Gift of Securities to St. Bonaventure University
Gifts of securities offer a tax deduction of full fair market value of their appreciated assets — if owned more than one year — and they avoid all capital gains taxes on their “paper profit.”
Take the example of a St. Bonaventure alumna. The stock she purchased in 1985 for $200 is now worth $1,000. If she gives the stock instead of cash for her Bonaventure Fund gift, with fair market value of $1,000, she can claim a $1,000 charitable deduction on her next income tax return. In a 33 percent bracket, that’s a tax savings of $330. Furthermore, she avoids $120 in capital gains taxes that would be due whenever the stock is sold. The result: After figuring the tax savings, a gift of $1,000 costs only $550.
Your tax deduction for a gift of appreciated securities is fixed by the value of the securities on the day your gift is made. For actively traded securities, value is the mean (average) between the highest and lowest quoted sales price on the date of the gift. So timing can be very important. Your gift is effective on the day you transfer the stock to St. Bonaventure.
If you wish to contribute securities, you or your broker should contact our office for the most current electronic delivery (DTC) instructions. Please contact:
Matthew J. Tornambe, CFRE
Associate Vice President for Advancement
(716) 375-2409 or mtornambe@sbu.edu