Cash is the simplest and most popular form of charitable gift. Cash gifts are deductible up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income. Any portion of the deduction not used in the year of the gift can be carried forward and used on tax returns for the 5 succeeding tax years. You may find that even after considering many of the options detailed below that you will decide to make a cash gift simply because it makes the most sense and allows you to achieve your charitable goals in the most prompt, direct, and impactful fashion.
If you own stocks, mutual funds, or other securities that have increased in value, you may be able to satisfy your charitable giving goals while realizing considerable income and capital gains tax savings. By gifting long-term securities (those owned for more than one year) to the University of Wyoming, you bypass the capital gain that would otherwise be realized on the sale of the securities. You are also entitled to an income tax charitable deduction for the full value of the security, not just the original cost. Gifts of appreciated securities are deductible up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income. Also, if you own securities that are worth less than you paid for them, you should consider selling them and gifting the sale proceeds to UW. That way, you can claim both a capital loss on the sale and a charitable income tax deduction for the amount of the gift.
If you have a home or other real estate that you no longer want to live in or manage, it may make sense to incorporate that property into your charitable planning. Gifting real property to the University of Wyoming can take a number of different forms and may help you with capital gains issues. In some cases you may continue to occupy the property for the balance of your life. By utilizing a charitable remainder trust or a charitable gift annuity in conjunction with your real estate asset, you may be able to convert a low-yielding, highly appreciated piece of property into an income-producing asset.
Valuable collections, works of art, jewelry, antiques, and other personal property can also make meaningful gifts, either through your estate, a life-income vehicle, or otherwise. However, special tax rules apply, and the amount you can deduct depends on the appraised value and how the gift will be used.
When the time comes to transfer or sell your business, you may want to consider a charitable gift of stock for philanthropic and various tax reasons. It is not uncommon for a closely-held business interest to have appreciated greatly in value. A common method in which to liquidate all or a portion of such interest is for the business entity to redeem the stock from the university at a price established by a qualified appraiser. Donors may be entitled to individual tax deductions for the value of the business interest transferred to UW, while the company typically provides the cash for the redemption. This strategy is often a great way to deal with business succession issues while making a significant and lasting impact at UW.
It is often inefficient from a tax perspective to leave qualified retirement plan assets to members of your family, as any amounts remaining in qualified plans may ultimately be subject to both income and estate taxes. Thus, all things being equal, it is often better to leave all or a portion of your qualified plans to UW, while leaving more tax-favored assets to your family. You can easily gift retirement plan assets to UW upon your passing by obtaining and completing a change of beneficiary form at any time. You can designate a specific amount, all, or percentage of the assets for UW and can choose whatever college, program or activity on campus you would like to support (whether in the form of an endowment or otherwise). You can also gift directly to UW through a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA. This satisfies required minimum distributions while also offering savings on taxes.
Life insurance can be used in any number of creative ways to fulfill your charitable and estate planning goals. You may find that you own a policy you purchased many years ago to provide liquidity to pay estate taxes or to provide needed security and protection for your family. You can simply gift an existing policy to UW or name UW as the beneficiary of that policy. You may also find that life insurance is a great way to leverage your giving to ultimately make a larger gift to UW. Naming UW as the owner and beneficiary of a new policy could help you in fulfilling these goals. You can also make tax-deductible annual gifts to UW to fund your premium payments so that your after-tax cost of making a significant charitable commitment is pennies on the dollar.
You want your charitable donations to be as effective as possible when you give. Donor-advised funds or DAFs are the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicle in the United States because they are one of the easiest and most tax-advantageous ways to give to charity. You can support UW through a DAF. Click here to start a grant from your donor-advised fund or to find out more.
Associate Vice President for Development
Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center
307-766-4259 | bbefus@uwyo.edu
