Donors can support McMurry University by giving publicly traded securities, shares of stock in closely held companies, bonds, or government issues. These gifts may be used to make an annual contribution, support athletics, or establish an endowed fund.

Methods of Valuation of Securities

Publicly traded securities – securities regularly traded on a public stock exchange. The value of the gift will be the average of the highest and lowest selling prices quoted for the security on the day of the gift.

Closely held securities – securities in entities that have been organized for profit-making purposes and are rarely traded on stock exchanges. Donors may give shares of closely held stock to the University in the same manner as publicly traded securities. Special IRS guidelines exist for the valuation of closely held stock, and the donor will be responsible for obtaining the information which they will need in order to comply with the IRS guidelines.

Methods of Delivery & Effective Date of Transfer

Electronic Transfer – Donors may transfer securities electronically from their brokerage account to McMurry University’s account through the Depository Trust Company (DTC). The University records the gift at its fair market value on the date of transfer. Donors should give their broker the DTC instructions below and a letter specifying the securities to be transferred. To ensure proper receipting, donors should also send a copy of the instruction letter to the University.

Bobby Miers
LPL Financial
P.O. Box 6925
Fort Mill, SC 29716-6925

Account info: DTC# 0075 FFC McMurry University acct# 4334-4636

Hand Delivery – When donors hand-deliver securities to McMurry University, the University records the gift at its fair market value on the date of delivery. To transfer ownership, donors must complete a stock power, sign it precisely as the name appears on the certificate, and have the signature guaranteed by their banker or broker.

Suppose a transfer agent issues a new certificate in McMurry University’s name. In that case, the University records the gift on the transfer date shown on the new certificate rather than the delivery date.

Mailing – If the securities are mailed to McMurry, the value of the gift will be its fair market value on the date the securities were postmarked, except in the case of securities transferred via a transfer agent as described above. Donors should obtain stock power, sign it precisely as it appears on the certificates, and have their signature guaranteed by their banker or broker. The stock power and a letter of instruction should be mailed to McMurry University’s Office of Advancement under separate cover from the stock certificate(s). McMurry University should be designated on the stock certificate(s), stock power, or related transfer instruments as McMurry University. The stock certificate(s) should be sent to the University by registered mail, with the return receipt requested. Unendorsed stock certificates are non-negotiable. The postmark date on the stock power will be used as the gift date when the stock certificate and power are mailed separately.

Information to be provided to McMurry for all goods-in-kind donations

• Donor’s name, address and telephone number
• Donor’s social security number or federal tax identification number
• Brief physical description of the donated asset, including an explanation of the method used to determine the fair market value
• Date the university/department acquired the asset and method of acquisition

Methods of valuation for goods-in-kind donations

Goods-in-Kind Donations (GIK) – McMurry University records goods-in-kind donations over $5,000, eligible for charitable gift deduction under IRS regulations, at fair market value determined by an independent appraiser hired by the donor. For gifts of $5,000 or less, the University records the value declared by the donor or assigned by a qualified faculty or staff expert. The donor’s record defaults to $1 if no value is provided.

For goods-in-kind that require title transfer—such as cars or boats—donors must transfer the title directly to McMurry University.