An SEI Alum’s take on green jobs: Why Mark donated stock

Mark left his expiate job in Belgium and returned to the U.S. in pursuit of living his passion through a green job.  From Belgium to Carbondale, Colorado in 2002 he studied solar PV, solar hot water, wind, and natural building at Solar Energy International (SEI).

Fast forward to today, Mark’s passion led him to an unsuspecting place: working for a pharmaceutical company.  In his packaging role, Mark focuses on how to reduce packaging, utilize recycled materials, and eliminate waste from production to sale.  For example, he introduced corn-based insulation to ship refrigerated products, replacing the Styrofoam that was previously used!

Since his time as an SEI student, Mark has felt connected to SEI and our mission (a world powered by renewable energy!).  He has appreciated stock from his old job, and has thought about donating stock for a long time.  He said, “You hear about it all the time.  A friend explained how easy it was and that sparked my interest.  It’s cost free without a processing fee.”

As Mark dug deeper, he learned that if he sold his stock conventionally he would have to pay Capital Gains tax.  However, if he gave it away, he wouldn’t have to pay Capital Gains tax, and he would receive a deduction for the full amount of the gift.  “It’s a tax friendly way to give more to nonprofits,” Mark shared.

So how did the Kuhl family donate stock?  Mark completed a simple form for transferring stocks to charitable organizations through his brokerage firm.  All that was need for the form was the name of the organization (Solar Energy International) and his brokerage account number.   It was conducted like a wire transfer:  the brokerage firm transferred the stock from Mark’s account to SEI’s account.  No mail, no checks, you can do it all online.

You can gift your stock for good this season.  If you’re interested in donating stock, please contact our Development Director, Marla Korpar at marla@solarenergy.org or (970) 527-5041.

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