As 2026 comes to a close, there’s still time to make a meaningful difference in our community through a year-end gift to the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana (CFSI). Whether you’re supporting a cause close to your heart or investing in the future of Clark and Floyd counties, your generosity can make a lasting impact.

If you’re planning to make a charitable contribution before the end of the year, a little preparation can go a long way! The timing of your gift matters, particularly when it comes to qualifying for a charitable tax deduction in 2026.

Different giving methods, including checks, stocks, and credit cards, have different rules for determining when a gift is officially made. We’ve outlined a few important dates and guidelines below to help you plan ahead and ensure your generosity counts toward the 2026 tax year.

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Important Year-End Dates & Deadlines for 2026

Grant Distributions: Monday, December 14
Due to the high volume of December grant distributions, we recommend submitting grant recommendation by Monday, December 14 to ensure they are processed before the end of the year.

Gifts by Check: Thursday, December 31
The “Mailbox Rule” changed in 2025. The former “Mailbox Rule” gave donors the ability to drop their charitable gift (check) in a postbox at the end of the year. As long as the envelope received a December 31 postmark at the local post office, donors could rely on deducting the gift for the current tax year.

Now, if you drop something at your local post office, it may go to a regional postal center and be postmarked at that point, which may be several days later than you put it in the mailbox. This means a letter dropped in a local mailbox on December 31 may not receive a postmark until several days later, potentially in January.

If you are planning to make a year-end gift by U.S. Mail, we strongly recommend you go into your local post office and ask them to postmark it there for you if you are within several days of the end of the year.

Hand your envelope directly to a USPS employee and request:

• A manual (local) postmark, or
• A Postage Validation Imprint (PVI) purchased at the counter, or
• Certified Mail, Registered Mail, or a Certificate of Mailing

Dropping a gift in a mailbox, using a self-service kiosk, or relying on a machine postmark may no longer provide sufficient proof of when your gift was mailed.

Gifts by Credit Card: Thursday, December 31
A credit card gift is made in the year the charge is made, not when it’s paid off. Plan ahead to avoid issues if the gift and transaction post in separate years, as can happen with a December 31 gift.

Gifts by Stock: Friday, December 11
The gift date for a gift of stock depends on how you hold the security. To maximize tax advantages for a gift of long-term appreciated securities, it is critically important that the securities themselves be transferred to the charity.

IMPORTANT: If you sell the shares and give the proceeds to charity, you will be liable for capital gains tax on the sale.

Gifts by Wire Transfer: Friday, December 11
Give wire instructions to your financial institution by December 11 to ensure your contribution is received by the December 31 deadline.

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Ways to Give

To help you plan with confidence, here are our recommended timelines for submitting a gift:

Mailed Gifts
If mailing a check late in December, please visit your local post office counter and obtain one of the USPS services listed above.

Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
QCDs are considered complete only when funds are withdrawn from the IRA, not when a check is mailed or received. To ensure your QCD counts for 2026, we strongly recommend initiating it ASAP and confirming timing with your IRA administrator.

Electronic or Hand-Delivered Gifts
Gifts made online, by wire, or delivered directly to our office on December 31 remain the most reliable way to ensure a 2026 contribution. (Our offices will be open on Dec. 31 until 3 p.m.)

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Additional Options to Guide Your Year-End Giving

IRA Charitable Rollover (aka Qualified Charitable Distribution)
This popular giving technique allows IRA owners age 70 ½ or older to make a tax-free contribution of up to $111,000 directly to a qualified charity from their IRA. For IRA owners 73 and above, the rollover distribution takes the place of required minimum distributions and avoids the income tax that would otherwise be owed on the funds taken out each year.

CFSI can accept IRA rollover distributions and help you accomplish more than you might have thought possible with your gift. And now, your IRA contribution can be even more impactful when it is made to CFSI’s unrestricted Community Impact Fund, which is offering a $2-for-$1 match to help address the region’s most pressing needs and highest priorities.

Simply complete our newly-revised QCD form on our website, and upon completion, CFSI will send a draft fund agreement to your email for review and signature. To access the QCD form, visit: www.CFSouthernIndiana.com/QCD

“DTC” or “Book Entry”
Instruct your broker to transfer the shares to the charity’s account. DTC makes the appropriate entries to transfer ownership to the charity. The date of the gift for a DTC transfer is the date when the shares actually enter the charity’s account, which usually happens within three days.

Mutual Fund Shares
A mutual fund gift is complete once shares reach the charity’s account, but each mutual fund company has its own process, often requiring significant time. Check with your mutual fund company to confirm the process and timeline if needed.

IMPORTANT: Notify and transfer shares directly to the charity – do not sell them and send the proceeds.

Physical Stock Certificate
To donate physical stock certificates, sign a “stock power” for each one and deliver it with the unendorsed certificates to the charity. For security, use a separate “stock power” rather than endorsing the certificate itself. Stock powers are available from most financial institutions; ensure signatures are properly certified. The gift date is when the charity receives the documents, or the mailing date if sent by mail.

Complex Contributions
For more complex contributions, please contact Linda Speed as soon as possible to discuss your options: (812) 948-4662 ext. 5 or LSpeed@CFSouthernIndiana.com

TRIPLE Any Gift Made to Our Community Impact Fund

Make your year-end giving count in a big way!

By donating to our Community Impact Fund, you’re not only making a gift to support local needs – you’re tripling the impact of your gift.

Thanks to a special $2-for-$1 match, every dollar you give goes further, creating positive change across Clark and Floyd counties. It’s simple, secure, and an investment in a brighter future for everyone.

Join us in strengthening our community today!