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ECS Takes the National Stage in the Fight Against the Benefits Cliff

November 6, 2025

ECS Benefits Cliff

Episcopal Community Services continues to play a leading role in advancing national awareness and policy solutions to the benefits cliff, the dynamic that occurs when a small increase in income causes a sudden loss of public benefits, leaving families worse off financially.

Earlier this month, ECS leaders Victoria Bennett, Chief Inclusion and Advocacy Officer, and Caroline Dunleavy, Senior Director of Advocacy, joined partners in Washington, D.C. for the Beyond the Cliff Coalition’s national convening. Despite the ongoing federal shutdown, members gathered to release the coalition’s new policy agenda, which includes six key recommendations to promote financial stability and mobility:

Fix benefit reduction rates
Increase asset limits to promote financial stability
Better align the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to support transitions off public benefits
Coordinate and innovate across public benefits programs
Promote career pathways and employer engagement
Adopt an evidence-based coaching approach and provide benefits counseling

As a founding member of the coalition, ECS is helping shape the national conversation around how public benefits systems can better support families on their path to economic independence.

While in D.C., Bennett and Dunleavy also met with the offices of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA 1) and Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA 3) to discuss legislative priorities and advance policy solutions rooted in ECS’s frontline experience.

ECS’ leadership on this issue also earned national attention through Leap Fund’s recent feature, “Rethinking Success,” a blog and e-news spotlight highlighting ECS’ innovative work and participation in Leap Fund’s July webinar. The piece underscores how ECS and its partners are reimagining success for families navigating the challenges of the benefits cliff, blending data-driven advocacy with real-world stories of resilience and change.

Together, these opportunities place ECS firmly on the national stage for benefits cliff advocacy, amplifying the voices of our participants, shaping smarter public policy, and driving systemic solutions for lasting economic mobility.

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Smart Ways to Make an Impact Now

Tax-Wise Ways to Make an Impact

Simple Ways to Create Your Legacy

Gifts that Pay You Income

How to Create or Update Your Estate Plans

We like to send supporters occasional emails with updates including videos, stories, and information about how we are making an impact on your behalf. Would you like to receive these updates?

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(These emails are not the e-newsletter. You can opt out at any time.)

Strategic giving—such as appreciated assets or donor-advised funds—can reduce your tax burden while maximizing your impact. ECS can help you explore the best options for your situation.

These are some common ways giving can reduce your taxes:

Gifts of Cash
Cash is the simplest asset to donate and the quickest way to make an immediate impact for ECS. If you want to further our work today and claim the entire amount of your gift as a charitable income tax deduction, consider a gift of cash. Make your gift online, via a check or money order or with a wire transfer.
Stocks and Securities
When you give stock or securities (stock, bonds, mutual funds), you may be eligible for a double tax benefit: 1) You receive an income tax deduction for the full, present, fair market value of the assets, and 2) you may completely avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation of the assets. This is one of the easiest gifts to give and one of the most useful in accomplishing your philanthropic goals. Click here for ECS stock transfer instructions.
Appreciated Securities
You can use stocks, bonds, and mutual funds that have appreciated in value to support our shared vision. You may receive a charitable income tax deduction for the full market value of the stock (up to a maximum of 30% of your adjusted gross income) and avoid paying the capital gains tax on any increase in the value of the stock. Click here for ECS stock transfer instructions. For questions, please contact Debbie Atkinson, Advancement Service Manager, at debbiea@ecsphilly.org or 215-351-1460.
Savings Bonds
When you redeem savings bonds, you will owe income tax on the appreciation. So will the person who inherits them. You can eliminate the income tax on bonds you plan to redeem by donating them to ECS. Because ECS is tax-exempt, 100 percent of your gift of savings bonds will go toward the mission to reduce poverty in the region.
Retirement Assets
A gift of your retirement assets, such as an employee retirement plan, IRA, or tax-sheltered annuity, is an excellent way to make a gift. A gift of these assets can shield you or your heirs from taxes while supporting Episcopal Community Services.
Life Insurance
Transfer ownership now:
To make an impact on our mission today, irrevocably designate Episcopal Community Services as owner and beneficiary of an existing life insurance policy. If your policy is paid up, you will receive an immediate income tax deduction based on the policy value.
If your policy is not yet paid up, you will make contributions of cash to ECS to cover future premium payments. For any continuing premium payments you make, you will receive a charitable deduction in the year of the payment.Name us as a beneficiary:
You can name Episcopal Community Services as a beneficiary of all or a portion of your life insurance policy. With this gift arrangement, ECS will receive the proceeds of your policy when you pass away. You can change your beneficiary at any time.
This gift is easy to arrange — simply request a beneficiary designation form from your plan administrator.
Personal Property
A gift of artwork, coins, antiques, or other personal property can be an excellent way to support Episcopal Community Services. The tax benefits of the gift depend on whether ECS can use the property in a way that is related to its mission. Contact us to learn more about this type of gift — we would be happy to help you find the option that best fits your philanthropic goals.

Charitable Gift Annuities

Charitable gift annuities allow you to make a meaningful contribution while receiving fixed payments for life. It’s a way to support ECS and gain financial stability at the same time.

How it works:

You donate cash or appreciated securities worth $10,000 or more to Episcopal Community Services. In return, you and/or another beneficiary will receive fixed payments for life.
Your payment rate is based on your age (payments start at age 65 or later) and will never change.
A portion of your payments will be tax-free.
The older you are — or the longer you defer starting your payment — the higher your payments will be.

Benefits to you include:

Lifetime payments that will never change.
Capital gains tax savings when you fund your CGA using appreciated stock.
You are eligible for an immediate charitable income tax deduction.
Your gift passes to Episcopal Community Services outside of the estate process.
You create your legacy of helping others to remember that their capacity is limitless.

Have questions? Get in touch with our Donor Relations team by using the form at the bottom of our Donate page.

Charitable Remainder Trusts

A Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) is a tax-free trust that pays you and/or other beneficiaries an annual distribution. This payment is either a percentage of the annual value of the trust, or a percentage of the original gift amount.

How it works:

You transfer cash or an appreciated asset* into an irrevocable trust.
The trustee then sells the asset, paying no capital gains tax, and reinvests the proceeds.
For the rest of your life (or a term of years), you and/or another beneficiary receive payments from the trust.
After your lifetime, the remaining principal is used to support the mission of Episcopal Community Services.

* While donating real estate is the most common way to fund a charitable trust, a wide variety of assets can be used, including cash, appreciated publicly traded or closely held stock, as well as oil, gas, or mineral interests.

Benefits to you include:

You receive income for life for you or your heirs.
You receive a charitable income tax credit for the charitable portion of the trust.
You create your legacy of reducing intergenerational poverty.

Qualified Charitable Distribution

You can transfer funds from your IRA directly to Episcopal Community Services. This is an effective way to have an immediate impact while ensuring our work of guiding Philadelphians out of a cycle of poverty and toward economic mobility.

Here’s how it works:

You must be 70 ½ or older.
An individual may transfer up to a total of $108,000 per year and a married couple may give up to $216,000 to all organizations.
Your gift must be transferred directly from the IRA account to Episcopal Community Services.
Your gift is a transfer of funds from your IRA to Episcopal Community Services so it does not count as income for the year.
If you are 73 and older, the transfer of funds counts towards your annual Required Minimum Distribution from your IRA.
An individual may take a one-time QCD up to $54,000 to fund a charitable gift annuity (CGA) or charitable remainder trust (CRT).

You can download a sample letter for your IRA administrator here to start the distribution process. You may also be able to request a qualified charitable distribution through your online account portal.

Please note: If you are still working and contributing to a retirement account, this gift could impact your taxable income. Please consult a qualified advisor before making a gift.

Create a legacy of opportunity. Your future gift helps sustain programs that support families for generations to come.

Gifts in a Will

Making a legacy gift in your will or trust is one of the easiest and most popular ways to make a lasting impact for ECS. Once you have provided for your loved ones, we hope you will consider making our work—addressing the root causes of poverty—a part of your life story through a legacy gift.

A gift in your will is one of the easiest ways to create your legacy and offers the following benefits:

Lasting Impact:
Your gift will create your legacy of empowering individuals to improve their lives.
Flexible:
You can alter your gift or change your mind at any time and for any reason.
No Cost:
Costs you nothing now to give in this way.

Ways to give in your Will:

You can mix these no-cost ways together. For example, you might consider leaving a specific percentage (such as 50%) of the residual to ECS upon the survival of your spouse.

General Gift: A general bequest is a gift of a specific amount.
Residuary Gift: A general bequest is a gift of a specific amount.
Specific Gift: A specific gift is a gift of a particular piece of property. For example, real estate, funds in a bank account or shares of a corporation.
Contingent Gift: A specific gift is a gift of a particular piece of property. For example, real estate, funds in a bank account or shares of a corporation.

Gifts by Beneficiary Designation

It’s easy to put your bank accounts, retirement funds, savings bonds, and more to use in transforming our communities — and it costs you nothing now.

By naming Episcopal Community Services as a beneficiary of these assets, you can power our mission for years to come and establish your personal legacy of supporting individuals and their families as they determine a path out of poverty and towards prosperity.

Potential benefits of gifts by beneficiary designation:

Reduce or eliminate taxes
Reduce or avoid probate fees
No cost to you now to give
Create your legacy with ECS

Types of Gifts:

Retirement Plan Assets: You can simply name Episcopal Community Services as a beneficiary of your retirement plan to be a positive change for our communities.
Life Insurance Policies: You can name Episcopal Community Services as a beneficiary of all or a portion of your life insurance policy. With this gift arrangement, ECS will receive the proceeds of your policy after your lifetime. You can change your beneficiary at any time and may reduce your estate taxes.
Bank or Brokerage Accounts: This is one of the easiest gifts to give and one of the most useful in accomplishing your philanthropic goals. The next time you visit your bank, you can name Episcopal Community Services of the Diocese of Pennsylvania (Tax ID: 23-1352290) as the beneficiary of a checking or savings bank account, a certificate of deposit (CD), or a brokerage account.
Funds Remaining in Your Donor-Advised Fund: What remains in a donor-advised fund is governed by the contract you completed when you created your fund. When you name Episcopal Community Services as a “successor” of your account or a portion of your account value, you support a vision where the path to prosperity is available to all.

How to update a beneficiary designation:

Contact your bank.
Simply contact your bank, retirement plan administrator, insurance company, or other financial institution to request a beneficiary designation form. You may also be able to log in to your account and update your beneficiaries online.
Use our legal name and tax ID number.
Legal name: Episcopal Community Services of the Diocese of Pennsylvania
Tax Identification Number: 23-1352290
Let us know.
Please let us know so we can ensure that your wishes are carried out.
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