Donor Advised Funds are a Smart and Convenient Way to Support the Council

A glass jar full of coins with a plant on a table.

The Council relies on the generosity of our donors to support the services we provide. Every donor has their own preferences for how they make their gifts—some like to write a check, while others prefer to use a credit card or donate online via PayPal.

One charitable giving method you may not be as familiar with is growing in popularity nationwide: donor advised funds. What is a donor advised fund, or DAF? Essentially, it is a charitable investment account that is held by a community foundation or other philanthropy, or by a special nonprofit arm of a company like Fidelity or Schwab.

Once you set up a DAF, you can make a tax-eductible contribution to it whenever you like. Then, when you want to donate to one of the nonprofits you support, you request the disbursement from the entity that holds your DAF, and they send the gift. Meanwhile, the money sitting in your fund can be invested for tax-free growth.

The Council welcomes gifts through donor advised funds. Some of our current donors find them to be a convenient way to donate, and appreciate the tax benefits of this charitable giving tool.

“Having a donor-advised fund makes giving to the Council and other organizations so simple,” said Mary, a longtime Council donor. “We put a large sum of money into the DAF and receive the tax advantages immediately. We then make gifts to charities from the fund over time.”

“We really appreciate what the Council has done to assist (our family member) Ericka,” said Mary, whose family’s DAF is held at Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund. “We’re happy to continue giving to the Council because we know how helpful it has been to her.”

For more information about donor advised funds, or to ask other questions about supporting the Council, contact Fund Development Director Lori Werbeckes at LWerbeckes@wcblind.org or (608)237-8114.

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