When Is The Best Time To Donate To Cottonwood Institute? All of the giving days are upon us! With Giving Tuesday, Colorado Give Day, the holidays, and the end of the year, you may be wondering when is the best time to donate? Every organization is different, but for Cottonwood Institute (Cottonwood), it is better to donate between now and December 31st, 2024 through the donate page on our website.
Why Donate Through The Cottonwood Website? The giving days are great, but did you know that by donating directly through the Cottonwood website we’ll receive donations immediately allowing us to put your dollars to use right away vs having to wait until ColoradoGives distributes the funds to us? Additionally, by donating directly to Cottonwood, your information gets recorded automatically in our database and accounting software, which saves us time and improves the accuracy and efficiency of our data entry. And if you hate those pesky credit card fees, consider donating by ACH from your checking account instead.
Help Us Unlock A $25,000 Match! We would love to invite everyone to become a Seedling Monthly Donor instead of donating once at the end of the year. By donating monthly, you will help invest in our long-term sustainability and success! And, if you set up a new monthly donation or increase your current monthly donation by December 31st, 2024, you will help us unlock a $25,000 match thanks to 3 generous families who believe in the power of our programs and the impact we are having with our students!
What Is Most Convenient For You? Having said all that, if you prefer to give on Giving Tuesday, Colorado Gives Day, the last few days of the year, or right this minute, by all means donate however is most convenient for you!
Other Creative Ways To Give: And if you are curious about other creative ways to donate, like donating through your Donor Advised Fund, donating appreciated stock, or donating cryptocurrency, check out our Ways To Give page.
What Your Donation Will Support: All in all, it costs us about $20 per hour to deliver our life-changing programs to our students. We have a goal of delivering 38,000 program contact hours this year! How many hours can you support to help inspire amazing students like Jesse?
Are You 70 1/2 Or Older? For those age 70 1/2 or older, consider a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) by making your contribution directly from your Traditional IRA as a tax-free distribution. For those age 73 and over with a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), this could also go towards satisfying some or all of your requirement up to a maximum of $105,000. RMDs must be taken prior to December 31st to avoid IRS penalty. Please talk to your Financial Advisor to help figure out what is best for your unique situation.
Important Year End Deadlines: Keep in mind these important year end giving deadlines courtesy of The Denver Foundation:
November 1, 2024 – Deadline for initiating the transfer of mutual fund shares
December 13, 2024 – Deadline for checkbook IRA contributions
December 19, 2024 – Deadline for the electronic transfers of securities
December 29, 2024 – Deadline for IRA rollover contributions to leave the custodial account
December 31, 2024 – Donations by check must be postmarked
If you have any questions, please contact Ford Church, our Founder and Executive Director at 303.447.1076 x700 or via email.
