Donating Shares
You can help The Big Green Idea help individuals and companies to take steps to a more sustainable future by donating shares to us. You might hold small amounts of shares that are not economic to trade on the normal markets. Or maybe you wish to help us but do not currently have sufficient cash available to make a cash donation. Perhaps you’ve inherited some shares or received them as part of your employer’s profit sharing and don’t want to deal with stock brokers. Donating such shares to The Big Green Idea is a relatively simple process and has benefits for both us and the donor.
What do we do with the shares?
By donating shares to The Big Green Idea you allow us to exercise a number of options for making use of them:
- With a sufficient volume of shares we can sell them and use the resulting cash to fund our existing projects such as the Big Green Bus visits to schools and more deprived areas.
- The shares become a valuable asset in the charity’s accounts which can help us when dealing with banks, funding bodies and local authorities.
- The shares we hold may allow us to attend shareholder meetings and help steer companies in more ethical, sustainable directions.
How to donate shares to us
If you would like to donate shares to The Big Green Idea, you will need to contact the share registrar of the company whose shares you wish to donate and complete their stock transfer form. Where you are asked to provide details of the person to whom the stock is being transferred, please write:
The Big Green Idea,
Charity No. 1123650,
11 Graham Road,
Great Malvern,
Worcs
WR14 2HR
Then simply send the completed stock transfer form and your share certificate(s) to the above address. It is as simple as that! You should keep a copy of the stock transfer form as evidence of the transfer if you will be claiming tax relief on the donation.
If you don’t hold the share certificate yourself, have lost it, or don’t know how to contact the company involved please contact us and we’ll try to help you make the donation.
Useful information for individual UK taxpayers
By donating shares to The Big Green Idea, UK taxpayers can claim income tax relief on the value of most stocks and securities. Also, for the purposes of Capital Gains Tax such donations do not attract any additional liability. This means that for a higher rate taxpayer, for every £100 worth of shares you donate to us, your income tax bill could be reduced by £40, effectively meaning that your donation only costs you £60! You may also claim tax relief on any costs that are incurred in transferring the shares (for instance if you don’t hold the shares yourself and have to transfer them through an intermediary). Please note that this information does not constitute formal financial advice - for that please contact your normal financial advisor.
Useful information for UK companies
Companies can also donate shares to The Big Green Idea. In return, the government allows the company to claim a deduction for corporation tax purposes (the percentage concerned is variable - check with your accountant or financial advisor for details). Additionally there is relief from corporation tax on capital gains on any increase in the value of the shares since they were bought. You may also claim tax relief on any costs that are incurred in transferring the shares to us (for instance if you don’t hold the shares yourself and have to transfer them through an intermediary). Please contact your normal financial advisor for more information and full financial advice on the benefits of donating shares to charity.
Thank you for your help!
