Help Provide Opportunity
Ways to
Invest
Giving
Now
Giving
Later
Once-in-a-Lifetime
Giving
Giving Now
Strategies for Giving Today
Giving Cash
Cash giving is your quickest and easiest way to invest in Brookstone students. If you itemize rather than take the standard deduction on your federal income taxes, you can deduct cash gifts up to 60% of your adjusted gross income through 2025 and 50% thereafter. In fact, gifts of cash are one of the surest ways to make your itemized deductions exceed your standard deduction.
Giving Digitally
You can use our online portal to give today.
Giving by Check
Please make your check out to “Brookstone Schools,” and mail to:
Brookstone Schools
Advancement Office
P.O. Box 30696
Charlotte, NC 28230
Giving by Wire
To give through wire transfer click below:
Giving Through Your Employer
Giving from Your Donor Advised Fund
If you have a donor-advised fund at the National Christian Foundation, a local community foundation, or you utilize a gift fund with Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab, or other investment firm, you can suggest gifts be made from your fund to Brookstone Schools. Be sure to instruct the foundation or fund to share your identity with us so that we can thank you for your gift.
Giving from Your Investment Portfolio
When you give shares of publicly traded, appreciated stock, mutual funds, or bonds you’ve owned longer than 1 year directly to Brookstone, you make an easy, lower-cost, tax-effective gift.
Gifts from investments that have grown allow you to:
- Make a generous gift today and not impact your cashflow from your other sources of income;
- Reduce the built-in capital gains tax bill that will eventually come with a portfolio increasing in value.
Plus, if you itemize, you’ll likely increase your deductions and pay less income tax. Your deduction amount would be for the value of the stock on the day the gift is received and not on the price you paid for it. You can deduct the value of the stock gift up to 30% of your adjusted gross income.
For stock transfer information and form click below:
Giving from Your IRA Now (QCDs)
If you’re 70½ or older, your traditional IRA may be the best source of your giving.
Qualified Charitable Distributions—you may have heard them referred to as ‘IRA Charitable Rollover’ gifts—allow you to give proceeds from your IRA directly to Brookstone. You can give up to $100,000 each year, and the gift counts toward your required minimum distributions which kick in once you’re 72.
This strategy is great for you if you would rather make a generous gift today than recognize the taxable income from some or all of your IRA distribution.
Planning tip:
Remember that IRA assets you leave to your children or other heirs are taxed at their current income tax rate upon distribution. Because of its tax-deferred nature, your traditional IRA may not be the most tax-effective gift to leave your family or other individuals.
In-Kind Donations
If you wish to make an in-kind donation, please download an In-Kind Donation Form and bring it with you when you come to see us.
Giving Later
Strategies for Giving Tomorrow
Giving Through Your Will or Trust
You can give to Brookstone through your will or trust and know that you will be providing students with an outstanding education in a Christ-centered environment for years to come. These gifts—known as bequests—are a great way to memorialize your legacy of giving to Brookstone or make a major gift without impacting your current cash flow or available assets.
Through your will or trust, you can give:
- A specific amount or a specific asset,
- A percentage of your estate (the most common!), or
- What’s left of your estate after gifts to other beneficiaries.
Additionally, your gift can be contingent on your spouse or other beneficiaries predeceasing you.
To view our sample will/trust language as well as fill out an intent to give form click below:
Giving Through Your Life Insurance
The simplest way to give using a life insurance policy is to name Brookstone as a beneficiary of the policy. You can use the policy to benefit loved ones and Brookstone, Brookstone if your loved ones predecease you, or Brookstone exclusively.
You can also transfer ownership of the policy to Brookstone. If it’s permanent insurance, Brookstone can liquidate the policy and put the cash value to immediate use, or you can continue paying the premiums on the policy to Brookstone. The paying of the premiums to Brookstone create charitable deductions.
Giving Through Your Retirement Plan or IRA
With a simple beneficiary designation form provided by your plan administrator, you can name Brookstone as a contingent, partial, or exclusive beneficiary of your unused retirement plan or IRA balance. This is a great way to make a significant gift in the future without impacting investment growth before retirement or cashflow during retirement.
If your retirement assets are funded pre-tax—like a traditional IRA or 401(k)—your loved ones will pay income tax on distributions to them at their tax rate. Brookstone will benefit from the total of any distribution without any tax reduction in the value of your gift. Additionally, naming Brookstone as a beneficiary may generate estate tax savings.
When making a future gift by beneficiary designation, please include the following information to ensure your gift is realized:
Brookstone Schools
PO Box 30696
Charlotte, NC 28230
Tax ID/EIN: #56-222-1108
Once-in-a-Lifetime
Legacy Opportunities
Brookstone Legacy Society
We Want to Celebrate You!
If you have included a gift for Brookstone in your will or trust or by other beneficiary designation, please let us know. We would like to thank you and celebrate your gift. We can also prepare in advance to honor your wishes and preserve your legacy until Christ returns.
Giving Your Real Estate
Your primary residence, vacation home, vacant land, or commercial property are all assets that you could give to Brookstone. If not for Brookstone’s own real estate needs, the property can be sold by Brookstone and the proceeds put to work in the school or added to its endowment.
GIVING IT NOW
Real estate given during your lifetime can generate a significant charitable income tax deduction based on the fair market value of the real estate. Plus, you avoid paying capital gains tax on the sale of the property.
GIVING IT LATER
You can give your real estate to Brookstone after you’re done enjoying it either:
- Through your will or trust, or
- By transferring it now but keeping a life estate for your lifetime.
Giving of Your Business
If you’re an entrepreneur, whenever you first think about selling your business or are planning the transfer of your business to your children or partners, you have an opportunity to make a generous gift to Brookstone. You can often generate a significant charitable income tax deduction and reduce your capital gains tax.
Planning tip:
If you would like to explore making a gift for the sale of your business, the ownership interest or shares in your business must be transferred to Brookstone before you have a contract for sale of your business. Be sure to consult with your legal and tax advisor early.
Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make a gift to Brookstone?
Online: Give online now by debit/credit card or ACH.
Mail: Brookstone Schools, P.O. Box 30696
Charlotte, NC 28230
Monthly Bank Draft: Set up your automated bank draft online now, or complete this authorization form, and mail it with your voided check.
Call: (704) 392-6330
Can I give monthly to Brookstone?
Yes! Visit our online giving page to set up your automatic monthly gift to Brookstone using your debit/credit card or bank account. Or, complete this authorization form and mail it with your voided check.
How does Brookstone make use of my gift?
Currently, we spend 83% of our budget on our academic programs, and 17% on administration and fundraising. Learn more about our stewardship and download our annual reports on the About page.
How do I make a gift of stock?
You will need to contact our broker for transfer instructions and fill in the stock transfer form here. Please click here for more information on stock gifts.
Can you process matching gifts from my employer?
Yes. Please follow the link here for more information on matching gifts.
May I make an anonymous gift?
Of course you may. Simply send in a note with your donation asking for your gift to be anonymous.
Can I give in honor or in memory of another person?
Yes! You can give online in someone’s honor, or you can send us a note with their name and anyone else we should notify about the gift. We will send them an acknowledgment card but will not note the amount of the gift.
Where is Brookstone's W-9 Form?
Click this link to open our 2020 W-9 Form
