As 2020 draws to a close, we offer the following information to ensure any year-end giving you may be planning will qualify with the IRS as a 2020 donation.
In order to qualify with the IRS as a charitable contribution in the 2020 tax year, your donation must meet the following deadlines:
As a reminder, we’ll be worshipping online only on the last Sunday of the month (12/27) and we hope you’ll be able to join us for the remaining two in-person Sunday worship services this year (12/13 and 12/20) and simply drop your year-end contribution in the offering basket at the end of the services! If not, please know that our offices will be open Mon-Wed (12/28-30) 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Thursday (12/31) with limited hours from 9 a.m. until Noon.
Donations can be made anytime using online giving and must be completed before 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2020 in order to qualify as a 2020 donation.
You can give to either of the three primary Shades accounts by simply texting either Budget, MJK, or NEXT followed by your desired gift amount (e.g. make a $100 gift by texting Budget100, MJK100, or Next100) to (205)-881-5050 and following the simple setup instructions. Text gifts must also be completed before 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2020 in order to qualify as a 2020 donation.
In order to qualify as a 2020 contribution, donations sent by US Mail must be postmarked by the USPS on or before December 31, 2020. Please be mindful that we have no control over whether or not the USPS will postmark your envelope on the 31st (Thursday) if you wait until the last minute to place it in a mailbox for delivery. If there is no 2020 postmark on your envelope, we cannot include it in your 2020 statement of contributions. So, if US mail is your preference, we strongly recommend getting your envelope in a mailbox a few days prior to the 31st!
Gifts of appreciated stock allow the donor to deduct the full current value of transferred stock, help the donor avoid capital gains tax regardless of how much the stock may have appreciated, and help the donor to avoid the healthcare tax on net investment income. While we encourage you to discuss this with your financial and/or tax advisor first, making a gift of transferred stock is an easy process that can be coordinated through the Financial Office of the church or by clicking here for further instructions.
If you are approaching or over age 70½ and facing taking required minimum distributions (RMD’s) from your traditional IRA, then you may want to consider using those funds for charitable means. Known as a “qualified charitable distribution” (QCD), this can satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution from your traditional IRA. We encourage you to discuss this with your financial and/or tax advisor first, but there can certainly be tax advantages to considering this giving method which can be an easy process when coordinated through the Financial Office of the church or by clicking here for further information and instructions.
Donations to Make Jesus Known are distributed to a wide range of mission partners, including: Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong, as well as many other state, local, national, and global partners. Every dollar makes a difference when it comes to supporting the work of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth. You may donate to Make Jesus Known using any of the methods described in this email.
You may also donate to our NEXT initiative using any of the methods described in this email. Keep in mind the earlier that gifts are given towards this project, the greater impact we can have on the project’s overall cost by helping to reduce/eliminate short-term financing costs.
Have you considered including the Lord's work at Shades in your estate giving plans? Click here for more information.
Thank you for your contributions, by whatever means, to the ministry of Shades. God has done more than we could ask or imagine through our church in 2020 (and in the middle of a worldwide pandemic!), and we look forward to how He will use our community of believers in 2021.
May the Lord richly bless you as together we continue to Live Sent in 2021!