To provide another avenue for donors to support the great work of The Resilient Activist, we have opened a brokerage account to accept gifted assets that upon receipt can be sold and used to fund current efforts.

Photo by Mathieu Stern on Unsplash

There are multiple ways to give through your investments if you meet certain criteria. If you would like to support The Resilient Activist by donating investments while also potentially receiving tax benefits, here are a few common ways:

Appreciated Securities
- As your investments grow in taxable accounts, you may find it advantageous to gift appreciated stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or other investments directly to qualified charities. The way this typically works is that your tax professional will figure how much you can give to receive the best tax benefit. The Resilient Activist then receives the investment shares and then sells them to use the proceeds to fund its programs. This strategy can potentially help eliminate the 15% or 20% capital gains tax you would have incurred by selling the investment and donating the cash effectively making more dollars available for future giving.
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
- If you are 70.5 or older, you have the option to give up to $105,000/year in 2024 directly from your Traditional IRA to a qualified charity. This is called a “Qualified Charitable Distribution.” The benefit of this option is that if you are approaching or in your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) years, you can meet the requirement without the distribution counting towards your taxable income.
Donor Advised Funds (DAFs)
- Another option if you are charitably inclined is to open a Donor Advised Fund account. You can contribute cash or appreciated non-cash assets to your DAF account and potentially receive a tax deduction that same year. Then you choose when you would like to grant the asset to a qualified charity generally at a later date. In the meantime, the assets are invested, and you can add to the fund as you go.
Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)
- If you have access and are contributing to an ESOP through your employer, you can donate company shares to a charity. You may receive a tax deduction for the fair market value of the donated shares, subject to certain conditions.

One important note is that you must make these transfers/gifts before December 31st to receive credit for the tax year, so it is important to begin planning for these transactions before the end of the year.

If any of these options appeal or apply to you, please contact us! We can work with you and your financial professional to assist you with the process!

Consult your tax professional before making a charitable gift with investments to be sure you are choosing the best strategy to minimize your tax liability while also supporting great causes.