2019 Year-End Giving Deadlines

It's hard to believe, but it's almost 2020! As the close of the year approaches, Stark Community Foundation is here to help you simplify your year-end giving. Consider these important dates and tips to make the most of your giving and maximize available tax benefits.

Recommend Grants From Your Fund

If you want to support your favorite organizations before year's end through your charitable fund at Stark Community Foundation, please be sure to submit your grant recommendations by Thursday, December 26, 2019. Recommendations can be made through the Donor Portal, email or mail/fax. You can still submit grant recommendations after December 26, however we can't guarantee the organizations will receive your generous support in 2019.

Make Gifts to Your Existing (or New) Fund

Stark Community Foundation accepts a wide variety of gifts such as cash, stock, publicly-traded securities, mutual funds and IRA assets, as well as facilitates complex transactions like real estate, charitable gift annuities and closely-held assets. Keep these important dates in mind to ensure your gifts qualify for a charitable income tax deduction in 2019:

  • Checks sent via the U.S. Postal Service to our office must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, December 31, 2019. Checks sent via FedEx or UPS must be physically received at our office on or before December 31.
  • Gifts of appreciated securities must be received into Stark Community Foundation's account before the close of business day on Tuesday, December 31, 2019. Notify us early to ensure a smooth transfer of these gifts by contacting Bridgette L. Neisel, vice president of advancement, at 330-454-7992 or bneisel@starkcf.org or Carrie L. Bast, vice president and chief financial officer, at cbast@starkcf.org or 330-454-3426.
  • Credit card contributions must be made by Tuesday, December 31, 2019.

Your gifts can be made to an existing fund at Stark Community Foundation or you can create your own charitable fund to support what matters most to you. Charitable funds are easy to create, tax deductible and have no start-up costs. In fact, you can open a Donor Advised Fund online today in less than 5 minutes. To learn more, contact Bridgette L. Neisel, vice president of advancement, at 330-454-7992 or bneisel@starkcf.org.

Bunch Your Donations

Under the new tax law, the standard deduction is now nearly double – $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples – making it harder for people to itemize on their tax return and benefit from the charitable income tax deduction.

One way to take advantage of the new tax law is Charitable Bunching with a Donor Advised Fund. National and local experts are recommending this smart giving strategy, which is essentially bunching multiple years’ worth of donations into one calendar year. The benefit of bunching with a Donor Advised Fund allows you to receive an immediate tax deduction and give back to nonprofits when the time is right for you through a convenient charitable giving account. Learn more »

Check out our one-page overview and talk to your professional advisor to determine if this strategy makes sense for your situation. If you are interested in learning about how to open your personal Donor Advised Fund or add to your existing fund through Stark Community Foundation, contact Bridgette L. Neisel, vice president of advancement, at bneisel@starkcf.org or 330-454-7992.

Donate From Your IRA

The IRA Charitable Rollover is now a permanent tax law. What this means is that if you’re 70 ½ or older, you can transfer up to $100,000 ($200,000 for couples) annually from your IRA to a public charity – free from federal tax. Since Stark Community Foundation is a public charity, we can assist by accepting your required minimum distribution from your IRA and it won’t count as income. Now you can do more with less, all the while supporting the charitable causes that are important to you!

While this tax-saving opportunity doesn’t qualify for Donor Advised Funds, Supporting Foundations or Private Foundations, this may be an opportune time to support your favorite charities or areas of interest with a rollover to one of Stark Community Foundation’s five other types of funds.

Give the Gift of Giving

Charitable Giving Cards are a unique way to strengthen the place we call home while showing your loved ones you care. They work just like retail gift cards, except the recipient can give the value of the card as a donation to his or her favorite cause. Giving cards are tax-deductible and available in denominations of $25, $50 and $100. They never expire and 100% of the gift goes directly to the selected charity. Learn more »

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