Year-end giving, IRAs, and making the most of your support for [ABC Charity]
You can access the Stewardship Newsletter content in the Google Doc in the button above, or you can see the text of the newsletter below to get a visual for what it might look like on your website.
Your legacy can live on
[ABC Charity] is honored to be part of your story.
Year-end giving, IRAs, and making the most of your support for [ABC Charity]
Hello from [ABC Charity]!
October is here, and before we know it, the holidays and year-end will be upon us! As you begin thinking about your charitable giving plans for the remainder of 2026, we want you to know how grateful we are that [ABC Charity] is among the organizations you care about.
This month, we're sharing three articles to help you make the most of your generosity, whether you're considering a year-end gift, exploring ways to give through your IRA, or thinking about how best to support the work of organizations you love.
It's a whirlwind: Five tips for year-end giving
Your inbox and mailbox are probably filling up with charitable giving reminders, tax tips, and appeals. How do you sort through it all? We've put together five practical considerations to help you approach year-end giving thoughtfully, including new tax rules for 2026 and ways to support [ABC Charity] using assets other than cash.
Cheers for IRAs, QCDs, and charitable giving
If you're 70½ or older, your IRA may offer a particularly attractive way to support [ABC Charity]. Even if you're younger, retirement accounts can play an important role in your long-term charitable plans. We're sharing five things to know about IRAs and charitable giving, including opportunities to support our work both during your lifetime and through your estate.
Trust in action: Helping [ABC Charity] do what we do best
What does it mean to trust the organizations you support? One answer is to give nonprofits the flexibility to put charitable dollars where they're needed most. Learn how unrestricted gifts, ongoing support, and open conversations can help [ABC Charity] make an even greater difference.
As always, thank you for your generosity, your encouragement, and your belief in our mission. Whether you've supported [ABC Charity] for decades or recently made your first gift, we're grateful to have you as part of our community.
We look forward to staying in touch as the year comes to a close!
–Your friends at [ABC Charity]
THIS MONTH’S
FEATURED ARTICLES
It's a whirlwind: Five tips for year-end giving
If your email inbox—and even your actual mailbox—is any indication, year-end must be right around the corner!
You've likely already started getting charitable-giving reminders, tax tips, and appeals from organizations you care about. It can be a lot! The good news is that thoughtful year-end giving doesn't have to be complicated.
At [ABC Charity], we want you to feel confident that your generosity is making a difference. As you plan your charitable giving for the rest of 2026, here are five considerations to keep in mind.
Start with what matters most to you.
Before you start thinking about tax deductions, deadlines, and which assets to give, consider a more important question: What do you want your generosity to accomplish?
Perhaps you want to keep supporting organizations that have mattered to your family for years. Maybe you've recently become interested in a new cause. Or perhaps you'd like to make an especially meaningful gift to [ABC Charity] because our mission reflects something you've experienced personally.
Whatever motivates your giving, we hope you'll keep those priorities front and center.
And if [ABC Charity] is among the organizations you're considering supporting before year-end, we'd love to hear what aspects of our work are most meaningful to you.
Focus on what you give, not just how much.
Writing a check or making an online gift is convenient, but cash isn't necessarily the only asset worth considering.
For example, if you own publicly traded stock that has increased significantly in value, donating the stock directly to an eligible charitable organization may offer tax advantages compared with selling the stock and donating the proceeds.
Depending on your circumstances, a gift of appreciated securities held for more than one year may allow you to avoid recognizing capital gains on the appreciation while potentially qualifying for a charitable deduction based on fair market value, subject to applicable tax rules.
If you're considering a gift of stock to [ABC Charity], please contact us before initiating the transfer so we can help coordinate the details.
And if you're contemplating a gift involving real estate, closely held business interests, or other complex assets, it's especially important to consult your advisors and determine whether [ABC Charity] can accept the proposed gift before taking action.
Take another look at the 2026 tax rules.
This year brought important changes to federal tax rules for charitable giving.
For taxpayers who itemize, charitable contributions generally are deductible only to the extent they exceed 0.5% of adjusted gross income. For taxpayers in the highest federal income tax bracket, another limitation generally reduces the maximum federal income tax benefit of itemized deductions from 37% to 35%.
Meanwhile, taxpayers who do not itemize may now qualify for a charitable deduction of up to $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for married couples filing jointly for qualifying cash gifts to certain public charities.
That last provision may be especially relevant if you typically take the standard deduction. Assuming [ABC Charity] is an eligible public charity, qualifying cash contributions to our organization may count toward this new deduction. Gifts to donor-advised funds and private foundations, however, do not qualify.
Your tax advisor can help you understand how these provisions apply to your situation. Depending on your circumstances, it may also make sense to explore whether combining several years of charitable giving into one year—sometimes called "bunching"—could offer tax advantages.
If you're 70½ or older, don't overlook your IRA.
If you've reached age 70½, you may be eligible to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD, directly from your IRA to [ABC Charity].
For 2026, the annual QCD limit is $111,000 per eligible IRA owner. A qualifying distribution is excluded from taxable income and, if you're subject to required minimum distributions, can count toward satisfying that requirement.
A QCD can be particularly attractive because you don't have to itemize deductions to receive its income tax benefit.
There are important rules, including a requirement that the funds be transferred directly from the IRA to an eligible charity. If you're interested in making a QCD to [ABC Charity], please contact us and your IRA custodian before initiating the gift.
Don't wait until the last week of December—please!
Perhaps the simplest year-end giving tip is also one of the most important: Start early.
Gifts of stock can take time to transfer. IRA distributions require coordination with the account custodian. More complex gifts may involve additional documentation and review.
Even a straightforward charitable gift can become stressful when everyone is racing against a December 31 deadline.
October is a wonderful time to take stock of your giving for the year, think about what you'd still like to accomplish, and begin conversations with your advisors.
Have a year-end gift in mind, or simply want to learn more about our work? We'd love to hear what you're hoping to accomplish and explore ways to make an even greater difference together.
Your generosity helps make our mission possible, and we look forward to making an even greater difference together.
Cheers for IRAs, QCDs, and charitable giving
Retirement accounts are an important part of many people's financial lives. Over the years, IRAs, 401(k)s, and other retirement accounts can grow into substantial assets, making them a key consideration in both retirement planning and charitable giving.
If [ABC Charity] is among the organizations you care about, here's something worth knowing: Your IRA or other retirement account may offer opportunities to support our work both during your lifetime and through your estate.
The rules can be complicated, but a few basics can help. Here are five important things to know, plus a bonus reminder.
Age 70½ is an important milestone for charitable giving.
If you've reached age 70½, you may be eligible to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution, commonly called a QCD, directly from your IRA to an eligible charitable organization such as [ABC Charity].
QCDs are available beginning at age 70½, even though required minimum distributions generally begin later, at age 73 or 75, depending on your birth year.
In other words, you don't have to wait until you're required to take money out of your IRA to start using QCDs for charitable giving.
The 2026 QCD limit is $111,000.
The annual QCD limit is adjusted for inflation and is $111,000 per eligible IRA owner in 2026.
If you're married and both you and your spouse meet the eligibility requirements and have your own IRAs, each of you has a separate annual limit.
Unlike a conventional charitable contribution, a QCD is generally excluded from taxable income rather than claimed as a charitable income tax deduction.
And if you're already subject to required minimum distributions, a qualifying QCD can count toward your RMD.
This can make QCDs especially appealing for donors who don't itemize deductions, as well as those who would simply prefer to use a portion of their retirement assets to support a favorite charitable organization.
Make sure the money travels the right path.
The mechanics matter! To qualify as a QCD, the distribution generally must be made directly from your IRA to [ABC Charity] or another eligible charitable organization.
You generally can't withdraw the money, deposit it into your own bank account, and then write a personal check to charity and receive QCD treatment.
Another important limitation is that QCDs cannot be made to donor-advised funds, even though charitable organizations maintain those funds.
If you'd like to use a QCD to support [ABC Charity], please contact us before initiating the transfer. We can provide the information needed to help your IRA custodian direct the distribution appropriately.
Keep an eye on potential changes to the rules.
Charitable giving rules continue to evolve, and Congress periodically considers proposals to expand QCD opportunities.
For example, one proposal has been introduced that would allow qualifying charitable distributions directly from certain employer-sponsored retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s, and another proposal would expand QCD eligibility to donor-advised funds.
These expanded options aren't current law, so it's important to plan based on the rules that apply. For now, the traditional QCD opportunity remains focused on eligible distributions from IRAs to qualifying charitable recipients.
Don't forget about retirement accounts when planning your legacy.
QCDs can help you support [ABC Charity] during your lifetime. But retirement accounts may also offer a meaningful way to support our mission after your lifetime.
For example, no matter what age you are, you can generally name [ABC Charity] as the beneficiary of all or a percentage of your IRA or other retirement account.
Why might this be attractive? Traditional retirement assets left to individual beneficiaries can carry income tax consequences when distributed. By contrast, a qualified tax-exempt charitable organization, such as [ABC Charity], can generally receive those assets without paying federal income tax on the distributions.
Depending on your circumstances, leaving retirement assets to [ABC Charity] while directing other assets to family members may be worth discussing with your estate planning advisors. And the process may be simpler than you think. In many cases, naming a charitable beneficiary involves updating a beneficiary designation rather than changing your will or trust. Of course, you should always coordinate beneficiary designations with your overall estate plan.
And a bonus: We're happy to be part of the conversation!
You don't have to figure out all these rules on your own! Your tax, financial, and estate planning advisors can help you choose strategies that fit your circumstances. And if supporting [ABC Charity] is part of your charitable plan, we'd be honored to provide information about our organization and discuss the ways your generosity can support our mission.
Whether you're considering a QCD before year-end or exploring a charitable gift through your estate, thank you for thinking of [ABC Charity]. We're grateful to be part of your charitable giving story!
Trust in action: Helping [ABC Charity] do what we do best
If you've supported [ABC Charity] for many years, you already know that our mission is about more than any single project, program, or activity.
Every day, our team works to make a difference for the people and communities we serve. And because you're part of the [ABC Charity] family, we want to share an important idea about how your generosity can help us accomplish even more.
It's called "trust-based philanthropy."
The terminology may sound complicated, but the basic concept is simple: The people closest to the work often have valuable insight into how charitable resources can make the greatest difference.
Sometimes the most useful gift is the most flexible one.
Imagine a donor who gives a local food pantry a gift and asks that every dollar be used to buy canned goods. That's certainly a generous gesture! But suppose the food pantry already has plenty of canned goods and urgently needs to repair its roof or hire someone to help manage food distribution. In that situation, a gift restricted to canned goods might not address the organization's most pressing need.
This is one reason nonprofits often value unrestricted gifts so highly—contributions that can be used wherever they're needed most to advance the organization's charitable mission.
At [ABC Charity], flexible support can help us respond to changing circumstances, invest in the people and resources necessary to deliver our programs, and pursue opportunities that might not fit neatly into a particular funding category.
Of course, designated gifts can be extremely valuable, too. If there's a particular aspect of our work that matters to you, we're always happy to discuss how your generosity can support it.
The key is to talk about what you hope to accomplish and how your gift can be most effective.
Thinking beyond a single year
Another important aspect of trust-based philanthropy is the value of ongoing support.
A multi-year charitable commitment can help a nonprofit plan more confidently, knowing that some resources will be available beyond the current year. For example, predictable support may help an organization retain talented staff, maintain essential services, or invest in improvements that take more than a few months to accomplish.
And a multi-year commitment doesn't necessarily have to be a large one. For some donors, a modest annual gift, given consistently over several years, can be a meaningful way to show confidence in an organization's mission.
If you've supported [ABC Charity] year after year, you already understand the value of this kind of loyalty. We are deeply grateful for it.
Trust also means listening.
Trust-based philanthropy isn't just about unrestricted gifts or multi-year commitments. It's also about building strong relationships between donors and the organizations they support. That means listening, asking questions, sharing information, and creating opportunities for honest conversations about what's working, what's challenging, and what the future might hold.
We welcome those conversations at [ABC Charity].
Perhaps you're curious about how our programs are evolving. Maybe you'd like to understand more about the challenges we're seeing. Or perhaps you have ideas, experiences, or connections that could help us advance our mission.
We'd love to hear from you! And we hope you'll feel comfortable asking questions about our work, our priorities, and the difference your generosity is making.
Trust and accountability can go hand in hand. We believe that open communication helps build the confidence and understanding that make long-term charitable relationships so meaningful.
Your support is about more than dollars.
One wonderful thing about working with donors is that generosity comes in many forms.
Of course, charitable contributions are essential to our work. But our supporters also contribute through volunteer service, professional expertise, introductions, advocacy, and simply sharing enthusiasm for our mission. Sometimes a conversation leads to a valuable connection. Sometimes a donor introduces a family member or friend to our organization. Sometimes a longtime supporter helps us see an opportunity we might otherwise miss. These contributions matter, too.
As you think about your relationship with [ABC Charity], we hope you'll consider the many ways you can remain involved in the work we do together.
What does this mean for your giving?
You don't need to adopt a particular philanthropic philosophy to put these ideas into practice. Instead, consider a few simple questions the next time you're thinking about supporting [ABC Charity] or another organization you care about.
Would an unrestricted gift be especially helpful? Would a multi-year commitment make a difference? Are there opportunities to support the organization's overall capacity, not just a specific program? And are there ways to contribute your time, expertise, or connections in addition to your financial support?
Most importantly, don't hesitate to ask what we need. We welcome the opportunity to talk with you about our current priorities, the challenges we're working to address, and the opportunities we see ahead. Because at the end of the day, trust-based philanthropy is about relationships. And the relationships we've built with donors like you are among [ABC Charity]'s most valuable assets.
Thank you for believing in our mission, trusting our team, and helping us make a difference.
[ABC Charity] is honored to be part of your charitable giving. This newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal, accounting, or financial planning advice. Please consult your tax, legal, and financial advisors to learn how this information might apply to your own situation.