Do I use the $-value of the shares (on the transaction date), and specify the donation was made in "cash", or otherwise ?
You will enter the dollar value of the shares on the day you made the contribution. When you enter the contribution in TurboTax, you should choose the Stock option in the list you will see. You will then be asked to enter the date of the donation, stock symbol, value at date of the donation, date you acquired it and cost basis of the shares. You will get a maximum 30% of adjusted gross income deduction for contribution of appreciated securities held long-term. Any unused deduction can be carried over to future years.
Use the $-value of the shares (on the transaction date), and specify the donation was made in "stock". For this purpose, mutual funds are considered "stock".
You will enter the dollar value of the shares on the day you made the contribution. When you enter the contribution in TurboTax, you should choose the Stock option in the list you will see. You will then be asked to enter the date of the donation, stock symbol, value at date of the donation, date you acquired it and cost basis of the shares. You will get a maximum 30% of adjusted gross income deduction for contribution of appreciated securities held long-term. Any unused deduction can be carried over to future years.