Each tax season brings a familiar rhythm for charities: more donor questions, more last-minute gifts, and more conversations about receipts.
While cash donations follow clear internal processes for most organizations, tax season often surfaces more strategic questions — particularly around securities and other complex assets, as well as donor-advised fund (DAF) grants. For many charities, uncertainty around these gifts can create hesitation or additional administrative work during an already busy time.
But clarity — even at a basic level — can make a significant difference.
Here are a few areas worth reviewing before tax season arrives.
Questions around receipting increase during tax season, especially when donors are making tax-driven decisions.
For publicly traded securities, the charitable tax receipt is based on the fair market value at the time the charity takes ownership of the shares, not the donor’s original purchase price.
For donor-advised fund (DAF) grants, the receiving charity does not issue the tax receipt. The donor receives the receipt from the foundation at the time they contribute into their DAF.
In our work facilitating DAF grants, we have seen well-meaning charities issue a second tax receipt, often not realizing the donor has already been receipted when they funded their DAF. This can create confusion for donors and additional administrative follow-up during an already busy season.
Clarifying these distinctions internally helps to prevent duplication, to reduce unnecessary back-and-forth, and to protect the donor experience.
Even if your organization rarely receives gifts of securities or other complex assets, someone on your team should know:
When donors — or their advisors — sense uncertainty, momentum can stall. A simple, documented internal process builds confidence and ensures questions are handled quickly without creating additional strain on staff during peak periods.
Many charities unintentionally miss opportunities because donors assume that organizations cannot accept securities or other complex assets.
A small addition to your website — such as a short “Other Ways to Give” section that references securities — can signal that you're prepared to accept these sorts of donations. Including securities in your tax-season messaging communicates that your organization is equipped for more than cash donations.
You don’t need a major campaign. You simply need clarity.
While December often feels urgent, tax season is when donors review income, capital gains, and broader financial planning. Advisors may recommend donating appreciated securities as a tax-efficient way to give.
If your organization can respond confidently — even if that means connecting the donor with a trusted processing partner such as GiveWise — you remain part of that strategic conversation.
At GiveWise, we specialize in facilitating securities and other complex asset gifts from start to finish — including coordinating with advisors, managing compliance, and issuing appropriate documentation. This allows charities to focus on what they do best: building relationships and advancing their mission without needing to build complex internal systems.
With a few internal clarifications around securities, roles, and communication, charities of any size can navigate tax season with greater confidence. And when teams have clarity, generosity is far less likely to stall.
If you’d like to explore practical ways to simplify donation processing and reduce administrative burden during tax season, join our upcoming TechSoup webinar where we’ll walk through how charities can streamline complex gifts and donor inquiries.
Join us on April 20 at 12:00 PM (ET) for our upcoming TechSoup webinar, Reducing Tax-Time Administrative Burden for Canadian Charities.
In this session, Jessica Rayne, GiveWise’s Growth & Generosity Partnerships Lead, will walk through practical ways charities can simplify donation processing, reduce administrative workload during tax season, and confidently handle gifts such as securities and donor-advised fund grants.
GiveWise is a Canadian foundation and registered charity (Charity Registration No. 701032526 RR0001) operating a digital-first donor-advised fund platform designed to simplify generosity for both donors and charities. We bring nonprofit-to-nonprofit expertise to our work - helping organizations receive securities and other complex asset gifts, deepen donor relationships, and unlock more strategic giving.
Learn more at www.givewise.ca
This blog post is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Consult competent legal or financial counsel to understand how relevant laws and regulations apply to your organization.