Matched Gifts

If your employer matches donations, please [This is new content. Help! DO WHAT? Fill out a form? And when – before pledging or before starting payments? Speak with specific staff member?]

Donor Advised Funds



Some people contribute money to a donor advised fund (DAF). This fund is managed by a financial institution (such as Vanguard or Fidelity) or by a large nonprofit foundation (like the Seattle Foundation). A DAF holds a donor’s contributions in their name until they are ready to direct the DAF to release some amount to a qualifying nonprofit or charitable organization. Churches are one such qualifying charitable organization, and UUC annual pledges are non-binding agreements that qualify as a purpose for release.

If you have a donor advised fund and wish to issue grants from that fund to UUC, give the church’s tax ID 91-0593062 to your managing institution for verification. Please note that because participants in DAFs receive tax deductions when they contribute money to the fund (not when money is released from the fund), the church must record such donations as nondeductible in donor records.

Retirement Accounts

Please consult with your retirement account manager and your tax accountant before making a decision about donating from a retirement account. The information below is offered for general understanding and is NOT professional financial advice.

There are two ways to make gifts to the church from a retirement account, depending on your tax strategies.

The first method is to make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) directly from your retirement account to the church. When you request such a distribution from the firm that manages your retirement account, the money is withdrawn from your account and sent directly to the church in the financial institution’s name. While this is recorded as your gift at the church, it is not considered a distribution to you and therefore does not get included in your annual income for tax purposes.



The second method is to write a check that draws directly from your retirement account and make UUC the payee. Such a check, signed by you, is considered a withdrawal for your benefit and is considered a distribution of income. The church records the donation as a deductible gift, so you will be able to deduct it from your taxable income. But in contrast to a QCD, it will be included in your annual income for tax purposes.

If you decide that a gift using either method is a good option for you to give to UUC, please give the church’s tax ID 91-0593062 to your managing institution for verification. They will lead you through the process of issuing a gift.

Gifts of Stock

Please consult with your retirement account manager and your tax accountant before making a decision about donating gifts of stock. The information below is offered for general understanding and is NOT professional financial advice.

Many supporters who have appreciated equities choose to donate those equities to the church. The market value of the equities at the time of donation are deductible from your taxable income, but you will not have to record or pay taxes on any capital gains due to market appreciation. This can be a significant advantage if you have such an opportunity.

UUC has a Schwab investment account set up specifically to receive gifts. This account is managed by Trillium Investment Management (along with the church’s endowment investment accounts). Trillium has standing instructions to immediately sell all equities received in the gift investment account. Proceeds of sales are transferred to the appropriate church accounts as instructed by the donor. [Preceding sentence feels confusing.]The value of the gift recorded for the donor is determined by the mean of the high and low prices on the day the stock is transmitted to Schwab.

If you wish to make a gift of stock to the church, please contact the church office so we can share the appropriate directive information with you to give to your brokerage.