Guidelines for Year End Giving

Checks

Checks should be made out to Stanford University. Please include a note telling us how you’d like your gift to be used. Checks should be sent to:

Development Services
P.O. Box 20466
Stanford, CA 94309-0466

Checks via U.S. Postal Service
Your check mailed via USPS must be postmarked by December 31, 2025 to count as a 2025 gift. The postmark date is used as your gift date.

It is preferable that you use USPS if possible.

Checks via a private carrier (UPS, FedEx, etc.) and checks with foreign postmarks
Checks sent by other carriers must be received by someone at Stanford University by December 31, 2025 to count as a 2025 gift. Unlike gifts we receive by USPS, gift dates for gifts sent by private carriers are based on when they are received by Stanford University. We also cannot use a foreign postmark as a gift date. Those gifts must also be received on campus by December 31, 2025.

Credit cards

Credit card gifts made online
Online gifts must be made by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on December 31, 2025.

Credit card gifts by phone or mail
All credit card gift information must be received by 5 p.m. Pacific Time on December 31, 2025. Any credit card gift received after that time may be designated as a 2026 gift. Per IRS rules, we cannot account for a credit card gift until the charge is made, and a 5 p.m. deadline ensures we can charge your card before close of business that day.

Never send your credit card information via email.

Gifts of securities

Stock gift and mutual fund transfers in December can take several weeks to transfer due to increased activity, and deadlines are at the discretion of the brokerage firm. Please confirm 2025 transfer cut-off dates with your broker. Some firms (like Merrill Lynch) have deadlines as early as November 24 this year for certain asset types. E*Trade gifts have been taking 3 to 4 weeks to complete.

We recommend you initiate your gift transfers by the first week in December to ensure delivery in Stanford’s brokerage account by end of day December 31.

Per IRS guidelines, stock gifts must be received in Stanford’s brokerage account by close of business (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT) on December 31, 2025, in order to qualify as a charitable donation this tax year.

If Vanguard, E*Trade, or Schwab is your brokerage firm, please contact the Gift Securities Team at stockgifts@stanford.edu or (650) 721-1917.

Read more about giving gifts of stock or securities here.

Wire transfers

Wires need to be successfully deposited in Stanford’s wire account by 11:59 p.m. PT on December 31, 2025. We recommend wire transfer requests be made prior to the holidays, and, at the latest, by Tuesday, December 30.

Find detailed instructions and the wire transfer request form here.

The online form is only for gift assets that are publicly-traded and listed on US exchanges. Please contact us for any other gift assets as the instructions on this form will not suffice for other types of assets, including mutual funds.

Planned gifts or gift/pledge agreements

Please notify your development liaison by December 1 of any intention to write a gift or pledge agreement. Requests for gift or pledge agreements should be submitted prior to December 8.

Institutional gifts

Any institutional gifts from corporations, foundations, and associations should be submitted by November 17 to ensure a gift agreement can be finalized.