by Lisa McKelvey
December is the season of lights, Advent and preparation. Many people are also preparing and thinking about taxes and year-end gifts. This year, it may be on your mind more than in previous years because of the upcoming changes to the tax code for 2026.
As you consider your year-end gifts, I ask that you keep the archdiocese and your parish in mind. While we are not tax experts or financial planners, we are here to help you achieve your philanthropic goals. If we can be of any assistance, please reach out.
If you have not had a chance to review the ACTS 2025 Impact Report, I encourage you to read it online at: www.archkck.org/acts. I believe that you will find the results from your gifts are very inspiring. Your gifts and the gifts of 13,000 families from across the archdiocese have made these ministries possible. If you have not made a gift to this year’s Archbishop’s Call to Share, I ask you to prayerfully consider a year-end gift.
You can make a gift online at: www.archkck.org/give. When you are making a gift to the Archbishop’s Call to Share (ACTS), please indicate if this gift is for the 2025 appeal year or the 2026 appeal year.
Our offices will close at noon on Dec. 23 and will reopen on Jan. 2, 2026. If you need anything while we are closed, you can send an email to: stewdev@archkck.org or myself or Deacon Tom Greer at: LMcKelvey@archkck.org or TGreer@archkck.org.
We will also periodically be checking voicemails while the office is closed.
On a quick note about the end of year, all gifts made online before 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Dec. 31 will be counted toward the tax year 2025. For mailed items, all items with a postmark on or before Dec. 31 will be counted for tax year 2025. If the postmark is Jan. 1 or later, it will be counted for tax year 2026.
Your tax letter for calendar year 2025 gifts made to the archdiocese will be sent out in the middle to the end of January. If we have an email on file for you, we will be emailing tax letters out this year. This will reduce postage expenses and get your letter to you quicker. If you don’t receive regular emails from me or aren’t sure if we have your email on file, please email me before the end of the year and we can add your email to your record.
