Ways to Give

Qualified Charitable Distributions are a popular giving tool available to those who are 70 ½ and older. You can make QCDs directly to an eligible charity from either a traditional IRA or an inherited IRA. Other types of accounts, such as a Simplified Employee Pension or Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRAs, may be used to make these QCDs as well. 

Everyone must start taking Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from their qualified retirement plans when they reach the age of 73. These distributions are taxable. This is where QCDs come in! If you donate some or all of your RMDs for the year, you will not be taxed on that distribution. 

You can give directly to PVAS through your IRA. You can donate up to $108,000 in 2025 from your IRA through QCDs. 

A Donor Advised Fund, or DAF, is a tax-exempt charitable account at a financial institution.  These accounts allow you to make charitable contributions, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants from the fund to nonprofits over time. You can contribute to the fund as frequently as you would like and then recommend grants to your favorite nonprofits whenever it makes sense to you. 

Popular institutions that can hold these accounts include Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation, National Philanthropic Trust, Vanguard Charitable, Fidelity Charitable, and more!

Donating stocks is one of the most underutilized ways to support your favorite nonprofits. By donating stocks that have appreciated for more than a year, you are giving 20% more than if you sold the stock and then used the funds to make a cash donation. This is because donating stocks directly to a nonprofit avoids capital gains taxes, while still allowing you to deduct the full fair-market value of the asset from your income taxes, up to the overall amount allowed by the IRS.

It is also very simple to do! PVAS maintains a Fidelity Brokerage Account at Hoxton Planning and Management in Shepherdstown, WV, so you can directly contact them or Kristin Alexander for further details. 

In addition, PVAS has a Vanguard Account. The Vanguard account is operated independently by PVAS to allow stock donations directly to our account. For information and details, contact Kristin Alexander.

Kristin Alexander Email: Kristin@PotomacAudubon.org. Phone Number: 681-252-1387

Be sure to consult your accountant, tax attorney, or financial advisor if you have questions about the impacts of a particular donation on your current tax situation.

It’s easy to make a donation to PVAS through your will. There are many options you can choose:

• You can specify that PVAS should receive a specific asset (piece of land, block of stocks, etc.), a specific dollar amount, or a stated percentage of your estate.
• If you want your immediate heirs to have lifetime use of some or all of your assets but want some or all of those assets to go to PVAS when your heirs pass away, you can specify that PVAS has the remainder interest in those assets.
• Similarly, you can name PVAS as a contingent beneficiary of some or all of your assets if your named beneficiary is no longer alive at the time your will is probated.

With any of these options, you can–if you wish–specify  exactly how your bequest should be used. For example, you can state that it should be used generally, to support PVAS’s overall operations or be used specifically to benefit a PVAS program you particularly favor, such as children’s education programs or nature preserve operations.

Bequests to PVAS are fully deductible from your gross estate for estate tax purposes. This means they reduce the estate tax burden for your heirs and other beneficiaries. There’s no limit on the amount that can be deducted from your estate for charitable bequests.

If you choose to make a bequest to PVAS, we suggest that your attorney uses the following language when referring to PVAS:

Potomac Valley Audubon Society, Incorporated, a not-for-profit membership organization incorporated by the laws of the state of West Virginia, having as its principal address PO Box 578, Shepherdstown, WV 25443.

It may also be helpful to include PVAS’s federal nonprofit tax identification number, which is 55-0626891.

Questions? To consult with us about mentioning PVAS in your will or for more information please email Kristin Alexander or call (681) 252-1387.

Donating a vehicle to PVAS is easy. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of selling your old vehicle yourself and/or if a tax deduction would be easier or more valuable to you than a trade-in or cash payment, it’s a step worth considering.

Click here to make your donation today through our partner, CARS.

PVAS welcomes donations of useful goods and services, and over the years such donations have been a big help to us. Examples of useful goods include building materials or office equipment and supplies. Useful services include many different kinds of skills, from trade skills like carpentry to professional skills like legal assistance.

Our specific needs vary from time to time, so if you have a possible in-kind donation in mind, please contact Kristin Alexander or (681) 252-1387.

The value of donated time or services is not tax-deductible but you may deduct the fair market value of donated goods. PVAS will provide you with a letter that documents your donation of goods for tax purposes.

If the fair market value of your donation is more than $500, you’ll need to attach a copy of that letter with your next year’s tax return along with a copy of Internal Revenue Service Form 8283 (“Noncash Charitable Contributions”). For a copy of Form 8283 and its accompanying instructions go to the IRS website and enter “Form 8283” in the search box.

If the fair market value of your donation is less than $500 you do not need to document your deduction on your next tax return but you should keep a copy of our letter in case your deduction is challenged.

Please remember the following:

• As with any charitable donation, you can only deduct donations to charities if you itemize deductions on Schedule A of your Form 1040.
• Also, your ability to deduct a specific charitable donation may be limited depending on your income level and the size and nature of your gift. These limitations typically only apply to major gifts, however. Be sure to consult your accountant, tax attorney or financial advisor if you have questions about the impacts of a particular donation on your current tax situation.

How you benefit

Donating land for conservation purposes is one of the most enduring legacies a person can leave. It can also offer significant tax benefits.

Donating land is especially worth considering if you:

• have no heirs or your heirs have no interest in your land or you don’t wish your land to go to them;
• own property that you no longer use or wish to care for;
• own property that has increased greatly in value and want to reduce your exposure to capital gains taxes;
• want to reduce the estate tax burden for your heirs and other beneficiaries.

PVAS is always willing to consider accepting donations of land. We are particularly interested in land that would be suitable for a nature preserve. Under some circumstances, we might also accept a property that we could retain as an income-producing asset or sell for income.

You can make a land donation in any of the following ways:

Outright Donation

A land donation made now as an outright gift can have immediate tax benefits by providing substantial income tax deductions and avoiding capital gains taxes that would result from selling the property. For the long term, it can also help reduce your family’s exposure to estate tax burdens later on.

Remainder Interest Donation

If you want to retain use of your land for the rest of your life but still get some tax benefits now from making a donation, you can donate a remainder interest to PVAS and retain a reserved life estate. Under such an arrangement, you continue to live on and/or use your property and continue to be responsible for all taxes, insurance and maintenance. The tax deduction you receive now is based on the fair market value of your donated property minus the expected value of the reserved life estate. PVAS gains full title and control over the property only after you pass away or decide to relinquish your life estate.

Donation by Bequest

If you want to retain full ownership of your land for your lifetime but make sure the land goes to PVAS afterwards, a simple bequest is your best option. All donations made through bequests will be deductible from your gross estate for estate-tax purposes. Click here for more information on bequests.

Please remember the following:

• No matter what form they take, donations of land should not be entered into lightly.
• Because children and other family members often have special attachments to land, you should consult carefully with your family to make sure they are completely comfortable with the idea.
• You should also consult with us to make sure that your property is suitable for the purpose that you envision for it, and that you are comfortable with our ability to manage it in the way you envision.
• Finally, because the tax benefits of donating a specific piece of land can vary widely according to the always-changing complexities of federal and state tax laws, your particular financial circumstances, and what the receiving charity does with the land, you should consult with your attorney or accountant or financial advisor as well.
• If you want your land to become a nature preserve, we hope you will also consider providing some sort of cash payment or endowment to accompany your land donation if you are able to do so. Establishing and maintaining a nature preserve always entails at least some costs, and it helps us greatly if resources are provided to assist us with those costs.

Questions? To consult with us about donating a specific property or for more information please contact Kristin Alexander or call (681) 252-1387.

We have an Amazon Wishlist! We are always using supplies for our various youth programs, as well as at the Case Nature Center. Click here to see what our current needs are and have them shipped directly to us. Be sure to include your contact information with the gift or reach out to us at info@potomacaudubon.org if you would like to receive an acknowledgment letter for tax purposes.