimum distributions for charitable purposes.

Planned Gifts

Become a legacy donor and support the Indian Lake Theater for years into the future through estate planning. View all of the legacy giving options below or contact us at director@indianlaketheater.org.

Interested in legacy giving? There are many options available. We always recommend consulting with your professional advisors as part of the estate planning process and we are happy to answer any questions they might have. Explore our suggested ways of legacy gifting below.

Leave a Bequest

Include the Indian Lake Theater in your will as the beneficiary of assets you wish to donate. Committing a portion of your bequest in this way removes the assets from your taxable estate. These can be cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, non-publicly traded or privately held stock, tangible property, or any of the possibilities described below. Contact us at director@indianlaketheater.org for sample bequest language.

Retirement Funds + IRAs

Name the Indian Lake Theater as a beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), or 403(b). Doing so can help to avoid income and estate taxes upon your death. Benefit our mission and continue to withdraw from your plan during your lifetime.

If you are at least 70.5 years old, you can give a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) up to $100,000 directly to a charity annually. If you have reached the age of 72, you can offset the taxes associated with a Required Minimum Deduction (RMD) with a direct gift to charity of up to $100,000 (Note: the RMD was waived entirely in 2020 by the CARES Act).

Life Insurance

Pay an annual premium for a new or existing life insurance policy and designate the Indian Lake Theater as the primary or contingent beneficiary. You can also gift a life insurance policy you own and no longer need or make the Indian Lake Theater the owner of a new policy for which you pay the annual premiums.

Charitable Trusts

A charitable remainder trust (CRT) ensures you have a stream of income for a designated time, after which the trust’s allocations are gifted to the Indian Lake Theater, while a charitable lead trust (CLT) distributes a gift to the Indian Lake Theater upfront for a specific period, after which the remainder transfers to named beneficiaries. Both a CRT and a CLT can be set up as an annuity or unitrust, the difference being that, annually, an annuity will pay out a fixed dollar amount to the lead beneficiary and a unitrust a fixed percentage. We recommend consulting with your advisors.

Replace Gifted Assets

Used in combination with a Charitable Remainder Trust, you can use a portion from the trust’s annual income to pay premiums on a life insurance policy or to replace the assets used to start the trust at its onset.