If you have an IRA account, you must be at least 70 1/2 years old for the following to affect you.

The "R.J. Reynolds High School Alumni and Friends" corporation and "The Friends of Richard J. Reynolds Auditorium" corporation have both been deemed nonprofit entities by the IRS. Thus, you can give a donation to either one (or both) of these corporations via your IRA account.

The major advantage of doing so:  you are giving your pretax assets, and the amount of your gift (or gifts) is excluded from your taxable income…thus, the gift is from your assets and not from your checkbook.

The following is from an IRS website.

IRA owners age 70 1/2 or over can transfer up to $100,000 to any charity tax free each year. These transfers, known as qualified charitable distributions (QCD's), offer eligible older Americans a great way to easily give to charities. And for those who are at least 73 years old:  QCD's count towards the IRA owners’ required minimum distribution (RMD's) for the year. Any IRA owner who wishes to make a QCD should contact their IRA trustee about doing so.

Normally distributions from a traditional IRA are taxable when received. With the QCD, however, these distributions become tax free as long as they're paid directly from their IRA to an eligible charitable organization. QCD's must be made directly by the trustee of the IRA to the charity. An IRA distribution such as an electronic payment made directly to the IRA owner does not count as a QCD. Likewise, a check made payable to the IRA owner is not a QCD.

Each year an IRA owner age 70 1/2 or older when the distribution is made can exclude from gross income up to $100,000 of these QCD's. For a married couple:  if both spouses and are age 70 ½ or over when the distributions made and both have IRA's, each spouse can exclude up to $100,000 for a total of $200,000 per year

The QCD option is available regardless of whether an eligible IRA owner itemizes taxes on Schedule A. Transferred amounts are not taxable, and no deduction is available for the transfer.

In layman's terms:  the best thing about an QCD is that Uncle Sam gets none of your tax money!  

Conversely, if you write the amount from your checkbook, Uncle Sam dings you for the tax. 

Please remember that the "R.J. Reynolds High School Alumni and Friends" corporation and "The Friends of Richard J. Reynolds Auditorium" corporation both have endowments with the Winston-Salem Foundation (which the IRS has determined is also a non-profit corporation).

Should you wish to use your IRA to make a gift to either (or both) of these endowments: merely ask your IRA custodian to send a check (made out to “The Winston-Salem Foundation”) to:

The Winston-Salem Foundation
751 West Fourth Street - Suite 200
Winston-Salem, NC 27101.

Have a note with the check saying whether it if for the “RJR Alumni Endowment” or the “RJR Auditorium Endowment.”

If you want to use your IRA to make a donation to the "R.J. Reynolds High School Alumni and Friends” corporation:  have your IRA custodian make out a check to “R.J. Reynolds High School Alumni and Friends” and mail it to: 

RJR Alumni and Friends
PO Box 26172
Winston-Salem, NC 27114.

If you want the funds to go to a specific cause:  please include a note telling of that desire.

If you want to use your IRA to support Reynolds Auditorium:  have your IRA custodian make out a check to “The Friends of Richard J. Reynolds Auditorium” and mail it to: 

Friends of Reynolds Auditorium
PO Box 25523
Winston-Salem, NC 27114.