PROTECT OUR WATERSHED—EVEN BEYOND YOUR LIFETIME.
Alternate giving options can provide extra benefits to you, the donor, while also supporting Ogeechee Riverkeeper’s mission—both now and well into the future. If you’re interested in exploring these options, please work with your financial advisor, lawyer, or an estate planning professional. And be sure to notify Ogeechee Riverkeeper of your intention, so that we can document your gift accordingly.
Contact the Riverkeeper to learn more about planned giving and ORK
Make a Difference Today:
- Donate appreciated securities (stocks, bonds, or mutual funds) that you have owned for more than one year. This allows you to receive the same income tax savings as you would by making a standard donation. » tip: contribute appreciated property, like stocks or shares in mutual funds. If you itemize, you can usually deduct the full value.
- A qualified charitable distribution is a giving technique that enables donors age 70½ or older to transfer funds directly from their IRA(s) to satisfy the Required Minimum Distribution.
- A donor-advised fund or DAF is a charitable account, administered by a sponsoring organization, for the purpose of supporting the nonprofits you care about most. When you contribute to a DAF, you receive an immediate charitable tax deduction and the flexibility to recommend grants to your favorite charitable organizations, like Ogeechee Riverkeeper, over time. » tip: stack donations for a single year into a Donor Advised Fund and then donate out of it for a few years.
- Many companies offer corporate matching (also known as a matching gift program or donation matching) for charitable gifts made by employees to eligible nonprofits, which can double—or even triple!—your original contribution. Check with your HR department to learn if your company offers corporate matching.
Make a Plan for Tomorrow:
- Bequests are gifts made through your will. They can be made in the form of a specific gift of cash or property, a general sum of money, or a percentage of the remainder of an estate or trust and they are distributed at your death. The full amount of your bequest is usually deductible for estate tax purposes. » tip: If you donate a highly appreciated stock, its full value can be a charitable deduction and you won’t pay capital gains if you transfer the shares “in kind” to ORK.
- Life insurance policies can benefit Ogeechee Riverkeeper in two ways. When you make ORK the owner and beneficiary of a policy, you get an immediate charitable income tax deduction for the lesser of current cash value or premiums paid and any future premiums you pay are deductible as contributions. When you name ORK as a beneficiary of a new or existing policy, you keep control of the policy and are entitled to a charitable deduction for the value of the initial premium (you will receive additional deductions when you make later premium payments). ORK will receive funds when the policy pays at your death.
- Retirement plans are one of the best assets to maintain during your life, but the worst liability to still have at death. Residual retirement plan assets are subject to income and estate taxes, and their value can be reduced by as much as 75%. Naming Ogeechee Riverkeeper as beneficiary of the remaining funds of your retirement plan is an easy way to reduce the size of the taxable assets and avoid subjecting the estate or beneficiary to income taxation at your death.
- The IRA Charitable Rollover also provides an excellent opportunity to make a gift during your lifetime from an asset that would be subject to multiple levels of taxation if it remained in your taxable estate.
Contact the Riverkeeper to learn more about planned giving and ORK
Key Tax Changes to Charitable Giving in 2026:
- New deduction for non-itemizers: Taxpayers who take the standard deduction will be able to deduct up to $1,000 (single) or $2,000 (joint) in charitable gifts.
- New 0.5% Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) floor for itemizers: Taxpayers who itemize will only be able to deduct charitable gifts above 0.5% of their adjusted gross income. Example: If someone has an AGI of $200,000, the first $1,000 they give will not be deductible.
- Reduced deduction cap for high-income taxpayers: The maximum deduction percentage for top-bracket taxpayers will decrease from 37% to 35%. Example: A $10,000 gift that currently provides up to $3,700 in tax benefit will be capped at $3,500.