Appreciated Stocks

Donating stock is a great way to benefit the Church while also eliminating capital gains! In the example below, Lucille is looking to impact God’s Kingdom through Alden in greater ways than her current giving.

Scenario 1:

Lucille has stock she purchased for $25,000 that is now valued at $50,000. Lucille wants to give a gift to Alden, so she sells the stock for $50,000, and now owes capital gains taxes of approx. 23.8%, or $5,950. After taxes, Lucille gives a gift in the amount of $44,050.

Scenario 2:

Lucille has stock he purchased for $25,000 that is now valued at $50,000. Lucille wants to give a gift to Alden, so she donates the stock directly to Alden which allows Alden to sell the stock without the requirement of paying capital gains. With this scenario, Alden receives a gift in the amount of $50,000.

For more information, or to find out next steps, contact us at stewardship@aldenbaptistchurch.org, or contact the Finance Ministry at 413-736-5997.

Real Estate

A gift of your appreciated real property (such as your home, vacation property, vacant land, farmland, ranch or commercial property) can make a great gift to Alden.

How you make a gift of real property:

Your real property may be gifted to Alden by executing or signing a deed transferring ownership. You may deed part or all of your real property to Alden. Your gift will generally be based on the property's fair market value, which must be established by an independent appraisal.

Gifts of Real Estate Example:

Haskell, a recently retired CEO of a publicly traded company, was ready to downsize. His financial advisor suggested an interesting option that would not only simplify his lifestyle but also help fund Haskell’s passion to support Alden during his retirement. Haskell had purchased a house at the beach years ago, and it had turned out to be a very good investment. Over time, it had appreciated, and Haskell’s financial advisor suggested that he use the house to provide funds for his philanthropic plans, especially since his income in retirement would be reduced.

Instead of selling the house, now valued at $1.5 million, and contributing the proceeds in cash, Haskell’s advisor suggested a better way: by deeding the asset over to Alden, Haskell would be able to take a tax deduction of the fair market value of the house, based on a qualified appraisal, and eliminate his capital gains tax on the appreciation.

Alden was able to sell the asset, and apply the full $1.5 million value of the house to furthering its mission to Engage, Evangelize, and Empower individuals in becoming Change Agents for Christ. As a result, Haskell was able to dedicate $261,800 more to Alden than if he had contributed the after-tax proceeds from the sale of his house.

Vehicles

A vehicle can make a great gift to Alden, and a great way to reduce taxes for those who itemize.

How you make a gift of a vehicle:

Your vehicle may be gifted to Alden by signing the title and transferring ownership. Your gift will generally be based on the property's fair market value, which is established by either the sale of the vehicle, or by an independent appraisal.

Gifts of vehicles Example:

Anthony is looking to give to his church above and beyond his regular tithe, yet does not have the available cash to do so. He does have a collection of cars that he no longer has time to enjoy. Rather than go through the process of selling those vehicles and dealing with all that is associated with a sale, Anthony can donate the vehicles directly to the church and take the tax benefit. The church will handle the sale and receive the proceeds.

Business Interests

Many executives and entrepreneurs find that their most appreciated assets come in the form of non-cash assets (privately held C- and S-Corp stock, limited partnerships or LLC interests), often with a low cost basis and significant current market value, resulting in large capital gains taxes when sold.

Contributions of privately held stock to Alden are generally deductible, for those who itemize, at fair market value on the date of contribution—as determined by a qualified appraisal—whereas such contributions to a private foundation are generally deductible at the lower of cost basis or market value.

For gifts of privately held stock or LP/LLC interests, donors must obtain a qualified appraisal of the shares to substantiate the charitable deduction claimed, for those who itemize.

Donate Shares of Privately Held Company Example:

An executive at a privately held company would like to convert some of her concentrated holding in long-held, highly appreciated shares of the company into cash to fund her philanthropic activities. Her company has a buyback program in place for shares donated to charity. She is a board member of several nonprofit organizations sponsoring programs for disadvantaged youth and these organizations are not able to accept non-cash contributions. She wishes to minimize taxes in order to maximize her gifts to charity.

The executive decides to establish a donor-advised fund account and to fund the account with shares of the company stock. The donor-advised fund takes ownership of the shares and tenders them back to the company as part of the charitable buyback program. The transaction closes within a week, and the executive begins to recommend investments and grants to charities of her choice. She claims a fair market value deduction (as determined by a qualified appraisal).
 

Mineral Interests

If you have mineral interests that you are having trouble managing, let Alden and their partners help! In the example below, the Johnson family receive needed income from mineral interests, yet want to leave an impact with Alden.

The Johnson's own a ranch in Texas, and have entered into an agreement with an oil and gas company which led to a land lease with the company and their receipt of a royalties in the future profits. They have been passionate supporters of Alden for many years. In looking for ways to benefit the Kingdom beyond their usual giving, but still needing income, they parnered with Alden associates to manage their mineral asset for them. Upon their passing, the interest would be passed on to Alden, and the Johnsons could be giving to the Church and helping to Engage, Evangelize, and Empower individuals in becoming Change Agents for Christ long after they are gone!

Collectibles

Donating a Coin Collection

Donating from your collection instead of your bank account is ultimately most tax beneficial.

You may deduct the full ‘Fair Market Value’ of your collectibles as a charitable contribution.  This means that you do not have to realize any increase in value, since the time of purchase, as capital gains.

The definition of Fair Market Value is "the price a collector would pay if buying the material for his own collection", not the lower price a dealer might offer if buying for resale.

Also, proper substantiation of the donation is critical, and this may include providing an appraisal of your item(s). If you donate collectible items with a collective value of $5,000 or more, you'll need a qualified appraisal, and if the collective value is $20,000 or above, a copy of the qualified appraisal must be attached to your tax return. If an individual item is valued at $20,000 or more, you may also be required to provide a photograph of the donated collectible item with your tax return.

Donating Art

Donating appreciated property is doubly beneficial because you can both enjoy a valuable tax deduction and avoid the capital gains taxes you’d owe if you sold the property. The extra benefit from donating artwork comes from the fact that the top long-term capital gains rate for art and other “collectibles” is 28 percent, as opposed to 20 percent for most other appreciated property. The first thing to keep in mind if you’re considering a donation of artwork is that you must itemize deductions to deduct charitable contributions. Something else to be aware of is that most artwork donations require a “qualified appraisal” by a “qualified appraiser.” If you own both the work of art and the copyright to the work, you must assign the copyright to the charity to qualify for a charitable deduction.

Donations of artwork to a public charity, such as a museum or university with public charity status, can entitle you to deduct the artwork’s full fair market value. If you donate art to a private foundation, however, your deduction will be limited to your cost. For your donation to a public charity to qualify for a full fair-market-value deduction, the charity’s use of the donated artwork must be related to its tax-exempt purpose.

• If, for example, you donate a painting to a museum for display or to a university’s art history department for use in its research, you’ll satisfy the related-use rule. But if you donate it to, say, a children’s hospital to auction off at its annual fundraising gala, you won’t satisfy the rule.

Legacy Gifts

The most popular means of asset giving is leaving a gift to the church in your estate plan. Including Alden in estate plan by means of your Will or Living Trust, is a way that you can make a statement after your passing of what really mattered to you.

Including language as simple as, “I give, devise and bequeath to the Alden Baptist Church of Springfield, MA, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, _______. (Percent of your estate, dollars, property, securities, etc.)

Alden can help you have your Will drafted often at no cost to you! For more information, contact us at stewardship@aldenbaptistchurch.org. 

Other Commodities

Alden is also able to handle gifts of historical artifacts, gold and precious metals, and a variety of others gifts. If you have something you want to give to the Church, let us know at stewardship@aldenbaptistchurch.org.

If you would like to find out more information on non-cash asset donations or give a donation, please fill out the form below.