A gift of appreciated securities such as stocks or bonds can provide attractive benefits. An outright gift of long-term appreciated securities (securities held for more than a year) avoids capital gains taxes and, in most cases, the donor may claim a charitable income tax deduction equal to the market value of the securities. For gifts of appreciated securities, a gift is fully deductible up to 30% of the donor’s adjusted gross income and, like gifts of cash, may be carried forward for five additional years.