Giving to charity is a profoundly personal and emotional act—it's rewarding to help individuals, communities, and causes we care about. Over the past few years, charitable giving has been strong; in 2021, U.S. charitable donations hit a record $484.85 billion.*
Financial management
How to make the most of charitable donations
Learn how to make the most of your charitable donations.
7 minute read
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September 23, 2022
Financial management
Charitable giving
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Estate planning
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Senior Financial Advisor
$484.85 billion
U.S. charitable donations in 2021
The generosity of Vanguard investors continually inspires me, and I'm honored to support and guide my clients toward their philanthropic goals. But one mistake I see my clients make is that they sometimes fall short of their charitable goals because they don't plan their giving in advance.
Just like saving for a home, retirement, or any other long-term goal, charitable donations need a strategy. Building a formal plan and updating it each year can help you meet your charitable goals while maximizing available tax savings.
Here are 5 long-term strategies I often share with my clients to help make the most of their charitable giving.
Donate appreciated assets instead of cash
It's easy to donate cash. But by giving appreciated securities, you can give more money to your charities and less to taxes. This is because you won't have to pay capital gains taxes when you donate appreciated assets, and your charities don't have to pay taxes when they sell them.
For example, if you wanted to give $10,000, you could give it as a cash gift. But if you have a stock fund whose value has increased by $10,000, consider donating the fund instead. You won't owe capital gains tax on the asset, you'll still receive a charitable deduction, and you'll meet your giving goals—possibly having paid less out of pocket.
When I'm helping my clients build their giving strategy, I recommend they ‘bunch’ their contributions into 1 year if it yields a higher tax benefit.
—Taylor Turner, CFP®
Carry over your annual deduction limits for up to 5 years
Generally you cannot deduct more than 60% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)for the year for your cash donations. (Contributions of appreciated securities are limited to 30% of AGI to a charitable organization
But if you want to give more, you can carry forward charitable giving above annual deduction limits for up to 5 years.
Note: Limit of $100,000 not available for 2022 or beyond.
Ready to rethink your giving strategy? Our advisors can help. Give us a call at 855-850-6972 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern time.
Consider QCDs if you're 73
When you reach age 73*, you‘ll have to start taking a required minimum distribution (RMD) annually from your retirement accounts.
If you‘re not itemizing your deductions and you're at RMD age, you may want to consider donating your RMD to a qualified charity through a qualified charitable distribution**(QCD). It'll satisfy your RMD and—up to $100,000 annually—won't count as taxable income. A financial advisor can help you figure out if this approach works for you.
Spread giving throughout the year
While most charities receive the bulk of their donations during the end-of-the-year “Season of Giving,” many organizations need funds year-round. Giving consistently throughout the year—rather than giving in bulk—can help with this. It may also help you budget for a bigger gift overall. With Vanguard Personal Advisor®, you can automate your gifting by setting up an automatic withdrawal plan for your QCDs to run monthly, quarterly, or whenever works best for you.
Name a charity as a beneficiary or leave a bequest in your will or trust
Thinking about what may happen after you‘re gone isn‘t anyone‘s favorite topic. However, I often encourage my clients to consider building charitable bequests into their estate plans if they‘re worried about giving too much too early.
Look at it as a legacy of giving. Naming a charity as a beneficiary or leaving a bequest in your will or trust allows you to give to causes that are meaningful to you without overextending yourself if you need to spend more on long-term care or other expenses. Additionally, charitable bequests are eligible for estate tax deduction and can reduce estate taxes.
Wondering what organizations to give to? Vanguard Charitable has tools to help you narrow your search.
Want help preserving your wealth?
Working with Vanguard Personal Advisor gives you anytime access to advisors who are fiduciaries—always acting in your best interests. They‘ll provide investment coaching and work with you to balance multiple financial priorities, including saving for retirement and beyond. Call us at 855-850-6972 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern time.
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*Due to changes to federal law that took effect on January 1, 2023, the age at which you must begin taking RMDs differs depending on when you were born. If you reached age 72 on or before December 31, 2022, you were already required to take your RMD and must continue satisfying that requirement. However, if you had not yet reached age 72 by December 31, 2022, you must take your first RMD from your traditional IRA by April 1 of the year after you reached age 73.
** Beginning in 2023, a QCD may be taken to fund a Charitable Remainder UniTrust, Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust, or Charitable Gift Annuity up to a maximum one-time amount of $50,000.
*Giving USA: Total U.S. charitable giving remained strong in 2021, reaching $484.85 billion. Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. June 21, 2022.
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