Ways to Give
NECO believes that cost should not determine whether a deserving student can pursue an optometric education, or a patient in need can access eye care. You can give in multiple ways including monthly gifts, planned giving, or through pledges covering scholarships and other specific needs.
Giving Options
NECO offers several convenient ways for you to contribute to the community and help us make a difference in the lives of our students and patients. Explore our giving options below to find the method that resonates most with you and join us in changing the way people see the world.
Follow the prompts on our giving page to give via credit/debit card and ACH/Bank Transfer. You may donate as a one-time gift or set up a recurring monthly donation that will be automatically made on the frequency you choose.
Please make all checks out to NECO at 424 Beacon St. , Boston, MA with a fund destination, if applicable, on the “memo” line. ATTN: Development Dept.
Set up automatic, regular monthly donations to provide steady funding for ongoing programs and operations.
What is a DAF?
A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is a charitable giving account that allows you to make a donation, receive an immediate tax deduction, and recommend grants to your favorite charities over time.
How It Works
- Contribute: Donate cash, securities, or other assets to your DAF.
- Deduct: Get an immediate tax deduction for your donation.
- Grow: Your fund can be invested to grow over time.
- Grant: Recommend grants to any eligible charities whenever you choose.
Benefits
- Immediate Tax Benefits
- Flexibility in Giving
- Investment Growth Potential
- Simplified Charitable Management
Get Started
Open a DAF account through a sponsoring organization, make a contribution, and start recommending grants to support causes you care about.
Making a Grant to NECO
After setting up a DAF with your preferred organization, you can easily use the DAF link below to make a grant to NECO. When making a grant, please use our EIN: 04-1591060.
A Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) allows you to donate directly from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA).With a QCD, these distributions become tax-free as long as they’re paid directly from the IRA to an eligible charitable organization. QCDs must be made directly by the trustee of the IRA to the charity.
How it works:
- Note: You must be 70½ years old or older to make a QCD. The maximum annual amount you can donate via QCD is $100,000.
- Contact Your IRA Custodian: Inform them you want to make a QCD. Complete necessary forms to authorize the distribution including detailing the amount and NECO’s details.
- Disbursement: The custodian will send the funds directly to NECO.
Stock gifts allow you to avoid capital gains taxes on shares while potentially receiving a charitable deduction for the full market value. This method helps diversify your investment portfolio, enables charities to sell the stock for funding, and streamlines the donation process, making it a strategic choice for maximizing both your impact and financial benefits.
To donate via stock:
- Contact Your Broker Learn their stock transfer process and gather stock details (stock name, number or shares, and market value).
- Contact NECO Reach out to [email protected]to get stock transfer instructions.
- Keep Records Save all documentation for tax purposes.
Give on the Go
You can give to NECO through Venmo using your mobile phone. Make donations on the Venmo app versions 7.5.0 or later for iOS and Android devices. Find us @NECOGiving
Where your gift goes
Support NECO
Gifts to the NECO Fund help us remain at the forefront of optometric education and patient care. Regardless of how often or when you give to NECO, we ensure all gifts are appropriately distributed to the area in greatest need. Our general NECO Fund is broken down into further categories if you wish for your gift to impact a specific area.
Support Students
Scholarships help ensure students with financial needs are able to access an optometric education. With donors contributing to already established scholarship programs or creating a new one in honor of someone special, NECO is able to remove barriers to a graduate education and prevent student debt. Read more about the impact of student scholarships on our community in our news room.
Diversity at NECO
As part of our expanding community, NECO has utilized resources to hire a Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging and established events and discussions related to optometry and optometric education. A gift of any size helps this newly established department and supports and retains a diverse community. Read more about Diversity and Inclusion.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) begins in the classroom and continues into our clinics. NECO holds a commitment to integrating inclusive curriculum into coursework and clinical teachings. Your gift helps us retain and recruit Faculty who are integral in teaching a thoughtful and robust curriculum that covers not only treating diverse populations, but also diverse optometric diseases. Read more about our cultural competent curriculum.
CHCs and our CTC
NECO has partnered with Community Health Centers and for 50 years proudly served and provided eye care for all. Working in neighboring communities has fostered healthcare equity that includes eye exams to children with disabilities, low vision devices for the underinsured, and video electronic magnifiers to housing facilities for low-income elders. Your gift helps us maintain these relationships and continue practicing the latest eye care for all. Read about where we work within the community.
Our Clinical Training Center is a state-of-the-art training facility that includes the latest technology for students to prepare for clinical practice in any location and setting. With 20 exam and four special testing lanes, students learn on new and soon-to-market equipment. Your gift will support the management of this center and guarantee students receive instruction on the latest technology. Read more about the impact our Clinical Education has on students.
Here’s what your recurring gift can do:
- $10 a month provides a comprehensive eye exam to a child with a vision impairment.
- $25 a month provides vision screenings for children in Boston Public Schools.
- $40 a month provides low vision devices for the underinsured.
- $83 a month provides a housing facility for low-income elders with a video electronic magnifier.
The Direct Impact
Your support has a specific and tangible impact on our community. As a small robust institution, we pride ourselves in sustaining our unique community through all areas that individuals interact with us. From purchasing the latest laser technology to staffing our eye clinics, gifts of any size from donors like you make these areas flourish.
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Nine
Contracted Health Centers
Your gifts go directly to maintaining our 9 contracted health centers, with 7 of them fully staffed and operated by NECO. These centers assure students are learning within the community and continue to have an all-encompassing clinic experience.
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Could optometry unlock secrets to cognitive health?
Contributions support our research department and the innovative findings of our faculty, Like Dr. Biffi's retina discovery.
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Lumenis Tech
Students learn latest advanced laser and IPL technologies
Recent contributions have made it possible for students to have practical training with Digital Duet SLT-YAG platform and Optima IPL systems.
