Kathy and Chad chose a creative way to support our mission, and it could change how you think about year-end giving too. They've shared their story below.

When donors want to support a mission financially, the default methods are often online card donations or checks.

That’s why I was encouraged when Kathy asked: “Does Allies take stock donations? We're thinking about a creative way to support the organization. Instead of cash, we’d like to use additional assets we have and get a tax benefit.”

I was happy to answer quickly and enthusiastically, “Yes!”

Kathy and Chad have supported Allies Against Slavery for years. So, as they reviewed giving in 2025, they considered donating some of their appreciated stock directly. They'd avoid long-term capital gains taxes on the appreciation, receive a full charitable deduction for the gift's fair market value, and give more to the mission they cared about.

"Giving stock just made sense, and being able to use our assets in a more creative way was a win,” Kathy explains. "To have the option to use appreciated assets in a more impactful way was exciting. We love the work of Allies, and they made it so easy to give stock online."

Allies’ online donation button makes processing stock gifts as easy as a few clicks. Within minutes, their donation was complete. No complicated paperwork. Just a straightforward online process that felt as simple as any other transaction in 2025.

"Initiating the process at Every.org is pretty simple, once you’ve created an account on their site,” Chad shared. “You simply identify the charity you want to donate to (e.g. insert “Allies Against Slavery” in the search box), select the type of donation (EFT, stock, crypto, etc.) and follow the instructions that appear. I chose the option to have my financial representative initiate the transaction."

What struck me most when Kathy shared their story wasn't the financial wisdom—though that's real and valuable. It was what she said next.

"Data holds immense power and truth," she explained. "And Allies harnesses this power to expose and prevent future abuse and exploitation in a landscape rife with misinformation."

Kathy gets what many people miss about anti-trafficking work. She understands that in a world clouded by sensationalized Hollywood narratives and viral social media myths, accurate data becomes our most potent weapon against exploitation.

Kathy and Chad's gift is now helping us scale our Lighthouse platform into new states, giving frontline professionals and leaders the data and tools needed to identify victims and reveal trafficking patterns that enable proactive prevention.

Asset-Based Giving: A Wise Approach

Asset-based giving is the strategy of donating non-cash assets, such as appreciated stock, real estate, or life insurance, to a charity instead of cash. This method can offer significant tax benefits and allow donors to make a greater impact vs the typical cash or credit card gift.

This year, asset-based giving can be a wise strategy. For example, the S&P 500 is up approximately 15% year-to-date—and that follows extraordinary back-to-back gains of 25% in 2024 and 26% in 2023. Over just three years, the index has climbed more than 75%.

Many of us want to maximize our impact on the causes we care about. Yet few of us realize that how we give can be just as important as how much we give.

Five Strategies Worth Considering

Stock was the right answer for Kathy and Chad. But as we approach year-end, it's worth asking: what other assets could maximize your impact? Here are five strategies to consider:

1. Appreciated Stock or Securities
   
   If you've owned stock for more than a year and it has increased in value, donating it directly may offer significant advantages. You may avoid capital gains tax while potentially receiving a charitable deduction for the full fair market value (up to 30% of adjusted gross income, with a five-year carryforward).
   
   This is what Chad and Kathy chose, and why it worked so well for them.
   
   

2. Cryptocurrency
   
   For those who held Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies through 2024's rally, donating appreciated crypto may offer similar tax advantages—avoiding capital gains while receiving a deduction for full value.
   
   

3. Donor Advised Funds (DAF)
   
   DAFs offer similar benefits with added flexibility. Contribute assets, receive an immediate deduction, then recommend grants to multiple organizations over time.
   
   

4. Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD) from IRAs
   
   If you're 70½ or older, you may give up to $108,000 tax-free from your IRA directly to charities like Allies. For those with required minimum distributions, a QCD satisfies that requirement without increasing taxable income.
   
   

5. Direct Contributions
   
   Traditional methods remain straightforward through our Every.org platform—credit card, bank transfer, or mobile payments.

Explore all options on our giving page.

The Ecosystem Your Gift Builds

Here's what prevention-focused giving actually accomplishes. When partners like Kathy and Chad invest in Allies Against Slavery, they're building the anti-trafficking ecosystem:

• Scaling victim identification across Texas, Louisiana, and Florida while expanding into new states

• Aggregating dozens of data sources that reveal trafficking patterns and enable proactive intervention

• Strengthening collaborative infrastructure that connects service providers, law enforcement, researchers, and policymakers around shared intelligence

This isn't a one-time intervention. It's prevention. It's making the invisible visible through data, then acting on what we discover before exploitation occurs.

An Invitation

As you consider your end-of-year giving, I encourage you to explore these approaches this season. The conversation Kathy and Chad had about appreciated assets and how to maximize impact might be worth having yourself.

As we approach the end of another year, we're grateful for partners who see what we see: that making the invisible visible through data and collaboration is how we'll ultimately create a trafficking-free future.

If you have questions about any of these giving strategies, please reach out. We're here to help you maximize your impact, not just with Allies but across all the causes you support.

With gratitude and hope,

John Nehme

CEO, Allies Against Slavery

This information is educational only and should not be considered tax, legal, or financial advice. Allies Against Slavery does not provide tax, legal, or financial advice. Please consult your own qualified advisor.