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Electronic Transfers (Wire and ACH)
Duke accepts gifts by wire transfer and by electronic transfer through the Automated Clearing House Network (ACH).
Wire and ACH INSTRUCTIONS
Requests for wire instructions and requests to complete ACH authorization forms should be sent to gifts2duke@duke.edu.
Wire and ACH notifications
Wire and ACH notifications should be sent to adrecords@duke.edu.
Estates, charitable trusts and annuities
Duke's Office of Gift Planning specializes in charitable gift planning for estates, charitable trusts and annuities, and other complex current and future gift plans.
Foreign Currency
Duke accepts foreign checks (checks in foreign currency, as well as checks in US dollars drawn on foreign banks). Duke gives gift credit in US dollars for the value of the donation based on current exchange rates determined on the day of receipt.
It is important to know Duke may incur substantial bank fees to process foreign checks. Additionally, foreign checks may take up to two weeks to process. For this reason, Duke only accepts foreign checks valued at $100 US dollars or more.
Gifts from Certain Foreign Taxpayers
UK donors
UK taxpayers, even those who also pay taxes in the US, may be able to increase the value of a gift by supporting Duke through Duke UK Trust Limited, a UK-registered charity, and electing to have Gift Aid applied to the donation. Find out how the Duke UK Trust Limited can make your donation worth more.
European donors
Through Transnational Giving Europe (TGE), donors in participating countries can direct gifts to Duke University through Duke UK Trust Limited.
Payroll Deduction
Duke employees can make one-time and/or recurring charitable contributions to Duke and DUHS by payroll deduction through Duke@Work (see MyInfo > MyPay). ADR staff are unable to initiate new deductions or make changes to existing deductions; these changes must be done by the employee.
Personal Property, Real Estate AND OTHER ASSETS
Questions about donating personal property or real estate to Duke should be directed to a Development Officer or the Office of Gift Planning.
Gifts of tangible personal property, real property, life insurance, and other assets (including, but not limited to, promissory notes, assignment of promissory notes, partnership interests, LLC interests, other restricted or non-publicly traded securities, trademarks, copyrights and other intangible property interests) are subject to Duke's Gift Acceptance and Disposition Policy. Gifts subject to this policy and valued at $5,000 or more will require approval by Duke's Gift Policy Committee prior to acceptance.
Real estate
A gift of real estate may be a principal residence or vacation home, a farm, a commercial building, a subdivision lot, or unimproved land. The gift may be the entire property or a fractional interest in the property.
Personal property
Some gifts of personal property require an appraisal or advance approval to be accepted. Examples of gifts of property include tickets to athletic events, rare books, artwork, computer hardware and software, and laboratory equipment.
PLEDGE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ADR issues pledge acknowledgements when pledges are booked in DADD (Duke Alumni Development Database).
PLEDGE STATEMENTS
Pledge statements (reminders) are sent three times each year, in March, May and November, regardless of when the pledge is due. These statements only include pledges with open balances and do not reflect pledges that have already been paid.
Pledges are booked to specific individuals and not to couples or families. If a household has more than one individual with an open pledge to Duke, each individual will receive his/her own pledge statement.
RECEIPTS
ADR issues tax receipts when gifts are booked in DADD. If desired, Donors can request to receive an annual tax receipt, rather than receiving a tax receipt for each gift given. Additionally, donors who give through payroll or have a recurring gift/pledge are automatically opted in to annual tax receipts. If a donor wishes to change how he/she receives receipts from Duke, please contact ADR at gifts2duke@duke.edu.
Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs
A qualified charitable distribution (“QCD”) is a direct transfer of funds from an IRA custodian to a qualified charity, such as Duke. Unlike regular IRA withdrawals, QCDs are not included in taxable income, providing a tax benefit to the donor, regardless of whether the donor itemizes. Funds distributed directly to an IRA owner, and then given to charity, do not qualify as a QCD.
QCDs can be counted toward satisfying required minimum distribution (“RMD”) requirements for the year, if certain rules are met. QCD funds must be disbursed by the RMD deadline, generally December 31, to count for that year’s RMD requirement.
Types of IRAs eligible to make QCDs include: traditional IRAs, inherited IRAs, inactive Simplified Employee Pension plan (SEP) IRAs and inactive Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRAs. In the case of SEP and SIMPLE IRAs, inactive means the account no longer receives employer contributions. Under certain circumstances, a QCD may be made from a Roth IRA. However, distributions from a Roth IRA are typically tax-free and RMDs are not typically required from Roth IRAs.
A donor making a QCD must be at least 70½ years old on the day of the distribution. QCDs are subject to annual IRS limits. Additionally, QCDs are limited to the amount that would otherwise be taxed as ordinary income and are reduced by any deductible IRA contributions made during the year. QCD treatment is not allowed if the gift is given in exchange for benefits, including ticket rights. Donors should consult with a tax advisor if there are any questions about eligibility for QCD treatment.
Checks should be made payable to Duke University and sent to:
Alumni & Development Records
Duke University
Box 90581
Durham, NC 27708-0581.
Duke's tax ID number is 56-0532129. Please make sure the check (or associated paperwork) identifies the donor, indicates the funds are from an IRA, and specifies the designation for the gift.