Your Community Needs You More Than Ever

Your Community Needs You More Than Ever

2025 has been one of the most challenging years our nonprofit community has ever faced. Across San Benito County, organizations that care for our neighbors, protect our environment, support our youth, and preserve our quality of life are experiencing unprecedented funding cuts and rapidly rising needs. Many are simply struggling to keep their doors open.

In moments like these, philanthropy becomes not just meaningful, but essential.

As we approach year-end, we invite you to support the causes that matter most to you. Whether you choose to give directly to a nonprofit you love or make a gift through the Community Foundation, your generosity strengthens our entire community. When you give through the Foundation, you can have confidence that your contribution will be stewarded responsibly, invested wisely, and directed where it can make the greatest impact.

Ways to Make a Meaningful Year-End Gift

The holidays are a time of reflection, gratitude, and generosity. They are also a moment when local nonprofits are working harder than ever to meet rising community needs. No matter what’s happening across the state or the nation, each of us has the opportunity to make a difference right here at home.

Here are a few smart and impactful ways to give this season:

1. Donate Appreciated Stock

Market gains present a unique advantage. If you hold stocks or other publicly traded securities that have increased in value, donating them can be one of the most tax-efficient ways to give. You may be able to avoid capital gains taxes entirely while maximizing your charitable contribution. *

Key timeline reminders:

• Initiate stock gifts by December 20
• Gifts must be received by December 31

The Community Foundation can accept marketable securities of any kind and is happy to provide clear instructions for your financial advisor.

*Please consult your tax advisor for details.

2. Use Your IRA’s Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)

If you are 70½ or older, you can transfer up to $105,000 (2025 limit) from your traditional IRA directly to a charity as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).
If you are 73 or older, this transfer also counts toward your Required Minimum Distribution—while allowing you to skip the income tax you’d normally owe.

QCDs can support any of the Foundation’s non-donor-advised funds, or we can work with you to establish a new fund aligned with your values.

3. Give in Someone’s Honor

A gift in lieu of a holiday present is a meaningful way to celebrate someone you care about. You can donate to your own fund or support any of the Foundation’s other charitable funds.
Just be sure your gift is postmarked or submitted online by 11:59 p.m. on December 31.

4. Consider a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)

A Donor-Advised Fund allows you to make multiple years’ worth of charitable contributions at once, particularly during a high-income year, while granting funds out over time on your own schedule. Many financial institutions offer DAFs, and the Community Foundation does as well.

5. Leverage your Gift for Impact

Donate to the Sonny Paullus Grant Fund, which awards grants to nonprofits each year through a competitive grant cycle. This fund allows you to pool your gift with others in the community, creating a collective impact that is far greater than any one gift alone.

The Community Foundation for San Benito County holds a large variety of funds. To see a complete list of fund options, click here.

6. Support the Foundation

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, every gift received before December 31 to the Community Foundation Operating Fund will be matched up to $100,000. This fund allows us to continue our mission to create a better future for all those living within San Benito County.

Important Year-End Deadlines

To ensure your gift counts for the 2025 tax year:

• Online credit card donations: must be processed by 11:59 p.m. on December 31
• Checks: must be USPS postmarked on or before December 31
• FedEx/UPS deliveries: must be received in-hand by staff on or before December 31
• Stock gifts and IRA distributions: initiate in early December to ensure timely processing

This Is a Moment for All of Us to Stand Together

Your generosity today helps stabilize critical services, sustain the nonprofits that hold our community together, and ensure that San Benito County enters 2026 with hope and resilience.

We invite you to join us in lifting up our neighbors, strengthening our nonprofits, and investing in the future we all share.

In our community, every act of service matters. Together, we build a better tomorrow.