by Nancy Bedan, CAS CoMoGives Committee

Please Consider Making a Gift to Columbia Audubon

by  Nancy Bedan, CAS CoMoGives Committee

Mid-Missouri residents can make donations to any of 138 nonprofit organizations through the 2019 CoMoGives fundraiser during the month of December. These organizations, Columbia Audubon Society included, offer exceptional programs and services to our community. The Community Foundation of Central Missouri coordinates the fund drive and provides a single website—comogives.com—where gifts can be made to any of the participating groups.

Columbia Audubon uses funds received through the CoMoGives drive to create and maintain a 13-acre native prairie on the 28-acre Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary and the city’s adjacent Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary; provide the annual Band with Nature field trip for 1,000-plus second graders in Columbia Public Schools; and provide scholarships for older students and teachers to attend science and nature-education programs.

Columbia Audubon is an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff and big goals. Donations received through the CoMoGives fund drive supplement membership dues and give the CAS annual budget a much-needed boost. Like other CoMoGives organizations, we’re focused on implementing our core programs. We just don’t have the time or energy or expertise to organize fundraisers. We’re grateful to the Community Foundation of Central Missouri for coordinating CoMoGives and helping small organizations like CAS raise funds to support our work.

Things to remember:

• Making a gift is fast and easy. You just need a minute, a credit card, and an internet connection.
• You can make your gift in honor or in memory of a friend or family member. Think about putting “gift to Columbia Audubon via CoMoGives” on your Christmas “wish list.”
• The minimum gift is $10.
• Donations will be acknowledged by both Columbia Audubon Society and CoMoGives.
• The CoMoGives fund drive ends at midnight Dec. 31.
• For more information about the 2019 CoMoGives drive and, of course, to donate, visit comogives.com

If you want to support Columbia Audubon’s programs but aren’t comfortable with online giving, you can always write a check. Make donation checks payable to Columbia Audubon Society and mail them to:  Columbia Audubon Society, P.O. Box 1331, Columbia, MO  65205.

Columbia Audubon Society would appreciate your support during this season of giving.

CoMoGives Drive Offers Tax-Saving Option for Qualified IRA Holders

If you are 70 ½ or older and have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), you can ask your IRA plan administrator to make a gift directly to Columbia Audubon Society through the annual CoMoGives fund drive. By using your IRA for a donation, you can lower the taxes on your required minimum distribution (RMD). The portion of your RMD that is donated directly to a 501(c)(3) organization is tax-free. Also, this type of donation does not require you to itemize, so you can apply the standard deduction as well. Contact your IRA plan administrator and your tax advisor for details.