Making a Gift of Appreciated Securities; a Win-Win Situation

If you are considering making a substantial gift to help create opportunities for blind people in our community to live independently, you may receive substantial benefits by donating appreciated securities rather than writing a check.

You receive a tax deduction for the market value of your gift, not the amount you originally paid, and no one pays capital gains taxes. 

Enjoy a tax break!

Gifts of securities can be deducted as of the date you transfer them.

And, if you have held securities for more than a year, and they have gone up in price, you can deduct the full market value of your gift, rather than the amount you originally paid when you bought them.

But wait! There’s more!

By making a gift of appreciated securities to the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation, all capital gains taxes are avoided.

You pay no capital gains taxes on the increased value because you are transferring the actual securities rather than selling them.

And, the Foundation pays no capital gains taxes because of our nonprofit 501C3 status. The total value of your gift goes to work immediately, whether designated for unrestricted operating support, to fund a specific training program or equipment need, or to be invested as permanent endowment.

Making a gift of appreciated securities (stocks, bonds, or mutual funds) to the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation is easy. It can be done electronically by calling your broker and giving the following information:

DTC Book-Entry Eligible Securities
Stocks, Registered Bonds, and Bearer Bonds should be transferred to
Depository Trust Company
The Northern Trust Company
Trust Department
Participant No. 2669
RE: The Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation
Account #: 26-17273

After you call your broker to initiate the gift, please contact Jennifer Moore here at the Lighthouse so that we are aware of your donation. She can be reached at (206) 436-2253 or jmoore@seattlelh.org.