Northern Nevada Chapter of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME)

Charitable Giving
The Northern Nevada Section of the SME welcomes the support of all individuals, corporations, and other organizations who have a continuing interest in our mission: to advance and disseminate knowledge of engineering and the arts and sciences involved in the production and use of minerals, metals, energy sources and materials for the benefit of humankind.
       Your donation to NNSME supports scholarships to students with declared majors within the Mackay School of Mines at the University of Nevada, Reno.
       We are a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization so your gift is tax-deductible to the extent provided by law. Your employer may also match your gift (may require us to complete a form from your Human Resources department). Planned giving integrates a donor's charitable gift with his or her overall financial, tax, and estate planning goals to maximize benefits to both the donor and NNvSME. Planned gifts typically come from a donor's assets rather than income, and can be either outright or deferred. It is highly recommended that donors consult with their own tax or legal advisors prior to making a planned gift. Some types of gifts include: wills; trusts, charitable lead trust, charitable remainder trust; charitable gift annuities; real estate; life insurance; mutual funds; pooled income fund; donor advised fund.
       Members giving donations or gifts valued in the amounts below (annual or lifetime) will be recognized through our communications:

Al-Biruni Council	$50,000 and above
Avicenna Fraternity	$25,000 - $49,000
Agricola Congress	$10,000 - $24,999
Steno Society	$5,000 - $9,999
Hutton Order	$2,000 - $4,999
Smith Union	$1,000 - $1,999
Lyell League	$250 - $999
Darwin Guild	$100 - $249

Donating Stock To Charity
Consider making a gift of appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual fund shares rather than a cash donation for potentially greater tax benefits combined with the satisfaction of contributing to a cause you believe can make a difference.
       Charitable contributions of appreciated securities provide potential income-tax advantages. A charitable tax deduction for the fair market value of the securities at the time of the contribution, subject to tax law limits. If you sold the securities first you would be taxed on the capital gain. Our charity would be glad to receive the stock and can sell it immediately for cash, with no capital gains consequences because of our charity’s tax-exempt status, or hold them as an investment and use the dividend stream. To receive these benefits the security must have a long-term capital gain after you’ve owned it over a year, or be stock you inherited.
       If the stock only has a short-term capital gain, having been held less than one year, your charitable deduction is limited to your cost basis rather than the stock’s fair market value. Also of importance is the type of charity to which the gift is made. While a gift of appreciated stock to a public charity, e.g. NNSME, generally allows the donor to take a deduction for fair market value, a similar gift to a private foundation may result in a charitable deduction that is limited to your cost basis.
       Donating appreciated stock can give you tax advantages but donating securities that have lost value since you purchased them should be avoided. It may be best be to sell securities that have lost value, realize a capital gains tax loss deduction, and donate the proceeds of the sale to the charity for a charitable tax deduction. If you simply donate securities you cannot deduct the loss on your taxes.
       Your broker or mutual fund company can directly transfer shares to a charity for you using the instructions on our donation form.
       If you wish to donate a physical stock certificate you can sign the back of the certificate and deliver it to the charity. If your stock certificate is for more shares than you want to donate, you can ask your broker to have the stock certificate reissued in two or more smaller certificates. You can transfer one of these new certificates to the charity. If you are mailing a physical stock certificate, for your safety, have your broker execute a letter of authorization describing the stock certificate and the donation you are making. Then, mail the unsigned stock certificate to the charity in one envelope and the letter of authorization in another.
       Before you make a gift of stock or mutual funds, especially a significant gift, discuss the effect it will have on your overall financial plan with your professional financial advisor. Also, please refer to IRS Publication 526 Charitable Contributions. We are not tax or legal professionals, please contact your attorney or tax advisor for more detailed information.

Our privacy policy is very simple, we promise to never sell or trade a donor's contact information.
The officers of the NNSME are committed to donor's rights as stated in A Donor's Bill of Rights:

A Donor's Bill of Rights
This Bill of Rights for charitable givers was developed by the following four industry experts: American Association of Fund Raising Counsel, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, National Society of Fund Raising Executives. It is industry-accepted and all quality charities subscribe to these beliefs.
       Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes that they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

I.      To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
II.     To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
III.    To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
IV.    To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
V.     To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.
VI.    To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
VII.   To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
VIII.  To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
IX.    To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
X.     To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

These are the ways the NNSME complies with A Donor's Bill of Rights:

I.      We post our mission statement here.
II.     The prudent officers of the NNvSME are listed here.
III.    The national SME files an IRS Form-990 to maintain our exempt tax status. Click here to read the IRS determination letter.
IV.    We list our scholarship recipients here. We also require that recipients attend our meeting and be introduced to attendees where they will receive their checks.
V.     We are gratefull to all our donors for their genorosity and with your permission, we will post your name on our website and include you in our press releases.
VI.    If you wish to remain anonymous we will honor that. We will never divulge your contact information to the public or other organizations.
VII.   The officers are all mining professionals that treat others with courtesy, dignity, and respect.
VIII.  The NNSME has no paid staff. The officers are all volunteers.
IX.    Just send our secretary an email and we will gladly remove your name from our mailing lists.
X.     Feel free to contact any of our officers. We work in the mining industry so please keep in mind that some of us may be in the field. If you don't get a quick response please contact a different officer.

Al-Biruni Council	Avicenna Fraternity	Agricola Congress	Steno Society	Hutton Order	Smith Union	Lyell League	Darwin Guild
$50,000 and above	$25,000 - $49,000	$10,000 - $24,999	$5,000 - $9,999	$2,000 - $4,999	$1,000 - $1,999	$250 - $999	$100 - $249
			John Welsh		Ron Starr

Last updated October 29, 2011