Donate
Brighten the season for a neighbor.
Every December, your gift turns into direct holiday gift cards delivered straight to our community across town. Quick, local, and 100% neighbor to neighbor. We believe that together, we can help make the holiday season a bit brighter for everyone.
Choose an amount
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$100
Individual
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Delivers a complete holiday gift card to an individual senior or resident.
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$250
Family
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Covers about the amount of the family gift.
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$500
Community
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Generously covers more than one gift.
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Choose
your amount
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Every dollar joins our community circle.
Payment is handled by Stripe on their secure page. Credit or debit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay all work. We never see or store your card details.
Other ways to give
Choose whatever is easiest for you.
Send a gift by mail
Prefer pen and paper? We love mailbox surprises! Mail your check payable to:
Berkeley Holiday Fund
P.O. Box 9779
Berkeley, CA 94709
From an IRA or retirement account
If you’re 70½ or older, you can give directly from a traditional IRA through a qualified charitable distribution — often without paying income tax on the amount.
How to do it
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Check that you’re eligible
Qualified charitable distributions are available from traditional IRAs beginning at age 70½. There is an annual limit, which the IRS adjusts for inflation each year.
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Contact your IRA custodian
Ask them to make a qualified charitable distribution payable to the Berkeley Holiday Fund. Most custodians have a short form for this.
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Give them our details
Berkeley Holiday Fund, P.O. Box 9779, Berkeley, CA 94709. EIN 94-6083516.
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Let us know it’s coming
Custodians often send checks without any donor information attached. Email info@berkeleyholidayfund.org so we can confirm receipt and thank you properly.
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Keep the confirmation
Your custodian’s record of the distribution is what substantiates the gift at tax time.
Have a 401(k) or 403(b)?
These plans can’t make a qualified charitable distribution directly — the funds would need to be rolled into an IRA first. You can also name the Berkeley Holiday Fund as a beneficiary of any retirement account, which is usually a single form with your plan administrator and doesn’t require an attorney.
Two things worth knowing: a qualified charitable distribution can count toward your required minimum distribution, and because the money moves straight from the custodian to the charity, it isn’t counted as taxable income to you.
Please talk to your financial advisor or tax professional before giving from a retirement account. Everyone’s situation is different. We’re glad to answer questions about the Fund itself, but we can’t give tax advice.
Through a donor-advised fund
Recommend a grant to the Berkeley Holiday Fund through your DAF sponsor — Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, the East Bay Community Foundation, or any other.
You’ll need our EIN: 94-6083516.
DAF grants also frequently arrive without donor details. If you’d like to be acknowledged, email info@berkeleyholidayfund.org.
Double your impact with employer matching
Many workplaces match charitable gifts dollar-for-dollar. Check with your employer to see if your contribution can bring twice the warmth to Berkeley households this winter.
Look on your company’s giving portal for “Berkeley Holiday Fund” and use EIN 94-6083516.
Tax deductibility
The Berkeley Holiday Fund is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 94-6083516). All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Zero fluff. 100% heart.
Donations are pooled together and then distributed as cash gift cards to Berkeley residents. Recipients are nominated by a caseworker at one of our partner agencies. While our gifts depend on our annual fundraising, generally we send an unrestricted gift ranging $100 to $250 to the individuals and families on our list.