Tools for Encouraging Gifts of Securities
With the recent strong returns in the Stock Market many of your donors are sitting on significant capital gains. A gift of an appreciated security makes perfect sense for both the donor and the charity.
An email recently crossed my desk from the folks at Sharp Publications. They have several tools that you might find useful. Below is a brief article from them.
Recent IRS reports have indicated that much of the post-recession recovery in giving has come in the form of appreciated securities donated by higher income individuals. According to the IRS, the average gift of appreciated securities is in the $55,000 to $65,000 range.
Sharpe offers several tools to help you show donors the benefits of making charitable gifts through appreciated securities and how to structure these gifts:
- Educational donor publications can be used in mailings, at special events or on donor visits. These publications include the brochure Questions & Answers About Giving Securities and booklets such as Giving Securities and Your Guide to Effective Giving in 2017.
- Sharpe’s Newsletters and Gift Planning Websites feature tailored articles as shifts occur in tax laws.
You can learn more by attending one of our Gift Planning Seminars, each of which includes practical guidelines for donors when giving securities. Our 2017 offerings are “An Introduction to Planned Giving,” “Structuring Blended Gifts,” and “Integrating Major and Planned Gifts.”
In addition, Give & Take often publishes articles about stock gifts, such as these:
“Gifts of Securities: How to Motivate Donors to Make These Gifts”
“In the Market for Gifts of Stock”
“So, a Donor Wants to Make a Stock Gift . . . What Comes Next?”
The most effective communications plan starts with identifying your target audience. Sharpe Group’s Donor Data Enhancement Services can help you plan the most cost-efficient mailing strategy by identifying donors, based on age and wealth, who are most likely to give appreciated securities.