Donating to the Alliance not only helps us further our mission to protect the natural resources, cultural heritages, and rural character of our region, but it can also be a good tax planning tool for individuals and businesses. In addition to one-time or recurring donations, there are several other ways to donate to the Alliance while also maximizing your charitable deduction, reducing your overall tax liability, or formalizing your estate planning, such as:*

If you are 70½ years old or older, a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) allows you to donate to the Alliance and other nonprofits directly from your taxable IRA instead of taking your required minimum distribution. As a result, you may avoid being pushed into higher income tax brackets and prevent phaseouts of other tax deductions, though there are some other limitations.

A gift of stock can be a mutually beneficial way for you to support our work to keep the Shenandoah Valley a beautiful place to live, work and play. If you own stock or other securities that have appreciated since you acquired them, you may face capital gains taxes when you sell them. When you choose to donate your stock to the Alliance (a non-profit organization), neither you nor the Alliance must pay capital gains tax, meaning that the Alliance receives the full value of your stock, and you can receive a charitable deduction for the full market value of your gift.

Your broker will need the below information to transfer your gift:
DTC clearing number: 0443 (Pershing, LLC, 1 Pershing Plaza, Jersey City, NJ 07302)
Alliance’s account number: 6FK261122 (Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley)

If you can, please let us know your gift is coming by emailing Erin Burch at eburch [at] shenandoahalliance [dot] org, as it will help us acknowledge it promptly.

A donor-advised fund, or DAF, is a charitable investment account established at a public charity for the sole purpose of supporting nonprofits like the Alliance. When you contribute cash, securities, or other assets to your donor-advised fund, you are generally eligible to take an immediate tax deduction. Then those funds are invested for tax-free growth, and you can recommend grants to the Alliance and any other eligible IRS-qualified nonprofits.

Our rural landscapes will always need defending from development pressure. A legacy gift to the Alliance ensures we’ll be here for the long-haul, advocating for conserved landscapes and clean water for future generations. You can support this important work long after your lifetime in several ways including a bequest or naming the Alliance a the beneficiary of a retirement account.

Thanks to a very generous anonymous donor, we now have another way you can support the Alliance’s mission. In 2023, we created a legacy fund that will be managed in the nature of an endowment. The principle gift is restricted and the earnings generated will provide core support, year after year, for the Alliance’s mission.

*Please reach out to Erin Burch if you have any questions, eburch [at] shenandoahalliance [dot] org, and as with any investment decision,  first consult your personal tax advisor or financial advisor. Thank you for considering a sustaining gift to the Alliance!