Unlock Stock Giving: How to Make the Most of Year-End Generosity

Why Encourage Stock Giving?

Did you know that 90% of wealth in the U.S. is held in non-cash assets like stocks, real estate, and business interests? When your nonprofit or church only focuses on cash giving, you’re only tapping into a small portion of your donors’ generosity potential. Stock gifts open the door to deeper generosity, especially from high-capacity givers and financially savvy supporters.

The Benefits for Donors

• Avoid capital gains taxes: When donors give stock directly, they avoid paying capital gains on appreciated shares (up to 20–37% savings depending on their state and tax bracket).
• Receive a full charitable deduction: Donors can deduct the fair market value of the stock at the time of the gift.
• Make a bigger impact: Because they’re giving pre-tax value, stock donors can give more without affecting their cash flow.

Watch: Why Stock Giving is So Powerful

The Benefits for Your Organization

• Higher average gift size: The average stock gift through Overflow is over $10,000, significantly higher than the average cash donation.
• Predictable year-end generosity: Most stock giving happens between October and December, when financial advisors and donors evaluate tax strategies.
• New opportunities for engagement: Stock gifts connect you with donors who give strategically and long-term.

How to Give Stock Online (and Why It’s Easier Than Ever)

The Old Way
Traditionally, stock gifts required donors to:

1. Contact their brokerage.
2. Fill out and sign a transfer form.
3. Fax or mail that form to the receiving organization’s broker.
4. Wait days or even weeks for confirmation

This process was manual, confusing, and time-consuming, which discouraged many donors.

The Overflow Way
With Overflow, donors can give stock online in just a few clicks. No faxes. No phone calls. No hassle.

The donor experience:

1. The donor lands on your Overflow stock giving page, branded for your organization.
2. They log in with their phone or email (no password needed).
3. They securely connect their brokerage account or enter stock details manually.
4. They choose which shares to give and designate the gifts to a fund or campus.
5. They sign digitally, click “Give,” and celebrate with a confetti animation! 🎉

Both the donor and your admins receive instant confirmation. Overflow handles the transfer, liquidates the stock, and deposits the proceeds into your account.

Learn How to Give Stock Through Overflow

Why This Matters
This automated process replaces manual workflows, saves your finance team time, and improves the donor experience.

How to Fundraise for Stock Gifts

Many nonprofits underutilize stock giving simply because they don’t talk about it. Most donors have never been told that they can give stock to their church or favorite nonprofit, and fewer know how easy it can be. That’s why visibility is key.

Here’s how to make stock giving a visible and exciting part of your generosity strategy:

On Your Website

• Add a “Give Stock” button on your main giving page - ideally listed right alongside cash giving.
• Use simple, clear language like “Give Stock” or “Gifts of Stock,” not “Asset-Based Giving”.
• Include a short FAQ section with key points like:
  • What are the tax benefits?
  • How long does it take to process?
  • How do I start?
• Create a dedicated stock giving page with a “Give Now” button that links directly to your Overflow page.

Tip: See how Life.Church used dedicated stock giving pages with FAQs and strong calls to action to educate givers about this way of donating.

On Sundays

• If you’re a church, mention stock giving during your weekly generosity moments.
  Use a short, clear script like:

“Did you know you can now give stock directly to [Church Name]? It’s one of the most tax-beneficial ways to give, and it’s fully digital through Overflow. Just head to our website and click ‘Give Stock.’”

• Add stock giving on your “Ways to Give” slide, alongside cash, text, and online giving.
• During year-end or special giving campaigns, call it out as a specific way to maximize generosity.

With Your Top Donors

• Send a personalized email or include a link in their year-to-date giving statement encouraging them to consider a stock gift.
• Highlight the tax advantages and simplicity of stock donations.

When to Promote

• Year-end (October–December): Donors are meeting with financial advisors and preparing taxes.
• Tax season (January–April): Donors are reflecting on their deductions and planning ahead for the next year.
• Major campaigns: Whenever you run a capital campaign or legacy initiative, include stock as a giving option for donors to be able to go above and beyond without tapping into their monthly budget.

Click to access Talk Tracks and Verbiage for your campaigns.

What to Expect After a Stock Gift Is Given‍

‍Stock gifts follow a slightly different timeline than cash, and setting clear expectations helps your finance team and donors alike.

Typical Processing Timeline

1. Gift initiated: Donor and Overflow  both receive confirmation.
2. Brokerage Submission: Sent within 24 market hours.
3. Transfer completed: Usually 1–5 business days, but can take 2 weeks or more depending on the brokerage, especially at year-end.
4. Funds received and deposited: Once the stock is liquidated, Overflow deposits cash into your designated bank account.

Tip: Encourage donors to initiate stock gifts by December 10 to ensure they’re processed in the current tax year. Learn more.

Acknowledgement and Reporting

• Acknowledgement letters: Automatically generated through Overflow, fully customizable with your logo, message, and IRS-compliant.
• Received date: Set when Overflow receives the stock into its brokerage account. This is the official date for the donor’s tax deduction.
• CRM integration: Overflow can sync donor data and transactions directly to your giving platform, minimizing manual entry.

If a gift exceeds $100,000, additional verification such as a medallion signature may be required, and Overflow’s concierge support team will guide the donor through these requirements.

Watch the full stock giving process from beginning to end

Key Takeaways

• Educate your donors: Most don’t realize they can give stock, or that it’s more tax-efficient than cash.
• Make it visible: Add stock giving anywhere donations are mentioned: your website, Sunday slides, emails, and new member classes.
• Plan ahead: Promote stock giving heavily in Q4, especially before December 10.
• Leverage Overflow: Let Overflow handle the complexity of receiving, liquidating, and receipting gifts so your team can focus on your mission.

Resources

• Why Stock Giving Is So Powerful (Tax benefits explained!)
• Stock Giving Demo
• How Stock Gifts Are Processed
• What To Know About Year-End Stock Giving
• Stock Fundraising Talk Tracks and Verbiage

‍