NonDoc

Beyond including us in your will or trust, using the death benefit from retirement savings such as an IRA, 401k, 403b or pension is an ideal way of supporting nonprofits like NonDoc.

Assigning the benefit is easy. You simply obtain a Beneficiary Designation Form from your retirement account custodian and designate the Sustainable Journalism Foundation, dba NonDoc Media, EIN 84-3896856, as your beneficiary.

If married, you may be required to have approval from your spouse. Most assets with a designated beneficiary avoid probate, and NonDoc may be designated as a primary, contingent or partial beneficiary.

If your estate plan will benefit people and nonprofits, and your portfolio includes retirement savings as well as appreciated stocks or bonds, be sure to consult with your financial or legal adviser.

Retirement savings are best left to nonprofits like NonDoc, because if you leave these savings to non-spousal individuals, the funds may be taxed as regular income. Instead, bequeathing your appreciated stocks and bonds to your heirs can be better because there are unique tax advantages for those who inherit them. By choosing wisely, you can benefit both your family and the causes you care about.

For additional information about using retirement savings to support NonDoc Media, contact our development director, Tara McMillen Hall, at (405) 408-4310 or tara@nondoc.com.

If you are age 70.5 or older and have an IRA, you can make tax-smart charitable gifts to nonprofits like NonDoc Media through a Qualified Charitable Distribution, which is also known as an “IRA charitable rollover.”

At age 73, you are required to take annual IRA withdrawals (RMDs), which are then considered taxable income. Making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) allows you to transfer up to $108,000 (the 2025 limit) directly to NonDoc and avoid creating taxable income while meeting your RMD requirement.

Making a QCD is simple. Just ask your IRA custodian to send a check to NonDoc Media at P.O. Box 18421 Oklahoma City, OK, 73154. Be sure to notify us of the transfer details. Since QCDs are tax-free, they do not qualify for a charitable deduction on your annual tax filings, but many people find this method more beneficial than taking an RMD and donating separately.

For additional information about using an IRA charitable rollover to support NonDoc, contact our development director, Tara McMillen Hall, at (405) 408-4310 or tara@nondoc.com.

Supporting NonDoc Media with appreciated securities like stocks or bonds is a tax-smart and straightforward way to give.

By donating appreciated assets — investments now worth more than when you acquired them — you receive three key benefits.

First, you can deduct the full current value of the asset on your taxes. For example, if a stock you bought for $25 is now worth $75, your deduction for donating it is $75. Second, donating your security directly to NonDoc lets you avoid capital gains taxes, which you would owe if you sell the asset first. The third benefit to donating appreciated assets as a gift is that you already own the asset, so there is no impact on your monthly budget.

To determine if your asset has appreciated, check its “basis” — the value when you acquired it. If it is now worth more, it has appreciated. Your broker can help determine the basis. Generally speaking, the current value is the average of a stock’s high and low prices on the gift date, while mutual fund shares are valued at the closing price. Per NonDoc’s Gift Acceptance Policy, securities are typically sold within one business day.

To ensure proper processing, please notify us of the transfer date, asset details, and financial institution handling the transaction. Our development team can provide you the necessary transfer information as you ask your broker to transfer assets.

For information about supporting NonDoc with your stocks or bonds, contact our development director, Tara McMillen Hall at (405) 408-4310 or tara@nondoc.com.

Along your life’s journey, you may have purchased life insurance that you no longer find necessary. Your minor children may now be grown and financially independent, or your financial circumstances may now fully support your heirs upon your death. Your unneeded life insurance could be a great way to support nonprofit organizations like NonDoc Media. There are two ways to do so.

The first involves naming NonDoc Media as the beneficiary of the policy upon your death. This revocable process is as simple as changing the beneficiary with your insurance carrier and maintaining the policy by continuing to make premium payments. Your estate may benefit from a tax deduction on estate taxes.

The second method of using life insurance as a charitable gift is to make NonDoc Media the holder of the policy. If you transfer ownership, the gift is irrevocable, but you would typically qualify for immediate tax benefits based on the value of the payments you have made or the value of the death benefit, whichever is lesser. Because you would no longer own the policy, you would not be liable for making further premium payments for the policy (although many donors agree to make annual, tax-deductible gifts to cover the policy’s premiums). Upon transfer of ownership, the policy may immediately be sold for its current cash value, or the policy may be maintained by NonDoc, which would benefit from the full value of the policy at the time of your death.

For additional information about using life insurance to support NonDoc Media, contact our development director, Tara McMillen Hall, at (405) 408-4310 or tara@nondoc.com.

Some donors now use Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) to manage their philanthropy. Instead of giving directly to charities, they set up a DAF with a custodial organization, which provides immediate tax benefits. By doing this, they can then direct gifts from their fund to any charity at any time, without receiving another tax receipt. It’s kind of like a charitable checking account out of which gifts can be made.

NonDoc Media stands ready to accept gifts from Donor Advised Funds. Simply contact our development director, Tara McMillen Hall, at (405) 408-4310 or tara@nondoc.com if you have questions about designating a gift to NonDoc from your DAF.