Gifts of Stock & Mutual Funds

Donating shares of stock is a tax-savvy way to help save lives!

Young to middle age adult couple sitting on living room floor looking at laptop together

Thank you for your interest in supporting the American Heart Association. When you gift stocks and other securities, you make an outsized impact without taking money directly out of your bank account. Plus, neither you nor the American Heart Association will be taxed on the gains for appreciated assets you donate.

Meet your giving goals, enjoy potential tax benefits, and contribute to the mission of the American Heart Association. That’s a triple-win.

The American Heart Association works with FreeWill, making it easy for you to donate stock and other securities.

How it works

Select which securities to donate

You’ll need your brokerage name, account number, stock name, and number of shares you want to donate. Donors generally incur the greatest tax benefit when donating appreciated stock that has been held for more than a year. Please contact your brokerage if you have any questions.
Submit a request to transfer the securities

Use our free, secure, and confidential online tool to complete the necessary forms in as little as ten minutes. Submit them securely online through DocuSign or choose to print and mail the completed forms yourself.
We receive your gift

Your stock is transferred to the American Heart Association. Once complete, you’ll receive a tax acknowledgment for the market value of your gift.

Learn more about the benefits of gifting securities, or have someone from the American Heart Association contact you

Donor Spotlight: Patti and Joe Brayton

Having a well-known cardiologist as a father was a point of pride for Patti Brayton. She saw first-hand the amazing personal care he provided for over 30 years in their community outside Chicago. After losing her mother as a teenager, Patti grew up attending cardiology events as her father's "plus one," so she has always felt at home in a ballroom. Her connection to matters of the heart became even stronger when her husband Joe co-founded a company providing medications for heart transplant patients and those with congestive heart failure (CHF). Patti eventually lost her father to CHF and she and Joe began actively supporting their local American Heart Association in his honor. "It felt good to honor him by giving back and fighting for the hearts of others, the way he had for so many decades," said Patti. After her retirement, Patti turned her attention on the Dallas Cotes du Coeur Gala, helping raise lifesaving funds through its silent auction. She and Joe became so active they were asked to chair the event. They took the helm of the 2022 gala and helped to lead it to a sold-out success, raising $5.5 million for the mission of the American Heart Association.

At the same time they were planning for the event, Patti and Joe were taking their support of the AHA to new heights in another way as well - through a substantial gift of stock. The timing was perfect and it just made sense. The couple had purchased this stock several years earlier, watching its value ebb and flow. At times they thought about selling it - their initial investment had appreciated more than ten times over - yet the taxes would prevent the sale from being very profitable.

"People don't think about tax implications," Patti said. "But if you give it away, nonprofits benefit. If you've made a lot of money in a stock and need a tax write-off, do it." For Patti and Joe, a stock gift was the perfect way to take a small initial investment and turn around and make a positive impact for a nonprofit close to their hearts. As the Braytons say, "This is good for everybody!"