In the spirit of giving, a year-end gift to a charity or nonprofit organization like NEIU can have a very positive impact on your taxes, if you deduct. Giving to NEIU can also have a positive impact on our students, faculty and programs for years to come. Your tax-deductible gift may offer significant savings to you and your family and will provide needed assistance to the University. Here are 6 tips to consider when making a year-end gift:

1. Talk to your financial adviser before making a significant gift, whether to NEIU or any other organization;
2. Do your giving as soon as possible, especially if you want to make a non-cash gift (stock, real estate, etc.), as these types of gifts often require longer processing times;
3. Calculate your income to find out what your tax liability is for the year and if a year-end gift will have a positive impact on your taxes;
4. Review your stocks to see if it would make sense for you to make a year-end gift using stocks, to avoid capital gains;
5. Consider a life-income gift, where you can make a gift now, obtain tax benefits and receive income for the rest of your life;
6. Consider online giving, particularly if you are using a credit card, and give on or before December 31. This will ensure that your gift will be credited toward your 2009 taxes.

If you are considering a gift to NEIU this year, please call Liesl Downey, director of development, at ext. 4248 or e-mail l-downey@neiu.edu.

Click here to make an online donation to NEIU.