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Make the Most of Your Donor Advised Fund Before Year-End

  • maustreng
  • 3 days ago
  • 3 min read
ree

As we approach the end of another year (tax year), we want to thank you for the generosity you share through your donor advised fund. Your giving helps strengthen the people, nonprofits, and communities of the St. Croix Valley and beyond. Below are a few friendly reminders and important deadlines to help you make the most of your fund before year-end. There is still time to leverage your donor advised fund for thoughtful, impactful, tax-advantaged giving.



Year-End Grants From Your Donor Advised Fund


If you would like to recommend a year-end grant from your donor advised fund, please submit your grant recommendations by Monday, December 15. This will help ensure that your recommendations are approved, processed, and mailed to grant recipients by calendar year-end.


You can recommend grants using our online Fund Advisor Portal or by printing and submitting the paper grant recommendation form available here. This year, given the funding challenges and uncertainties facing those in our communities who depend on federal food programs like SNAP and WIC, we especially encourage you to consider recommending a year-end grant to one or more of our local food banks, food shelves, and/or other hunger relief partners. If you’d like help identifying the organization(s) serving your community, please let me know.


We also invite you to connect with us if you’re interested in collaborating to support our local nonprofits through our competitive grant programs - regional (arts, early childhood, environment, mental health, music education) or local (in one or more of our nine affiliate communities). Together, we can help strengthen the organizations and communities that help our region thrive.


Please contact me at grants@scvfoundation.org if you have any questions about year-end grant recommendations.


Please note, tax benefits are realized when you make contributions to a donor advised fund, not when you recommend grants from the fund.


Year-End Contributions to your Donor Advised Fund


If you would like to make a year-end contribution to your donor advised fund that will qualify for a charitable tax deduction in 2025, please note the following: 


  • Checks sent by mail must be postmarked on or before Wednesday, December 31. Please send your check to St. Croix Valley Foundation, 1830 Hanley Rd, Ste 200, Hudson, WI 54016.


  • Online credit card gifts  at scvfoundation.org may be made until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31.


  • Gifting appreciated stock to the St. Croix Valley Foundation enables you to avoid capital gains taxes while receiving a charitable tax deduction for the stock’s current market value. To qualify for a tax deduction in 2025, the stock must be transferred to our account by December 31. Please notify a member of the St. Croix Valley Foundation team at info@scvfoundation.org if you are making a donation of securities.  Additional instructions for stock donations are available here.


  • Through a special arrangement with Andersen Corporation, the St. Croix Valley Foundation is able to accept gifts of appreciated Andersen Corporation Stock. While not typically an option for privately held stock, Andersen Corporation created this pathway to encourage and enable their shareholders to give back to the community through the St. Croix Valley Foundation. Please note that while this opportunity will be available to shareholders each December, those who want to make a gift this year must contact Andersen Corporation Treasury Services at 1-800-280-2487 or TreasuryServices@AndersenCorp.com by December 8, 2025.  Please consult with your professional advisor to determine if this approach might be a tax-smart way for you to pursue your philanthropic goals. More information about the Andersen Stock Opportunity.


  • Finally, while current IRS rules do not permit Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs to donor advised funds, there are many other ways a QCD to the St. Croix Valley Foundation can support the programs, organizations and causes you care about most. Starting at age 70-1/2, QCDs from your IRA (up to $105,000 per year) are not taxable income, and if you are 73 or older in the year of the distribution, your gift qualifies towards your RMD. If you are married, your spouse can also make a gift of up to $105,000 from his or her IRA, for a total of $210,000. If you’d like to talk more about how the St. Croix Valley Foundation can help your tax-free IRA distributions do good in the Valley, please contact Heather Logelin, President & CEO, at 715-386-9490 or hlogelin@scvfoundation.org.


St. Croix Valley Foundation Office Closures for the Holidays


Our office will be closed on November 27-28, December 24-25, and January 1, 2026. Staff will be available on all other regular business days to help you with your year-end giving needs!


Contact:  Sally Hermann, Philanthropic Services Associate

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