Donation Options
Become a Donor
Your support makes a difference! San Diego Opera exists today because of the generosity of our loyal fans and generous donors. Donations help create and sustain opera by bridging the gap between ticket sales and the true expenses required to produce the experience we all love and make it possible for the Opera to offer innovative, life-changing programs to people who live in our community. Giving also provides you opportunities to enjoy opera in a deeper way – and enjoy a community of other opera lovers.
- San Diego Opera provides a variety of ways for you to support, from monetary gifts to donations of property, from corporate sponsorship to legacy gifts.
- Friends and Patron Circle of San Diego Opera — Beginning at only $1, Friends of San Diego Opera enjoy public acknowledgment, invitations to exclusive events, and more.
- Legacy Giving — Gifts from wills, trusts, and retirement accounts sustain the future of opera in San Diego and provide opera lovers with an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy.
- Corporate Support — Your company can support San Diego Opera’s work on stage and in the community while receiving recognition and benefits.
- Donor Advised Fund — Make donations easy by giving through a Donor Advised Fund. Click here to give.
- Volunteer — Learn how you can join our team!
If you have questions about supporting San Diego Opera or would like to discuss ways to give, please contact the Philanthropy Department at 619-232-7636 or email philanthropy@sdopera.org.
Legacy Gifts
Legacy gifts are simple and flexible to support you in how you want to give.
The most common form of planned gift is a bequest from a will or trust:
- Bequests may be a fixed amount (such as $10,000), a percentage (such as 10%), or a remainder after all other specific bequests have been distributed.
- Real property, such as residential real estate, may also be used in a charitable bequest.
- Sample language to add a bequest to a will or trust: “I/We give and bequeath $xxx,xxx (or ___% of my/our estate) to San Diego Opera Association, a California nonprofit corporation, TIN# 95-6044429.”
Legacy gifts may offer significant tax advantages to you or your heirs.
Some legacy gift options with tax benefits:
Avoiding taxes by utilizing your IRA
- Make a “Tax Free” gift from your required minimum distribution (RMD). The gift amount will meet RMD requirements, but will not be reported as taxable income, regardless of your tax bracket.
- Help your heirs avoid taxes! When deciding which assets to leave to heirs and which assets to leave to charity, choose to make bequests to SDO from retirement plans such as an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Retirement plan gifts are taxable to heirs, but not to charities.
Donate appreciated assets
- Gifting shares of stock or a business allows you to avoid capital gains tax when the assets are sold.
- Request a stock transfer form.
Life Insurance: An asset you no longer need can make a wonderful gift to SDO
- Many people hold paid-up life insurance policies that they no longer need to protect their family.
- Ownership may be transferred to SDO, who will utilize the value to support our ongoing programs.
- Receive an income tax deduction equal to the cash surrender value of the policy.
Make a gift and receive an income today
- Some planned gifts even offer a way to increase your income while receiving a charitable deduction! Email us for more information on Charitable Remainder Trusts, Charitable Gift Annuities or any of the options above.
This information is not intended as tax or legal advice. A thoughtful examination and conversation with your advisors should help ensure that you make the best choice for your legacy-giving based on your specific circumstances.
Other Ways to Give
Charitable gifts from retirement accounts
- The IRS stipulates an age at which a taxpayer must begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). That age currently ranges from 73 to 75, depending on the year the taxpayer was born.
- RMDs are treated as taxable income, and in some cases may put a recipient into a higher tax bracket, with one exception: people who gift their RMDs directly to charity make this gift completely tax-free! These gifts are known as Qualified Charitable Distributions.
- Even donors who won’t be itemizing their deductions may take advantage of this tax-wise way to give.
What to know about RMD gifts from your IRA
Also known as the Charitable IRA Rollover, RMD gifts are easy to make – just know these simple rules:
- Funds must come from a traditional IRA account, Inherited IRA, SIMPLE IRA (inactive) or an inactive Simplified Employee Pension IRA (SEP-IRA).
- You must be at least 70 ½ years old to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution.
- Your gift must go directly to the charity – if you cash it out first, you will have to pay the tax and then claim a charitable deduction (if itemizing).
- Your IRA administrator can process the transfer for you.
- The maximum contribution is $108,000 in 2025 and will be adjusted for inflation in subsequent years.
- The gift counts toward your RMD but is not included in gross income on your taxes.
- When paying by check, make the check payable to San Diego Opera Association and send it to San Diego Opera, 233 A Street, Suite 500, San Diego, CA 92101.
Retirement accounts also make excellent legacy gifts
- Unlike other assets, retirement accounts do not pass to beneficiaries tax-free. Recipients will pay income tax on all distributions. New laws passed in late 2019 require the distribution of funds in an inherited IRA within 10-years which could mean an even higher tax bill for your heirs.
- The one exception: charitable beneficiaries!
- A bequest for an IRA is one of the easiest planned gifts to set up: all it takes is a simple change of beneficiary form. Your IRA administrator can provide that form or direct to you an online version to complete.
- Note, retirement fund bequests must be for a percentage, rather than a fixed amount.
Stock Gifts
Please consider gifting stock, mutual funds, electronic traded funds, or other securities. Stock transfers should be directed to our brokerage with the following information:
Our Brokerage: UBS Financial Services
UBS DTC#: DTC 0221
Bank Name: UBS AG
ABA Routing #: 026007993
Bank Address: UBS Financial Services Inc., 600 W. Broadway Ste. 2100, San Diego, CA 92101
UBS Contact:
Scott Hollaender, CEPA®
Executive Director / Financial Advisor
The Thompson Wealth Management Group
A Signature Team of UBS
Phone: 619.557.4788
Mobile: 619.218.9571
Fax: 888.865.5324
scott.hollaender@ubs.com
https://advisors.ubs.com/thompson/
California Insurance License # 0G65701
Account Name: San Diego Opera Association
Account #: DG 80883
For the benefit of: San Diego Opera Association
Matching Gifts
Matching gifts from companies can double or triple the impact of your donation!
It’s very easy to do – simply ask if your company will match your gift to San Diego Opera, and if they do, we will take care of the rest. Email the Philanthropy Team at philanthropy@sdopera.org with questions.
San Diego Opera Association is a not-for-profit corporation 501(c)(3) incorporated in the State of California.
For more information on any of the options above, contact the SDO Philanthropy Department
619-232-7636 or email philanthropy@sdopera.org.
Corporate Sponsors
