Keep AT Fare-Free

Morning commuters boarding the bus

Rides on all Advance Transit bus routes in Vermont and New Hampshire are free, thanks to special increased contributions from Upper Valley towns, Dartmouth College, and the Dartmouth Health. This free service is part of a broader effort to decrease traffic congestion in the region.

Support Advance Transit’s mission of providing fare free transit to the Upper Valley and donate today.

Donate to the Advance Transit Annual Fund

A gift donation to Advance Transit helps to support our community in a significant and meaningful way. Through AT’s  services, a crucial community need is met via access to fare-free transit for Upper Valley residents of Vermont and New Hampshire.

Your donation supports:

  • nearly a million fare-free rides per year
  • sustaining a cleaner environment through reducing traffic by 240,000 auto trips per year
  • efforts to improve fuel economy and decrease pollution through AT’s newer buses, which have 95% less nitrogen oxide emissions and 90% less particulates compared with standard diesels
  • eliminating more than 1.2 million vehicle miles
  • reducing the demand for parking

DONATE


Your Support Makes a Difference

Two rides commute together on AT busYour gift to Advance Transit matters. It impacts many riders in the community and affects the overall quality of our environmental surroundings.

Learn more about the people who ride AT. Find out why they ride and how your gift makes a difference in their lives.

Read about it at Rider Stories.


Ways to Give

Gifts of Cash

Giving a gift of cash is the simplest and most direct way to make a donation. And every gift matters and makes a difference! 

There are different ways to give a cash gift:

  • Online – Give a gift online, by visiting our DONATE page
  • Mail a Check – Send a check to our office using the following address:
    Advance Transit
    PO Box 1027
    Wilder, VT 05088
  • Phone – Give a gift over the phone by calling (802) 295-1824, x216.

Advance Transit accepts checks, VISA, MasterCard, and electronic fund transfers.

Bequests

Make community a part of your legacy. Bequests via your will or revocable living trust can allow you to leave a legacy to Advance Transit, thereby supporting a much-needed community service.

Since bequests are deductible for federal estate tax purposes, gifts through your will or trust can save you and your heirs estate taxes and allow you to make a significant impact through your gift.

Gifts of Securities

Giving a gift of securities, which include stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, can be beneficial to both Advance Transit and you. Such gifts may provide special tax advantages.

By giving “long-term” appreciated securities that have been held for over one year, you can deduct their full fair market value, regardless of what you originally paid for them. And you pay no capital gains tax on the donated securities. The deduction for “short-term” securities held less than one year is limited to their cost basis.

Retirement Accounts

Qualified retirement plan assets are one of the most tax-burdened assets. Without a surviving spouse upon death, any remaining balance in a qualified plan will be subject to multiple levels of taxation that can claim 50% or more of its value. It is often advantageous, therefore, to donate such assets to charitable organizations.

You can give this gift to Advance Transit in one of the following ways:

  • naming AT the beneficiary of all or a portion of your retirement plan
  • gifting any remaining plan assets through your will
  • directing remaining plan assets into a testamentary Charitable Remainder Trust that provides income to your heirs for life or a term of years, after which the principal reverts to AT

Matching Gifts

You may be able to double your gift to Advance Transit if the company you work for or have an association with has a matching gift program.

Check with your employer’s Human Resource Department. Send the matching gift form provided by your employer to AT. AT will give you documentation for both your gift and your company’s matching gift.

Life Insurance

It is easy to name Advance Transit as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. Just fill out a Change of Beneficiary form available from your insurance provider and give us a copy for our records. There is no immediate tax deduction available for this gift, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that AT will eventually benefit and your estate will receive an estate tax deduction. You can also transfer ownership of a paid-up policy to AT and receive a tax deduction now for the cash surrender value (technically, the “interpolated terminal reserve value”) of the policy on the date of transfer.

Life Income Gifts

If you are considering making a gift to Advance Transit, but are concerned about giving up a portion of your income, a life income arrangement may be the ideal way to donate.

For example:

  • If you were to transfer cash or marketable securities to AT, you could receive a steady stream of income payments for the remainder off your life, an immediate tax deduction, and reduced estate tax exposure.
  • If you transfer appreciated property, such as securities or real estate, you will eliminate or greatly reduce the capital gain tax you would otherwise owe on the appreciation if you sold the asset.
  • If you transfer low yielding property, such as securities that pay a small dividend, you may actually increase your income from the asset.
  • A Charitable Remainder Trust may be an ideal option to consider as a way to meet your life income objectives, while also contributing to the mission of AT.

Gifts of Real Estate or Personal Property

Gifts of real estate can be an advantageous way to give to Advance Transit, and there’s more than one way to give through this method.

Different ways to give a gift of real estate include:

  • gift your whole property or an undivided fractional interest in the property to Advance Transit
  • fund a life-income arrangement with all or a portion of your property
  • transfer ownership of a residence and retain the right to reside there for the rest of your life, after which it reverts to Advance Transit for sale
  • give a gift of real estate through your will

Gifts of valuable personal property also provide another way to donate.

As with any decision involving your estate plans, we urge you to seek the advice of professional counsel when considering a gift to Advance Transit.

Contact Us

Trish Palao, Director of Marketing and Philanthropy
Advance Transit
PO Box 1027
Wilder, VT 05088
(802) 295-1824 ext. 205
tpalao@advancetransit.com