How to Give
1. How do I directly support an IMB missionary?
IMB missionaries are fully funded through gifts to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®, which receive contributions year-round. However, you may elect to designate your gift(s) for direct ministry support of individuals or couples by simply sharing your gift wishes with us.
2. To whom do I designate my check?
All charitable gift checks may be made payable to IMB. All gifts without a designation in the memo line will be directed toward the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, of which 100 percent directly goes to support IMB missionaries overseas.
3. Where do I mail my gift?
Simply mail your check to IMB, Attn: Development
P.O. Box 6767
Richmond, VA 23230
4. When do I have to send in my gift for it to count in this calendar year?
Year-end gift credit may require some extra planning to insure your gift is credited for tax purposes in the current tax year. IRS regulations stipulate that contributions sent by private carriers must be dated based on the date of receipt by the charity, whereas gifts sent through the US Postal Service can be dated and receipted based on the envelope’s postmark.
Ways to Give
1. What types of gifts do you accept?
The IMB accepts most forms of outright gifts. However, there are some exceptions, especially as it relates to real estate and personal property. Please contact the Giving Team to identify if your specific gift qualifies under our accepted policies.
2. How do I make a gift by credit card or recurring gift?
Please utilize our secure giving page.
3. How do I make a gift in honor/memory of an individual?
As you make a gift, you may elect to make your gift in honor or in memory of someone. This option is labeled “Tribute,” and is located near the bottom of the form you complete for your gift.
4. How do I make a gift of securities/stock?
Please email or phone the Giving Team prior to donating any securities to the IMB. Securities, held under DTC registration, can be transferred to Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, the securities custodian for the IMB. Please provide your broker with the following transfer information:
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
The Morris Group at Greystone Consulting
700 Spring Forest Road, Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27609
International Mission Board
Stock Gifting Account DTC #0015
Account #773-106998
5. What is a matching gift and will my company participate?
Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will double or even triple any charitable contributions made by employees, retirees, or spouses. If your company is eligible, request your employer’s matching gift form, send it completed with your gift, and we will do the rest.
6. Am I eligible for a gift through an IRA rollover?
Made permanent in late 2015, the IRA charitable rollover allows IRA owners 70.5 years of age or older to give any amount up to $100,000 annually. Custodian-completed charitable distributions can apply toward your annual required minimum distribution (RMD). For IRA Charitable Rollovers, please submit a letter of gift instruction to your account custodian and mail a copy to the IMB. Please remember, these gifts are year-end sensitive.
7. How do I make a gift of personal property or real estate?
If you would like to donate personal property to IMB, please contact us by phone or email. Depending on the gift, we may connect you with your local Baptist state foundation to better assist you because most gifts require appraisal or advance approval.
Giving FAQ
The Giving Team is eager to assist you as soon as possible. Please contact us by email at give@imb.org or by phone at (804) 219-1950. We have provided the following list of frequently asked questions to help you find your answer even faster.
General Questions
1. Why should I give to the IMB?
Since the IMB was formed as “one sacred effort for the propagation of the gospel” by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1845, we have remained focused on our mission as a cooperative effort of churches. Our prayer is that through your gifts to support the work of IMB missionaries around the world, our purpose of evangelizing, discipling, and planting reproducing churches among all peoples will come to an end because we will be able to fulfill the Great Commission.
We have a history of faithfully fulfilling our mission. We are accountable before God, Southern Baptists, and our Board of Trustees, and we adhere to strict guidelines of the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability (EFCA).
2. Can I receive help from someone in making my gift?
Yes. You may contact the Giving Team via e-mail at give@imb.org or call (804) 219-1950.
3. Are my gifts to IMB tax deductible?
Yes. All charitable gifts to the IMB are ultimately determined by IRS rules and regulations for charitable giving. As an IRS-approved nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, your gift is eligible as tax deductible. However, each individual taxpayer should work carefully with their tax professional to ensure their charitable goals are met or exceeded in completing each gift.
4. Will my gift incur any sort of fee?
No. One hundred percent of your gift goes directly to the work you designate. No administrative fee is withheld from gifts. For any gift completed via credit card, IMB will pay the credit card processing fee.
5. May I contact the missionary in charge of the special project I donated to?
Due to security reasons, we require that you contact the Giving Team so that we may contact the missionary on your behalf. It is at the discretion of the individual missionary to determine if they wish to communicate directly with you or provide our team with their contact information for you.
6. How will I know how my gift was utilized?
All gift designations are properly entered into our financial system, receipted in a timely manner to the giver, and audited for appropriate use.
7. How much of my gift is actually directed to ministry overseas?
One hundred percent of gifts to IMB go directly toward overseas work. All administrative costs are provided for through the Cooperative Program gifts, investment income, and other designated receipts.
8. What is the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering?
Since 1888, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions has supported Southern Baptist missionaries as they share the gospel around the world. The offering represents 59 percent of IMB total annual support. Every penny you give to the offering goes directly to support missionaries, including salaries, medical care, housing, transportation, and children’s education.
9. What is the Cooperative Program?
The Cooperative Program (CP) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the cooperating effort of churches to pool their resources for the work of the gospel among SBC organizations. Currently, CP provides 30 percent of IMB annual support. IMB receives slightly more than half of CP funds from state conventions for the global work of the gospel.
10. How do I find the project I’m looking for?
Utilize our project finder tool to search our inventory of unique giving opportunities. If you are unable to locate a specific project, please contact our Giving Team for assistance.
Security and Privacy
1. How secure is my gift online?
The IMB online giving option utilizes best practice encryption to process your gift. As an extra precaution, we do not retain your credit card information on our servers. Information for recurring gifts is processed through a third party, which is accountable to the same security regulations as the banking industry.
2. Will you sell my information to a third party?
The privacy of your information is very important to us. We value and honor your privacy by establishing an environment of trust and safety. Information, including names and addresses, beneficiaries, gifts amounts, and estate information, is kept strictly confidential by all authorized IMB personnel (staff and volunteers), unless permission is obtained in writing from you. Such information will be recorded and retained only for the private, business use of IMB.
3. How well can I trust the IMB with my gift?
We have a history of faithfully fulfilling our mission. We are accountable before God, Southern Baptists, and the IMB Board of Trustees, and we adhere to the strict guidelines of the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability (EFCA).
Legal and Tax Questions
1. What is the IMB’s nonprofit tax ID number?
The IMB is a registered 501(c)3 organization with tax identification number 54-0213930.
2. How can I obtain a receipt for my gift?
Upon receipt of your qualified gift, IMB will issue a tax-deductible receipt via USPS and/or an electronic receipt on all gifts made via imb.org. Our goal is to issue a receipt within thirty days of the gift date, as well as an end-of-year receipt by the end of January each year.
3. How do I designate the IMB as a beneficiary in my estate?
Please contact the give team at give@imb.org or (804) 219-1950 for language appropriate for your specific legal document. The legal name of the IMB is The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (Tax ID:54-0213930). The legal address is 3806 Monument Ave, Richmond VA 23230. Please do not mail your gifts to this address.
4. May I direct how my gift is used?
Ultimately this question is covered under the IRS rules and regulations for 501(c)3 organizations and IMB Gift Acceptance Policy. The IMB handles all gifts according to government regulations and is professionally audited each year. Due to IRS regulations, IMB is required to retain discretion in applying all gifts. Please know that our first priority will be to honor the gift requests of each giver. No goods or services will be provided by IMB in exchange for contributions.