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Six ways to make the most of your year-end giving

Calendar year-end is a great time for giving. When you make a donation by Dec. 31 to the Arts Division at UC Santa Cruz, you aren't just giving money. You’re perpetuating your own values and empowering the division to achieve its academic, instructional, and research priorities.

The faculty of artists and scholars in the Arts Division are cutting-edge practitioners, historians, critics, and theorists working across the arts and other aesthetic cultural forms. Education in the arts at UC Santa Cruz provides a foundation in creative and analytical cultural practices seen in a global context. The Arts inspire and develop the capacity for creative thought and action individually and through collaborative interaction within and beyond the university.

Here are six tips to help you make the most of your year-end giving:
Give online. It’s convenient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. Click on the giving button at https://urnet.ucsc.edu/pls/secure/pledge.display to get started. You may support the department, ensemble, or scholarship program of your choice. Please contact Matt Henry, Arts Development Director at 831-459-2439 or by email at mfhenry@ucsc.edu for more information about giving opportunities in the division.

Talk to your advisor. Before making any significant gift to UCSC, or to any other nonprofit for that matter, you should have your CPA, attorney, or other advisor help you understand the impact of your gift on your income tax return and estate.

Give in honor or in memory of a loved one. Making a year-end contribution to support the artistic endeavors of UCSC students is a meaningful and generous way to remember a loved one.

Calculate your income. Take the time to do some planning while you still have the opportunity to make a year-end gift. Try to get a handle on your tax liability for the year. Did your unearned income increase? Did you sell any appreciated assets? Will you owe more taxes? This alone may motivate you to increase your giving before December 31.

Review your stocks. Look at the stocks you have held for more than a year. Which ones have appreciated the most? It may be prudent for you to make your year-end gift using one or more of these stocks. Here's why: If you sell the stock, you will incur capital gains tax on the appreciation. However, if you gift the stock you get a charitable deduction for the full amount of the stock, just as you would if your gift was made with cash. And if you can't use all of the income tax charitable deduction resulting from the gift, you can carry it forward for up to an additional five years. Such gifts are deductible up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income.

Consider a life-income gift. UCSC offers a variety of life-income plans to fit your needs. You can make a gift now, obtain tax benefits, and receive income for the rest of your life. Sound too good to be true? A few minutes of your time will convince you otherwise. For additional information contact Michael Lorilla at 459-5227 mlorilla@ucsc.edu.