Why do donors want to give IRA assets to their community foundation?

After decades of deliberate saving, some of today’s retirees have more money in their IRAs than they need for daily living expenses and long-term care. For larger estates, a good portion of IRA wealth goes to estate taxes and income taxes of non-spousal beneficiaries; heirs may receive less than 50 percent of IRA assets passed on to them through estates.

Instead, IRA holders may choose to leave their IRAs to qualified charitable organizations—choosing charity over taxes.