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  • 1.  Stock Acknowledgements

    Posted 01-13-2026 10:26 AM

    Good morning all, 

    Can anyone share samples of their acknowledgement letters for Stock gifts? We provide the following statement in ours, but still get donors calling/emailing insisting on being told the full amount:

    "The IRS does not permit Hartwick College to appraise the value of your donation. However, I can state that your entire gift will go to charitable purposes and that you received no goods or services in return."

    I would love to hear how others handle these situations and see if there is a way we can adjust the wording to make it more palatable and understanding for our persistent donors. 



    ------------------------------
    Aimee Beavers
    Hartwick College
    gifts@hartwick.edu
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Stock Acknowledgements

    Posted 01-13-2026 10:38 AM
    This is also covered in my annual email just resent!

    John H. Taylor, Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier Street
    Durham, NC     27705

    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987






  • 3.  RE: Stock Acknowledgements

    Posted 19 days ago

    Hello - I know there is a tremendous amount information about stocks in the knowledgebase, and I apologize if this answer is already in here.

    We have been reviewing our stock process and have questions about how to handle pledge-installment balances and overages when processing stock donations.  From the reading I have done, it seems that if a donor is trying to give $20,000 in stocks for a $20,000 installment, we should "credit" the donor $20,000, even if the donation comes in higher or lower (we typically receive electronic transfers).  Our Finance department is asking us to account for the exact amount of the cash earned once the stock is sold (we have a standing order to sell when stock is received).

    Is the best practice to process the cash received and "credit" the donor for the installment amount, whether the cash is higher or lower? And if so, should any balances from the stock being short be written off?  Are overages paying off part of the next installment (if there is one)?

    In the past, we have billed donors for the difference and credited the next installment if there was an overage, which has worked for us but I'm trying to confirm if this is correct.  Guidance is appreciated.



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    Angela Oxenberg
    Baptist Health South Florida Foundation
    AngelaOx@Baptisthealth.net
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Stock Acknowledgements

    Posted 19 days ago
    Hi Aimee,

    It is always correct to credit the donor for the value of the stock when it was received, which by convention is the average of the high/low on the day it was received. However, if the difference between that value and the pledge installment is small, many organizations do not go back to the donor to make up the difference if the value was lower than the pledge installment, nor do they credit the donor if it was higher. An accountant would say that the difference does not meet the materiality threshold. 

    For larger variances between intended donation and the value of the stock, and for larger gifts in general, the difference does matter, and you would go back to the donor to make up the difference, or credit the future installments if you got more than expected. But these calculations are made on the basis of the high/low on day of receipt, not the realized amount from the sale. The realized amount is recorded as an investment gain or loss relative to the high/low on day of receipt, and it has nothing to do with what the donor gave, or might still owe.


    Thank you,
    Isaac Shalev
    Data Strategy Expert
    Sage70, Inc.
    (917) 859-0151
    isaac@sage70.com

    Schedule a 30-minute consultation now: