Calendar year-end charitable gifts to UC Santa Barbara
Below is important information related to calendar year-end charitable gifts.
Many individuals make gifts to UC Santa Barbara at year end – the university’s busiest gift season. The Development Office stands ready to assist. Please contact us with any questions that you or your donors may have.
- The Development Office will be open throughout the holiday break, but will observe campus holidays on December 24-25, December 31-January 1. Office hours will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Development staff can be reached at x2600 and in our main office in Cheadle Hall, Room 4219.
- Gift Administration staff can be reached at x2112 or dsenchuk@ucsb.edu for procedural inquiries.
In order for a donor to qualify for a charitable income tax deduction for 2025, the gift must be received and/or processed by UCSB no later than December 31, 2025. If it is important to the donor to complete a gift in 2025, please encourage the donor to communicate directly with the Development Office (and with their own advisors) so that we may provide any appropriate information or assistance. Please review the details below to ensure timely processing based on the different types of gifts.
Gift solicitations/appeals
If your department plans to send newsletters, campus updates, or year-end gift solicitations (by mail or email), please contact Melinda Douglas (x2580 or melinda.douglas@ucsb.edu). Development and Gift Administration must review, approve, and confirm the gift account and PCI compliance of the remittance piece. Please forward a draft copy, reply piece, and the number of recipients that will receive the mailing ASAP so we can calendar and plan our year-end workload.
Gift checks hand-delivered to your department
Gift checks hand-delivered to a department must include documentation stating the date and time the gift was received and must be attached to the appropriate UDEV and deposited to the Cashier’s Office or the UC Santa Barbara Foundation before or immediately upon return from the holiday break. Please see below for important information regarding credit card gifts.
Gift checks received by mail
For income tax purposes, a gift delivered by US Mail is considered received the date of the postmark. A USPS postmarked envelope, certified or registered mail receipt is required as proof of receipt for qualification as a December 2025 gift. You must save the envelope and/or registered mail receipt and attach it to the Regents or Foundation UDEV along with the original gift documentation.
Depositing gift checks
Checks must be deposited immediately upon receipt or ASAP upon return from the holiday break if the department is closed. Regents checks are deposited to the Cashier’s Office and UC Santa Barbara Foundation checks are deposited to Gifts Administration (1172 Phelps Hall). If you have questions regarding deposits, call Gift Administration at x2112.
*Important Reminder: The Cashier’s Office will be closed Monday, December 22 through Sunday, January 4. The last day for deposits is December 22 until 4:00 p.m. The Cashiers Office has a drop slot that may be used for deposits. The drop slot is located on the exterior of their office at 1212 SAASB.
Online giving/gifts by credit card
Please encourage donors to make their year-end gifts through our secure online site at giving.ucsb.edu when possible. If a donor cannot locate the gift area they wish to support, they can indicate the gift designation in the comment box, which appears after the credit card number is input on the form. Please note that giving.ucsb.edu is only for Foundation gift funds. If your donor would like to make a gift to a Regents gift fund via credit card, please contact Gift Administration directly at x4483 (893-GIVE). If a donor calls in, please direct them to Gifts Administration at 805-893-4483. If you receive a credit card via mail, please contact Gift Administration directly at x4483 to process their transaction by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 30, 2025.
*Important Reminder: In order for a credit card gift to qualify for a 2025 charitable deduction, the credit card gift must be charged on or before 5:00 p.m. on December 31, 2025. Gift Administration will only be answering the credit card gift phone line until 5:00 pm on Tuesday, December 30th. After that time, credit card gifts will only be accepted online.
Gifts of securities
Gifts of marketable securities require special instructions from our office and lead time of several days or more. Gift receipts are issued when the securities are received by UCSB, not when donors give instructions to brokers. Brokers may take several days or weeks to process transfers; most brokers close early over the holidays. In all cases, donors of securities and their brokers should be encouraged to speak directly with the Development Office no later than Friday, December 12, 2025 or as early as possible prior to year-end.
Other Gift Types
The Development Office (x2600) can assist with gifts of all types of assets, including cash, real property and personal property as well as securities and IRAs. We can help arrange gifts of all types, current and deferred. We will make every effort to achieve our donors’ charitable goals while coordinating closely with you to be sure the gift meets your area’s needs.
Gift documentation
At a minimum, we need three points covered:
- Written gift letter including donor signature (fax or scan is acceptable).
- Check made out to either The UC Regents or the UC Santa Barbara Foundation.
- Gift designation should be documented in the gift letter, but may also be as simple as “Financial Aid” or other designation noted on the memo line of the check.
For assistance with more complicated year-end gifts and/or pledges, please contact the Development Office at x2600. For any other gift-related questions and/or concerns regarding the above guidelines, please contact Gift Administration at x2112 or dsenchuk@ucsb.edu. We look forward to assisting you at year-end and throughout the coming year.