Shares of appreciated publicly traded securities, such as stocks and mutual funds, are relatively easy to donate.
If you donate the stock directly to The Foundation, you pay no capital gains tax—and neither do we! This way, the amount that would have gone to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as taxes stays with The Foundation.
Here’s the other benefit: You’ll get a tax deduction for the full fair market value of the stock at the time of the transfer. The tax deduction limit for gifting stock to a public charity is up to 30% of your adjusted gross income (dependent on your annual income), though you can carry any excess over for up to five years.