Planned Giving While Living

Many people think a planned gift is something that is given through a will or estate plan and only benefits the organization after you are deceased. However, there are several gift options that allow you to see the impact of your contribution immediately. Valley Humane Society calls these types of planned donations “planned giving while living.”

Gifts of Stock

Donating appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual funds to Valley Humane Society is easy. We work closely with our investment banker to receive and sell your transferred securities, then put the proceeds of the sale to work saving animals and issue you a letter that serves as a receipt for your tax-deductible gift. Donating appreciated stocks can reduce the amount of capital gains tax you may be paying, so please consult with your broker on making this gift in the appropriate way. You may print a pdf of instructions on how to donate appreciated securities to Valley Humane Society or review them online.

IRA Distribution – Qualified Charitable Distribution

At the end and beginning of the calendar year, seasoned donors sometimes ask about making a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) to Valley Humane Society, a direct transfer from their custodian individual retirement account (IRA), once they turn 70½ years old.

While a QCD is not a tax-deductible donation, it is a distribution that counts towards satisfying your required minimum distribution so long as certain rules are met. A QCD excludes the amount donated from taxable income, which is unlike regular withdrawals from an IRA. When you keep your taxable income lower, this may reduce the impact to certain tax credits and deductions, including Social Security and Medicare. With the passage of the SECURE Act in December 2019, starting January 1, 2020, those donors turning 70 1/2 that make a qualified charitable distribution to Valley Humane Society will have to wait until they turn 72 to have that distribution count towards this year’s required minimum distribution. For those donors that turned 70 1/2 prior to January 1, 2020, your qualified charitable distributions to Valley Humane Society can still count against your required minimum distribution.

Please contact Development Manager Will Anzenberger at (925) 426-8656 ext. 333 or wanzenberger@valleyhumane.org to see if you meet the requirements for making a qualified charitable distribution.

Donor Advised Funds

Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are a popular way for donors to provide financial support for the causes they care about. Set aside especially for charitable causes (and with the tax benefit already received), DAFs only need a word from their account holder to release grant funds that can move the mission forward. If you have a DAF with Schwab, Fidelity, or BNY Mellon, you can use our free widget to recommend Valley Humane Society receive a grant from your DAF today.