Set up the policies procedures that make it easy for donors to give stock.
Donating via stock transfer might be the right choice for a donor for a variety of reasons, so make it clear that your organization is ready to accept that gift and excited to put it to work.
What Should We Publish for Donors?
Make sure your website contains clear information (like this) about how to give via stock transfer. This page should be friendly and warm and convey the importance of your mission, but the primary focus should be on highlighting the information the donor may need to initiate the transaction:
- Brokerage Firm
- Broker Name
- Brokerage Account Number
- Broker DTC Number
- Station Legal Name, Address, phone number
- Station Tax ID
This is also where you let the donor know that you’ll need an online form or an email with the information about the stock gift so you can connect the transaction to the right donor in case the donor information does not come with the transfer.
List the station contact person and phone and email so donors or financial advisors know who to contact with questions.
Create a basic but well designed pdf that you can email or hand to donors with all the critical information such as the Depository Trust Company (DTC), Doing-Business-As (DBA) name, Employer Identification Number (EIN) and anything else donors will need know to complete the transaction.
List giving via stock transfer as an option for your giftclub (President’s Circle, Golden Microphone Society, etc.) asks. Mid-level donors may also consider giving stock rather than a cash gift.
Let donors know giving via stock is an option when you are in one-on-one visits or ask meetings. It can help donors give more serious consideration to your proposal when they know there are multiple ways they can contribute.
Have a plan in place to communicate with the donor throughout the process and thank them for their generosity.
What Systems Do We Need?
A gift acceptance policy. You should be clear about the kinds of securities your organization will accept and those you will not.
If you are a university or other institutional licensee, check with your institution’s finance office, university development office, or foundation to understand the procedure for accepting gifts of stock. They can be enormously helpful in facilitating these gifts.
A brokerage account to accept the transferred funds. The easiest and quickest way for a donor to make a gift of stock is to do what is called a DTC (Depository Trust Company) transfer. The donor’s stock broker or brokerage house can electronically transfer the funds to your station’s brokerage account. You may encounter a donor who has physical copies and you will need to establish an acceptance policy with your brokerage house.
Most organizations will sell the assets right away to avoid any complications due to market fluctuations.
The value of a stock gift is based upon the mean value (average of the high and low values) of the stock on the date the stock was transferred to your station. Your broker should be able to provide this. The gift is only completed once the transfer is made. DTC transfers are easy to confirm since the electronic transfer is documented. Paper transfers are more difficult and will require a notary confirming transfer via the transfer form.
Staff training. All development team members should know the basics of how to assist donors with stock gifts.
Clear procedures for how the gifts should be handled. It will be important for everyone to know who is authorized to accept such gifts as well as who is authorized to sell them when transfer is made.
See more from the Gifts of Stock Toolkit

How to Market Stock Gifts
Make sure your donors are informed about the opportunity to give securities.

How to Receive Gifts of Stock
Ensure that you know what is necessary for your donors and your staff to feel great about stock gifts.