Happy Holidays from all of us at LCCF

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the opportunity to work together! It is our honor to celebrate and recognize the conclusion of another year full of stories and examples of people like you who make a difference every day in our community through your advocacy, volunteerism and financial support of our community’s charities.

As we reflect on 2025, we’re sharing three insights that have resonated with many charitable individuals and families, many of whom have established a fund at the Lapeer County Community Foundation or are in the process of doing so right now!

It’s not over until it’s over, and we’re taking this opportunity to share practical year-end reminders, especially considering that, for taxpayers who itemize deductions, 2025 may be the best tax environment to maximize your charitable giving by donating appreciated stock to a fund held at LCCF. And of course, if you are over the age of 70 ½, don’t forget to consider QCDs from IRAs as you check your beneficiary designations. Our staff are here to help!

Unrestricted gifts are a powerful way for you and other donors to invest in long-term support for ever-evolving community needs. As a permanent, flexible and trusted institution, the Lapeer County Community Foundation is here to help you evaluate how unrestricted gifts might be the perfect complement to your portfolio of giving, alongside your donor-advised fund and legacy gift. For example: QCDs are a particularly important way to support an unrestricted fund if you are 70 ½ or older.

People who don’t have children often embrace intentional planning about their legacies and are statistically more likely to include charities in their estate plans. If you’re one of these people, reach out to the Lapeer County Community Foundation. We’ll help you set up charitable giving strategies to express your identity, integrate philanthropy into your estate and financial plans and involve your extended family or younger relatives along your journey.

Community impact at work: learn about the newly established Virgil Horton Scholarship Fund which will open doors for North Branch Area School students and a grant strengthening emergency response through CPR training equipment for the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office.

Whatever causes you support and wherever your charitable interests lie, the LCCF staff is here for you. We are honored to serve as your home for charitable giving to help you organize your support for favorite charities and make a meaningful difference in the lives of people who live in this wonderful place we call home. We wish you all the best during this holiday season!

With gratitude,
— Nancy Boxey
Executive Director
nboxey@
lapeercountycf.org
810.664.0691

Countdown to 2026:
10 tips for charitable giving

•At the Lapeer County Community Foundation, we are honored to work with you and so many other families, individuals and businesses to help organize your charitable giving and support favorite charities that make a difference in our community. As the year winds down, keep these 10 tips in mind:

•Remember that 2025 is a pivotal year for charitable planning. With more stringent charitable deduction limitations taking effect in 2026 under new tax laws, this year may offer a favorable tax environment for your giving depending on your personal situation. Talk with your tax advisors as soon as possible.

•Work with your tax advisors to evaluate the benefits of “bunching” multiple years of charitable gifts into 2025. By front-loading contributions – especially into your donor-advised fund at the community foundation – you may be able to exceed the standard deduction this year and maximize your tax benefits.

•Use your donor-advised fund to simplify year-end giving. You can make one tax-deductible contribution now, receive the deduction in 2025, and recommend grants to nonprofits over time, even throughout 2026 and beyond.

•Give appreciated stock instead of cash. Donating long-term appreciated securities to your fund at the community foundation may eliminate capital gains tax and in turn increase your charitable impact. Talk with your tax advisors as soon as possible so that these gifts can be processed well before the end of the year.

•Explore giving from your IRA if you’re 70½ or older. A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) can reduce taxable income and, if applicable, satisfy required minimum distributions – to the tune of $108,000 per taxpayer in 2025. IRS rules allow you to make QCDs to a wide variety of funds at the Lapeer County Community Foundation (but not to your donor-advised fund).

•Check to see whether you’ve met your charitable goals for 2025. Don’t wait until late December to review your plan. Our team can help you think through options for this year and begin to coordinate more complex gifts for next year.

•Support the community overall by making gifts to LCCF’s special funds or operations. 2025 has been a tough year for many people in our community, and our team can help you support families in crisis both now and in the future.

•Review your beneficiary designations. Naming your fund or another community foundation fund as a beneficiary of an IRA or other retirement account can create meaningful future gifts while reducing the tax burden on heirs.

•Avoid last-minute surprises. Gifts of complex assets – such as real estate or closely-held stock – require additional steps and a lot of lead time, so contact the Lapeer County Community Foundation if you’re considering these options. Even if it is too late to complete these gifts in 2025, start working with LCCF on options for 2026 gifts.

•Above all, lean on our team! We are here to help you explore the most tax-efficient ways to meet your charitable goals, whether you’re planning year-end gifts, updating a legacy plan or thinking ahead to the changes coming in 2026.

It is our honor to work with you! Thank you for the opportunity. We look forward to supporting your charitable goals this year and for many years to come.