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Smart tips to help maximize your charitable giving — and your tax benefits
As the end of the year approaches, you’ve probably noticed your inbox filling up with requests from charities asking for year-end donations. Giving is important, especially now. Like so many people, you may find yourself stressed as you scramble to locate receipts and track contributions to document your tax deductions for 2023. You may also discover that organizing your giving differently could have resulted in greater tax benefits.
Here are a few tips to help you maximize your tax deductions, be more intentional about your giving, and reduce stress not just in December, but throughout the year.
Organizing your giving with a charitable tax vehicle that offers an immediate tax deduction.
If you support multiple charities, consider using a vehicle to streamline your philanthropy. One option is a private foundation, which enables you to put aside money in advance, take a tax deduction up front, and plan your grant-making over time. But the drawback is that private foundations are costly to set up, and you will still need to manage your record-keeping and tax filings. A simpler option is a donor advised fund, which organizes your charitable giving, eliminates record-keeping, and doesn’t require filing a 990 form. That’s why donor advised funds (DAFs) are the fastest-growing charitable vehicle.
Donor advised funds help get money to your charities swiftly and securely.
Donor advised funds (DAFs) are a flexible and tax-efficient way to give, and most DAFs can be opened with a minimum contribution of $5,000. When you contribute to a DAF you qualify for an immediate deduction, regardless of when and how many charities you support. The DAF provides the only receipt you’ll need. Most DAF accounts are managed on a secure portal. At Jewish Communal Fund, you can make grants and see your giving and contribution history when you log in. You can recommend grants to IRS-approved charities in every sector.
Donate cash or appreciated securities to maximize your tax savings and earn tax-free income.
Cash contributions to a donor advised fund or other public charity are generally eligible for an income tax deduction of up to 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). If you have appreciated securities — held for more than 12 months — you can electronically transfer shares to a donor advised fund and claim a fair market value deduction of up to 30% of adjusted gross income. Even better, you will not be subject to capital gains tax on the appreciated portion of the contribution. After the DAF sponsor (the organization where you have your account) liquidates the stock, the proceeds are credited to your fund, enabling you to make grants to multiple charities. At Jewish Communal Fund, you may choose from a robust selection of investments, and the tax-free earnings will be rebalanced into your Jewish Communal Fund account.
Plan ahead and respond swiftly when there is a crisis.
Putting money aside when you have additional income such as a bonus, appreciated securities, or an inheritance allows you to be more tax-efficient and intentional with your giving. So when a crisis occurs, like the terrible Oct. 7 attack on Israel or a devastating natural disaster, you will be ready to help with a donation with the click of a button. Grants from Jewish Communal Fund are sent out within two to three days.
Use a donor advised fund to group contributions for several years of giving.
You can make a contribution to a donor advised fund by “bunching” what you would have contributed to charities over the next two to three years, enabling you to reach the threshold for itemizing your tax return and qualifying for a maximum tax deduction. Many DAFs do not have an annual minimum distribution requirement, so you can set the timetable for making grants.
Terminate a private foundation using a DAF.
If you already have a private foundation, you can transfer assets to a DAF to eliminate the expense and administrative burden. Unlike the private foundation, your confidentiality is protected because DAFs report in the aggregate rather than disclosing information on individual fundholders.
Engage the next generation with a community of Jewish philanthropists.
At Jewish Communal Fund, parents or other family members may open funds for their adult children between the ages of 18-30 with a contribution of only $1,800. This is an effective way to help the next generation begin their own philanthropic journey as part of a network of Jewish givers.
Why choose Jewish Communal Fund?
JCF is the largest and most experienced Jewishly affiliated donor advised fund in the nation, with over $2.8 billion in charitable assets for 4,700 funds. Each year, JCF’s board of trustees makes a $2 million gift from its revenues to the annual campaign of UJA-Federation of New York. JCF’s endowment, the Special Gifts Fund, makes annual grants on behalf of fundholders to support organizations that promote the welfare and security of the Jewish community at home and abroad. After the outbreak of the war in Israel, JCF’s trustees awarded $500,000 from the Special Gifts Fund for the Israel Emergency Fund of UJA-Federation of New York.
Additionally, JCF’s endowment has supported kosher food pantries, JCCs, Jewish summer camps, and services for the elderly and Holocaust survivors. Unlike commercial DAFs, JCF offers Jewish values investments such as Israel Bonds and an Israeli exchange-traded fund (ETF). JCF’s recoverable grant program partners with the leading Jewish loan societies – Hebrew Free Loan Society in the U.S. and Ogen in Israel. Just by using JCF to help streamline your giving, you will stand with a proud network of Jewish philanthropists supporting the Jewish community’s important communal organizations.
*This is not accounting advice, so consult with your accountant regarding your own personal situation.
Ellen Smith-Israelson is the CMO and vice president of philanthropic services at Jewish Communal Fund. Her career in philanthropy spans 36 years working in the arts, higher education and Jewish organizations. For help deciding whether a donor advised fund is right for you, visit JCFNY.org or contact the JCF team to request more information or schedule a call.
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The post Smart tips to help maximize your charitable giving — and your tax benefits appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.