Maximize your gift impact and take advantage of federal tax benefits. Gifts of securities, stocks and bonds are a great way to support people and programs at UW-Eau Claire. Like cash donations, gifts of securities have a valuable impact on teaching and learning at the university.

A gift of long-term appreciated securities (those you have held for one year or longer) can be a preferable way to give. When you donate long-term appreciated securities to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation you can potentially take a charitable income tax deduction of the securities’ full fair market value at the time of your gift and you might also not be taxed on the appreciation in value of the stock. As with all tax based decisions, you must consult your personal tax advisor before making any such decisions.

Odd lots of stock

The odds and ends drawer - we all have one. Things you don’t know what to do with land here: keys that open who-knows-what; batteries that may or may not be charged, photos you’ll put in an album someday, things that are too valuable to just throw away. Perhaps your stock portfolio has its own odds and ends drawer filled with “odd lots” of stock.

Investment firms define odd lots as shares of stock numbering less than the standard unit of trading - less than 100 shares per security. No one benefits from odd lots. The companies don’t like them because regardless of the number you own, you still are a shareholder. The company must send you proxies, annual reports and other information. Your broker doesn’t benefit because these shares add little value to your portfolio. You don’t benefit because the dividend payout is nominal. Plus, if you sell the stock - which likely has appreciated in value - you will pay capital gains tax. This potential tax liability, coupled with the cost to either buy more stock or sell what you have, is enough of a deterrent to simply do nothing. So, like those odd keys, batteries and photos you hold onto, your odd lots of stock are cluttering up your stock portfolio.

One option for those odd lots of stock is to give them to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation. The Foundation will sell the stock and use the cash proceeds for scholarships to deserving students. Because the Foundation is a nonprofit entity, you will receive a charitable gift receipt for the stock when you transfer ownership to the Foundation. As a result, you avoid the capital gains tax and get a charitable deduction, potentially reducing your income tax bill*. Getting rid of those odd lots of stock helps everyone. You streamline your stock portfolio, avoid potential capital gains taxes and, best of all, help deserving students get a college education.

*Consult your tax adviser to determine your specific tax benefit.

How to make your securities gift

You can make a securities gift to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation by electronic transfer.

To do an electronic transfer you will need to provide the UW-Eau Claire Foundation's brokerage information to your broker or bank. The Foundation has the following brokerage accounts:

NOTE: It is critical that you notify Aspen Ryskoski, Foundation Assistant Controller, of your intent to give stock and securities so that your gift can be tracked. Contact Aspen at 715-836-4043 or ryskosar@uwec.edu.

Receipt procedures

If securities are mailed directly to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation, the gift is effective on the date of mailing. If the securities are mailed directly to a brokerage account, the contribution is not complete until the gift is received into the brokerage account of the UW-Eau Claire Foundation.

The gift value is calculated by using the median price between the high and low prices on the date of the gift.

The UW-Eau Claire Foundation will issue the donor an official receipt for tax purposes with the gift value. In addition, the Foundation will provide a Form 8283, if requested by the donor.

This gift value is the amount that will be transferred to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation fund designated by the donor.

For more information

If you have questions about a securities transfer, contact Aspen Ryskoski, Assistant Controller, at 715-836-4043 or ryskosar@uwec.edu.