Nadine Cunningham was the 325th donor, putting us over the top with her contribution to the U32 fund. Thank you to Nadine and to the 324 (and still counting) others who donated. Every single donation counts!
Fuel The Flash 2030 Progress: You have donated over $113,000 to Fuel The Flash 2030. Including pledges, we have secured $363,000 of our $800,000 goal. You are AMAZING! Check out the Donor Hall of Fame - it’s not too late to add your name to the list.
How Can You Give to the Lightning Class? The end of the calendar year is traditionally a time of giving. The Lightning Class is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and your donations may be tax deductible. To ensure that donations made with tax benefits in mind are credited in 2025, please be certain they are received at the Class office by no later than December 19. Remember that brokerages and the mail can be slow at the end of the year. How can you give?
- Donate cash by credit card, Zelle, PayPal or by writing a check - whichever is most convenient to you. Make payments by Zelle or PayPal to office@lightningclass.org.
- Gift shares via a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) which allows you to stretch your donated dollars further through tax advantages. Gift appreciated shares when most efficacious to an intermediate charity that invests the funds until you recommend a charitable recipient (hopefully the Lightning Class). You enjoy the tax benefits of gifting appreciated shares while retaining flexibility around deciding which charities will benefit from your gift(s).Setting up and using a DAF is simple and easy. The minimum initial contribution is $0 at DAFGiving360 (affiliated with Schwab) and at Fidelity Charitable. There is generally an account administration fee as well.
- Make gifts directly from your IRA via a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Once you reach the age of 70 ½, you can make a QCD from your IRA to qualified charities (including the ILCA), for as much as $108,000 in 2025. It is a tax-efficient way to donate because the distribution is excluded from your taxable income, even if you don't itemize deductions, and it can be used to satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution once you reach 73. Reducing your income in this way can potentially keep you in a lower tax bracket and/or limit the phaseout of favorable tax deductions. To make a Qualified Charitable Distribution, contact your IRA custodian to get started.
- Gift shares of stock, mutual funds, or other securities. Appreciated shares held more than one year can be gifted directly to the ILCA investment account by providing instructions (see below) to your broker. Inform the Class office of your intentions so the gift can be tracked and properly acknowledged. This strategy allows you to avoid the capital gains tax you would owe if you sold the asset first and then donated the proceeds. Plus, if you are itemizing deductions in 2025, you may also be able to deduct the donated investment’s fair market value up to IRS limitations.
To gift shares, please have your broker electronically transfer stock directly to the International Lightning Class Association via:
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