Planned giving offers thoughtful and strategic ways for individuals to tithe and support Citylight Church. A donor can leverage various financial tools and arrangements that provide donors with opportunities to leave a lasting impact while potentially gaining financial advantages.

The following strategies can help maximize the impact of the donor’s charitable contributions while optimizing their tax planning.

  1. Giving Appreciated Securities
    Giving appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual funds directly to Citylight Church allows donors to avoid capital gains taxes on the appreciation while still receiving a charitable deduction for the full fair market value of the securities. This strategy can be particularly advantageous for donors who hold highly appreciated assets and are looking to diversify or rebalance their portfolio. Please reach out to Jay Stahlecker, Director of Operations, to obtain transfer information for our brokerage account.
  1. Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)
    For donors subject to Required Minimum Distributions (RMD), QCDs provide a tax-efficient way to support Citylight Church directly from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA). In 2024, up to $105,000 per year can be transferred from an IRA as a QCD. This counts toward the RMD but is excluded from the donor’s taxable income, potentially resulting in significant tax savings, especially for donors who do not itemize deductions or who are subject to income limits on charitable deductions. The following article published by Schwab Charitable may be a useful resource for your understanding: https://www.schwabcharitable.org/giving-with-ira
  1. Donor Advised Funds (DAF)
    Donor Advised Funds are charitable giving accounts administered by public foundations or financial institutions. Donors can contribute assets (i.e. Appreciated Securities), receive immediate tax benefits, and recommend grants to Citylight Church over time. This strategy allows donors flexibility in timing their charitable contributions while potentially maximizing tax advantages. Schwab Charitable is one of many options for establishing a Donor Advised Fund https://www.schwabcharitable.org/donor-advised-funds.
  2. Other Planned Giving strategies include charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, beneficiary designation on life insurance, beneficiary designation on retirement accounts, and bequests via will.

Please reach out to Jay Stahlecker, Director of Operations, if you have any questions.

All content above is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or tax advice. You should consult a financial or tax advisor to discuss your individual situation. References to Schwab Charitable are provided for informational purposes and are not an endorsement by Citylight Church.