December 31 is right around the corner. Some of the most effective charitable planning strategies require more than a year-end conversation—and for now, there’s still time. As the last few weeks of 2026 slip away, don’t delay your work to activate clients’ charitable giving plans.

Here are four things to keep in mind as the window on 2026 charitable tax planning begins to close.

Bunching deserves a look.

The concept of “bunching” charitable contributions gained traction after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 substantially increased the standard deduction. Historical data shows that many taxpayers who previously itemized began claiming the standard deduction because their charitable gifts and other itemized deductions were no longer sufficient to exceed the applicable threshold.

Beginning in 2026, charitable deduction planning has another wrinkle. New rules generally impose a 0.5%-of-adjusted-gross-income floor on charitable contributions claimed by itemizers. In addition, the tax benefit of itemized deductions, including charitable deductions, is capped at 35% for taxpayers in the 37% bracket. These changes make it even more important to think strategically about the timing of charitable gifts.

Rather than making roughly equal charitable gifts every year, a client may benefit from concentrating—or “bunching”—two or more years of planned contributions into a single tax year. A donor-advised fund at Innovia can be particularly useful because the client can make a larger contribution in one year, potentially claim the corresponding charitable deduction subject to applicable rules and limitations, and then recommend grants to favorite charities over time.

Remember, starting with the 2026 tax year, clients who take the standard deduction can deduct up to $1,000 ($2,000 for joint filers) in cash gifts to public charities. The deduction doesn’t apply to gifts of stock or other noncash assets, or to gifts to donor-advised funds. In the “off” years between bunched gifts, a client taking the standard deduction can still claim this deduction for cash given directly to charities.

Before your client gives cash, look at appreciated assets.

Cash may be easy, but it isn’t always the most tax-efficient asset to give. Clients holding highly appreciated publicly traded securities should consider whether donating the securities directly makes more sense than selling them and donating the proceeds.

When applicable requirements are satisfied, a gift of long-term appreciated publicly traded securities to a public charity generally can allow the donor to avoid recognizing the unrealized capital gain and claim a charitable deduction based on fair market value, subject to applicable limitations.

And don’t stop with publicly traded stock. Real estate, closely held business interests, and other appreciated assets may also present charitable planning opportunities—but the rules can become considerably more complicated. Valuation, appraisal, substantiation, and other requirements can apply depending on the asset and the size of the deduction. The IRS notes that noncash gifts may require a contemporaneous written acknowledgment, Form 8283, and, in many cases, a qualified appraisal.

Check out QCDs for clients age 70½ and older.

For eligible IRA owners, a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) can offer an entirely different charitable planning opportunity. A QCD allows an IRA owner age 70½ or older to make a distribution directly from an IRA to an eligible charity, subject to the annual limit and other requirements. A qualifying QCD is excluded from income rather than claimed as a charitable deduction.

For clients who are subject to required minimum distributions, a QCD can also count toward the RMD. But don’t wait until RMD age (currently 73) to raise the subject: QCD eligibility begins at age 70½. This distinction may be particularly important in 2026. Because the tax benefit of a QCD comes through the income exclusion rather than an itemized charitable deduction, neither the new 0.5% floor nor the 35% cap applies. And for 2026, the QCD limit is a healthy $111,000 per IRA owner.

Although donor-advised funds are not currently eligible QCD recipients, Innovia Foundation offers several other types of funds that are eligible recipients. Please reach out to our team to learn more. 

Act now!

Perhaps the most important year-end charitable planning tip is the simplest: Do it now!

Transferring securities can take time. Gifts of complex assets can require due diligence, appraisals, and additional documentation. A client may need to establish a donor-advised or other type of fund. And QCDs need to be completed—not merely requested—within the applicable tax year to count for that year.

So don’t wait for the holidays to ask clients about charitable giving. Ask now which clients intend to make significant gifts before year-end, what assets they might use, and whether bunching, appreciated assets, QCDs, or another strategy could help accomplish their charitable and financial objectives.

Innovia is honored to work alongside you and your clients as you evaluate these opportunities. Reach out now, while there is still a little time to get year-end charitable planning right.