When your stock’s value increases, the taxes you owe on the capital gain if you sell the stock also increase. These taxes are generally charged at a maximum federal rate of 15 percent. When you give publicly traded stocks held long term (owned for more than one year) to a qualified charitable organization such Ursinus College, you avoid all capital gains taxes.

The benefits don’t stop there. In addition, you may take the full fair market value of the stock gift as a charitable deduction on your income taxes up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income. If you are unable to take the entire deduction in the year of the gift, you may carry the excess deduction forward for up to five additional years.