Ways to Give at MCF

Donating Cash Is Simple

1. You donate to Madison Community Foundation using a check, credit card, or make a monthly contribution from your savings or checking account through an electronic funds transfer.
2. Your gift creates or adds to a charitable fund at MCF.
3. The fund makes distributions to the organizations or charitable causes you recommend.

Giving Cash May Be Appropriate if …

• You want to make an immediate gift
• You have surplus cash flow after meeting your expenses
• You are interested in a charitable deduction to offset taxable income

How to Make a Cash Gift

• Write a check. Checks may be made payable to Madison Community Foundation, with the name of the fund included in the memo field. Checks should be mailed to: Madison Community Foundation, 111 N. Fairchild Street, Suite 260, Madison, WI 53703.
• Give online. Make a gift through our fund portal using your credit card.
• Give directly from your bank account. For an electronic funds transfer, simply download the EFT Form [PDF] and return it via mail or fax (608-232-1772).

Donating Securities

1. You donate stocks, bonds or mutual fund shares to Madison Community Foundation.
2. MCF sells the securities and uses the money to create or add to a charitable fund at MCF.
3. The fund makes distributions to the organizations or charitable causes you recommend.

Giving Securities May Be Appropriate if …

• You own stocks, bonds or mutual fund shares you have held for at least one year
• Those securities have increased significantly in value and you would like to receive a charitable deduction for the full fair market value
• Your financial advisor suggests rebalancing your portfolio

How to Make a Gift of Securities

Giving appreciated securities and mutual fund shares offers an immediate charitable deduction for the full fair market value of the donated assets (subject to any limitations based on your adjusted gross income). You also will not have to pay any capital gains tax on the appreciation for donated securities.

Please contact Harmony Kronick, Senior Operations Director, or Carmen Jeschke, Vice President of Finance & Operations for instructions to provide your broker if you wish to contribute shares of publicly traded stock or mutual funds.

As a reminder, you must notify MCF prior to transferring securities or wiring cash so we can ensure your gift is accepted by our financial institution. If we are not able to advise the financial institution in advance, the transfer may be rejected.

NOTE: MCF may accept gifts of closely held business interests on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if you are considering this type of gift.

Donating Real Estate

1. You donate real estate to Madison Community Foundation, after confirming that MCF can accept the property.
2. MCF sells the property and uses the money to create or add to a charitable fund at MCF.
3. The fund makes distributions to the organizations or charitable causes you recommend.

Giving Real Estate May Be Appropriate if …

• You own residential, commercial, industrial or undeveloped real estate you no longer use or want to maintain
• The property can be readily sold after gifting
• The property is environmentally clean and free from mortgage debt or other liabilities

How to Make a Gift of Real Estate

MCF will consider gifts of real estate after proper due diligence. Real estate must have a reasonable expectation of being sold within a year, and must not jeopardize MCF’s nonprofit status or expose it to expenses. We will work with you and your advisors to assess the feasibility of any property gifts you are considering, now or through your estate plan.

A gift of real estate you have owned for more than one year may entitle you to a tax deduction for the property’s full fair market value while allowing you to avoid capital gains tax.

Creating a Charitable Gift Annuity

1. Establish a CGA with a gift to MCF of cash, stock or other assets.
2. Decide whether the annuity will be for your lifetime, or add a second person.
3. Determine which nonprofit you would like to benefit from the CGA after your death.

Using a CGA May Be Appropriate if …

• You would like to leave a legacy of support for a nonprofit organization.
• You want a guaranteed stream of income for your lifetime (or lifetimes, if you add a second person to the CGA).
• You are interested in receiving a charitable tax deduction in the current year.

How to Create a CGA

• Provide MCF with some basic information. We’ll need your full name, birth date, the amount of your gift and type of asset your giving, and the organization it will benefit. If you are planning to take the annuity over two lives, we’ll need the full name and birth date of the second person as well.
• Review the CGA projection information MCF provides.  We will send you the annuity payment amounts and the estimated tax savings.
• Meet with MCF to sign the paperwork. We can answer any questions you have, and make arrangements to begin your CGA. You can elect to begin receiving payments immediately, or defer them to a later date.
• Make your gift to MCF. If your CGA will benefit an organization with an existing endowment at MCF, the minimum gift for a CGA is $10,000. If you want to create a new endowment for an organization, the minimum is $30,000.

Learn More

You can learn more about CGAs, and find the current CGA rates, in our fact sheet, “A Gift that Benefits You, and Makes a Difference.”

See how CGAs helped this fundholder do more than she thought possible.

Gifts of Tangible Personal Property

MCF will consider gifts of tangible personal property, such as art, collectibles or jewelry on a case-by-case basis. MCF cannot accept furniture, livestock, cars or boats.

If you have personal property you are considering using to fund your giving, please contact Carmen Jeschke or call our office at 608-232-1763 to discuss whether MCF will be able to accept your gift.

Making a Qualified Charitable Distribution 

1. You ask your retirement plan administrator to make a distribution of up to $100,000 each year to a qualified fund at Madison Community Foundation.
2. Your gift creates a designated or field of interest fund, or adds to a nonprofit’s endowment fund at MCF.
3. The fund makes distributions to the organization you designated or the charitable causes you specified in your fund.

Making a QCD May Be Appropriate if …

• You are at least 70 1/2 and have an IRA or other qualified retirement plan.
• You have sufficient assets outside of your retirement plan to meet your lifetime income needs.
• You are interested in reducing your IRA’s value to minimize the size of your taxable estate.

How to Make a QCD

• Review eligibility requirements. Talk to your financial advisor to ensure that you are eligible to make a QCD and that it will fit into your overall financial plans.
• Contact your plan administrator. To qualify, distributions must be made directly from the account custodian to MCF for the qualified fund.
• Notify MCF that you are making a gift. If you are establishing a new designated or field of interest fund, we can help you establish the fund.

You can learn more about QCDs in our blog, or download our QCD fact sheet.

Making a Gift From Your Commercial Donor Advised Fund

You can use your commercial donor advised fund to recommend a grant to your fund at MCF. It’s an easy way to support local causes, collaborate with trusted community experts and invest in the long-term wellbeing of your community.

Making a Gift From a Private Family Foundation

You can use your private family foundation to make a grant directly to your fund at MCF. It’s an easy way to support local causes, collaborate with trusted community experts, and invest in the long-term wellbeing of your community.

You also can transition your private family foundation to a donor advised fund for a streamlined, flexible and enduring way to continue your charitable giving. Transitioning to a donor advised fund preserves your philanthropic intent while easing administrative responsibilities and deepening your connection to the community you care about.