- Did you know that December is the most generous month of the entire year for charitable giving? This year more than ever, December gifts will be even more important to organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs, food banks and organizations that provide critical human services in the aftermath of the longest government shutdown in memory.
December Gifting Tips
Here are a few ideas to help you make the most of your charitable gifts before the new calendar year begins after midnight on Dec. 31.
- Gifts of cash are convenient and easy to complete, and they are typically made by mailing a check or online using a credit card or electronic transfer.
- Non-cash gifts like stocks or bonds are usually transferred directly from a brokerage account to the Boys and Girls Clubs of East County Foundation’s account. With the stock markets trading at record levels in 2025, this may be a great time to give stock, bonds, or mutual funds to lock in their full value.
- Growing numbers of people have learned how to bunch deductions in a single year in order to benefit from itemizing deductions instead of taking the standard deduction. You can do this by making gifts directly to charity or perhaps use a donor advised fund (DAF) to facilitate bunching deductions in one year and then advising gifts over time.
- Enjoy a “senior discount” for giving if you are over 70½ and have an individual retirement account (IRA). By directing gifts to qualified organizations like the BGCEC Foundation, you can bypass any personal income tax and tax on required minimum distributions (RMDs). Allow extra time to complete the transfer from your IRA to our account. Contact us for more information.
- Higher-income taxpayers may wish to accelerate gifts this year to avoid new rules that may slightly reduce the tax benefits of charitable gifts that begin in 2026.
A special acknowledgement
Thank you for being a generous supporter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of East County Foundation— your contributions are positively impacting those we serve.
Contact Us
If you have already included us in your plans, please consider letting us know so we can thank and acknowledge you. Our Executive Director, Forrest Higgins, can be reached at 619-440-1600 or forrest@bgcec.org; thank you!