End of Year Giving & Grantmaking

The Community Foundation of Collier County is here to help make year-end gifts and grant making as meaningful and straightforward as possible for you and your clients.

Please note the important information and deadlines below:

• December 31 is the last day to make charitable contributions in order to receive a tax deduction for calendar year 2019.
• Donor Advised Fund recommendations must be made by Monday, Dec. 16 for grant checks to be mailed out by the end of the year.
• The Community Foundation will be closed Dec. 24 and 25.

Checks:

• Checks should be dated and postmarked on or before Dec. 31 and mailed to our offices at: 1110 Pine Ridge Road, Suite 200, Naples, FL 34108.
• Envelopes mailed through private mailing services such as FedEx must be received in our office by the morning of Dec. 31 to be processed as 2019 gifts.
• They may also be hand-delivered by 3 PM EST on Dec. 31.

Credit Cards:

• Credit card gifts can be made securely online at cfcollier.org/donate-now by 11:59 PM EST on Dec. 31.
• Credit card gifts made over the telephone or sent by mail must be received at the Community Foundation offices by 3 PM EST on Dec. 31 in order to be charged.

Wire or Stock Transfers:

• Electronic transfers must be received by 12 PM EST on Dec. 31.
• The completed Stock Gifts and Wire Transfers form should be submitted to Lisette Holmes at lholmes@cfcollier.org.

Securities and Complex Assets:

• Gifts of complex assets and securities require planning and some extra time.
• Please contact the Community Foundation at (239) 649-5000 to discuss your intentions, as well as the requirements and timing of making your gift.
• Your transfer from a brokerage account is complete when the securities have been received by an account owned by the Community Foundation, not upon giving instructions to a broker.
• Initiate your transfer early – allowing several weeks. While some transfers may be received within days of your instruction, longer delays are possible. (i.e.…mutual fund transfers can take 2 – 5 weeks)
• Your electronic transfer must be received by 12 PM EST on Dec. 31.
• Physical stock certificates may also be hand-delivered by 3 PM EST on Dec. 31. If this is your intention, please contact Lisette Holmes to obtain the proper instructions and required forms.

FAQ for Year-End Giving and Grant Making 2019

Can you still get a tax break for donating to charity in 2019 under the new tax law changes?

• You may still receive a tax break for charitable donations if you itemize deductions on your tax return. But the new tax law nearly doubles the standard deduction, leading to fewer people itemizing. If your charitable gifts plus other deductions total more than the standard deduction, which in 2019 is $12,200 for individuals or $24,400 for married couples filing jointly, you may receive a break.
• Making two-, or even three-years’ worth of charitable gifts at once (referred to as bunching) may put you over the threshold. One good way to accomplish this is by contributing to a donor advised fund (DAF). You take the tax break in the year you give, and have unlimited time to decide the charities you would like to give to. To learn more, contact the CFCC at (239) 649-5000.

Grantmaking

• Donor Advised Fund recommendations must be made by Monday, Dec. 16 for grant checks to be mailed out by the end of the year. The flexibility of a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) allows you to give at any time because you have already received your tax deduction for donating to the Community Foundation of Collier County.  Please consider making grants sooner rather than later to avoid the end of year rush if you are planning to do additional giving this year from your DAF.  The Foundation and the nonprofits tend to have a skeleton staff during the holidays, so making your grants earlier is very appreciated.

IRA Charitable Rollovers

• IRAs cannot be put into Donor Advised Funds at this time. Eileen Connolly-Keesler, Community Foundation of Collier County president and CEO, has been working with other community foundations in Washington, DC, in hopes of changing this law.
• An alternative is to create a fund that we call an IRA Rollover Fund. If you are 70 ½ or older, you can contribute up to $100,000 tax-free, from a traditional IRA, to support the causes you care about without being subject to federal income taxes on the distribution. Please note that your qualified charitable distribution must be transferred from your IRA directly to an IRA Rollover Fund at the CFCC, which designates one or more qualified charities as the beneficiary. This fund can payout over a period of years, but the beneficiary cannot change.
• Using your distribution to establish an IRA Rollover Fund in your name at the CFCC enables you to make grants to the nonprofits you care about most. To learn more, contact the CFCC at (239) 649-5000.

Contact us if you have any questions about specific types of gifts or timing.

Staff Contacts:

Lisette Holmes, CFO
lholmes@cfcollier.org
p 239.649.5000

Julie Van Tongeren, VP Development
jvantongeren@cfcollier.org
p 239.307.4521 Direct Line

Meredith Nassif, Director of Donor Services
mnassif@cfcollier.org
p 239.307.4517 Direct Line