As a donor, you are entitled to take a charitable deduction for the full fair-market value of appreciated securities held longer than one year, and you usually avoid paying the capital gains tax that would be due if you sold the securities.

Donating Stock or Bonds Held By a Bank or Broker
If your equities are currently held at a bank or in a brokerage account, simply send a letter of instruction to your broker or banker with a full description of the securities and your gift's intended purpose. For information about sending securities electronically, please contact our VP of Finance & Administration at (414) 831-4584 or email Finance.

Donating Stock Certificates You Hold

• Send the unsigned certificates by certified mail to the attention of President & CEO Amy Chionchio, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee, 788 N Jefferson St, Suite 600, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
• Copy and send one blank stock Power of Attorney for each company whose stock you are transferring. Only the signature line should be filled in, with the signature(s) matching the name(s) that appear on the face of the certificates. Include both names if the stock is jointly owned.
• The Power of Attorney must be notarized.
• Send the certificates and stock powers in separate envelopes. Send the signed stock power in one and the stock certificate(s) in the other with a letter (also signed by the owner(s) of the stock) stating that the stock is being donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee.

Effective Date and Value of Your Gift
Your gift of stock or publicly traded securities will be valued based on the mean market price of the securities on the gift date. We will provide you with a receipt for your tax records. Big Brothers Big Sisters determines your gift date according to the following guidelines:

• By mail, it is the later of the postmark dates of your separately mailed stock certificates and stock powers.
• By electronic transfer, it is the date that the securities enter Big Brothers Big Sisters’ account.
• By hand, it is the date that a Big Brothers Big Sisters' employee receives the stock certificates and stock powers of attorney.
• By reregistering securities in Big Brothers Big Sisters' name yourself, it is the date on the new certificates (this method takes the longest).

If you have questions or need more information, please contact our VP of Finance & Administration at (414) 831-4584 or email Finance.