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Home > Support Or Atid > Ways to Give at COA

Ways to Give at COA

Ways To Give At COA

Donation of (Appreciated) Securities

Donating securities (e.g. stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or ETFs) that have increased in value since they were purchased in order to pay your synagogue Sustaining Share (or any donation) is better than paying with cash because:

  1. You avoid capital gains tax – If you sold the stock yourself, you'd pay tax on the increase in value since you bought it. But if you donate the stock directly to the synagogue, you don’t owe any tax on that gain.
  2. You still get a charitable deduction – The full market value of the stock is tax-deductible if you itemize, just like you would with a cash payment.
  3. The synagogue receives the full value – Since the synagogue is a nonprofit, it can sell the stock without paying any tax and use the full amount for its operation, programs, and services.

 

Bottom line: You can save money on taxes, and the synagogue gets the full value of your gift—it’s a smart and generous way to pay your dues.

Qualified Charitable Distributions

If you are taking a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from a tax-sheltered account, you can avoid owing income tax on a portion of that distribution by making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to a 501(c)(3) non-profit such as our synagogue. (While these Qualified Charitable Distributions are restricted to IRA accounts, it is fairly easy to do a one-time rollover of a 401k, 403b, or 457 account into an IRA.) For example, suppose you are required to receive a RMD of $10,000 for 2025 and wanted to make a Sustaining Share donation of $4,000. If you received the $10,000 RMD directly and then wrote a check to COA for $4,000, you would owe income tax on the full $10,000 and the $4,000 gift would only reduce your taxes if you itemized. Alternatively, if you had your IRA administrator distribute a $6,000 RMD directly to you and also send $4,000 to Or Atid as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), you would owe taxes only on the $6,000. The tax savings for you could be hundreds or even thousands of dollars! IRS rules being what they are, there are a few extra details to consider, so please speak with your financial advisor.

Donor Advised Fund

A third method for reducing taxes while making charitable contributions, is using a Donor Advised Fund (DAF). These can be created using tax-deductible donations of cash and/or (appreciated) securities. In some cases, the fund can be created with even a minimal donation.  There are two principal tax advantages to a Donor Advised Fund –

(1) Donations to the DAF are tax-deductible at the full value of appreciated securities, but no capital-gains tax is owed on the appreciation.

(2) Distributions to almost any 501(c)(3) non-profit can be directed at any subsequent time, thus charitable giving that is planned for over multi-year horizons can be lumped into a single donation, making tax itemization more feasible.

Donor Advised Funds are especially useful for those few taxpayers who own appreciated securities and expect to make relatively larger charitable donations spanning several years.

Again, please speak with your advisor.

Direct Cash Donations

Of course, direct cash donations to Or Atid (via check or credit card) are always welcome and greatly appreciated! Checks for the general operating budget should be made out to Congregation Or Atid (10625 Patterson Ave., Henrico, VA 23228).

If you wish to make a gift that will help permanently sustain Congregation Or Atid, please consider a donation to the Congregation Or Atid Endowment Fund by sending a check made out to the Richmond Jewish Foundation (5540 Falmouth Street, Suite 201, Richmond, VA 23230) with a note attached (or in the memo section) that the donation is for Congregation Or Atid Endowment.

Wed, November 19 2025 28 Cheshvan 5786