How to give shares
There are many ways to make a gift to CUSO-VSO and have an impact on communities the world over.
Any eligible securities may be donated to CUSO-VSO with excellent tax benefits for the donor.
Eligible securities includes shares, bonds, warrants and units in mutual funds that are traded on Canadian, American and/or major international exchanges.
Under current amendments to the Canadian Income Tax Act, if you give stocks directly to CUSO-VSO, none of your capital gain is taxable as opposed to the usual 50 percent so you will pay less tax and receive a charitable tax receipt for the full amount of your donation.
Important note: In order to obtain the maximum tax treatment, you must transfer the securities to CUSO-VSO – please do not sell your shares and transfer the cash proceeds.
Steps in the process
Notify CUSO-VSO of your intent to make a contribution of Publicly Listed Securities. CUSO-VSO must know how many shares of which security you intend to donate so we can track the transaction throughout the process. Please call CUSO-VSO with this information prior to contacting your broker: (613) 829-7445, ext. 222, or 1 (888) 434-2876.
If the securities are held in your broker’s account, notify your broker to authorize an electronic transfer to the custodial account of CUSO-VSO. (Your broker will almost certainly require a letter of authorization, with an original signature, to deliver the shares to our broker.) Contact us at (613) 829-7445, ext. 222, or 1 (888) 434-2876 to find out about our securities account.
If you do not hold the shares with a broker (i.e. you hold a physical stock certificate), please contact us at (613) 829-7445, ext. 222, or 1 (888) 434-2876.
Upon receipt of the value of the securities, CUSO-VSO will issue a charitable tax receipt.
Additional information
Valuation
The valuation of the securities for the purpose of a charitable tax receipt will be calculated as of the close of trading on the date the securities are received in CUSO-VSO’s account. A tax receipt will be issued to you for this amount.
Timeliness
Generally speaking, you should be aware that the donation of securities must be ‘pushed’ from the sending broker, rather than ‘pulled’ by CUSO-VSO’s broker. We can only provide coordinates to a sending broker, and then wait to receive the securities. We are happy to provide the necessary information to sending brokers, but all we can do is re-iterate the procedure and the coordinates to them; we cannot make them send the securities in a timely manner.
To discuss these issues with us, please call: (613) 829-7445, ext. 222 or 1 (888) 434-2876, ext. 222
