“You must be joking.” I recently had drinks with a fellow nonprofit organization volunteer who also serves on the board of a prestigious cultural institution in the area. We were talking about planning a strategic planning retreat for our nonprofit. He told me about one he attended that focused on educating board members on how they (and others) could support the nonprofit financially, beside the traditional method of writing checks. They organized a board retreat for that single topic! Doesn’t everyone know this stuff already?

Here is where I made my mistake. With a background in financial services, I assumed everyone knew the different ways you can make charitable contributions, besides the obvious – dropping a check into the collection plate. Apparently, I was wrong. People don’t know. They need educating.

Have you had that conversation with your philanthropically minded clients? They might know part of the story, but not the big picture. This can have huge advantages. If sharing this knowledge in a simple, straightforward way, you might get invited to their next board meeting to repeat your story!

What would you tell them? Here are the easiest to explain:

**1. Writing a check. **That’s how we pay membership dues or buy tickets to a charity gala. It’s the first solution that comes to mind.

**2. Matching gifts. **Many firms have matching gift programs. The employee donates to a properly registered charity, and the firm matches the gift up to a threshold. One to one might be the most popular match, but some firms are even more generous. This might not stop when you retire. This can be handy if the donor wants to cross the threshold that gets them into a higher tier giving club.

**3. Donating stock with LT gains. **Financial professionals know all about this strategy. If you donate stock with unrealized LT gains, the donor gets the credit for the full amount of the gift. There is a threshold of 30% of your adjusted gross income (AGI)1

**4. Qualified charitable distribution. **Some retirees worry the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) because it might put them into a higher tax bracket or make certain benefits taxable. If the money (or part of it) goes directly from the retirement account to a qualified charity, the client gets credit with the charity for the gift. The withdrawal gift balances out the potential increase in taxable income. The 2026 limit is $111,000 for an individual, double for a couple.2

**5. Donor advised funds. **These are very popular. It’s a way to give to charity while coordinating the timing of money you designate for contributions with the timing of when those contributions go to the charity. This can be ideal if your client has the money now, yet their favorite charity will not launch it’s capital campaign for a year or so.

6. Charity as retirement plan beneficiary. We think of beneficiaries as people. These heirs are often family members. Maybe there are none. Perhaps they are in great financial shape and don’t need the money. How about listing a charity as a beneficiary? The money is yours until you die. You can spend it if you need it. If you don’t, the charity benefits.

**7. Donating a life insurance policy. **This idea has several variations. A small policy might have substantial cash value. You might continue making premium payments on the policy. Perhaps the charity accepts a policy and they agree to keep up the payments. The end result is the money, cash value or death benefit, goes to the charity.

These are only a few of the different ways people can choose to support a charity. Flexibility gives people the opportunity to think big. As their advisor, you can help clients consider their options. The charity should have staff who can also help your client.

1. https://www.fidelitycharitable.org/giving-account/what-you-can-donate/donating-stock-to-charity.html 2. https://www.fidelitycharitable.org/guidance/philanthropy/qualified-charitable-distribution.html