Donor Advised Fund

If you have an account with Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or BNY Mellon, you can use the Donor Direct box on this page to donate to the Coalition right from those accounts. Simply fill in the institution, the designation (how the funds should be used) and the amount of the gift. When you click “Next,” you will be taken directly to your donor advised fund provider.

If your donor advised fund provider is not listed, contact your provider directly with a request to make a gift to the Colon Cancer  Coalition.

What is a donor-advised fund?

A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a type of giving program that allows you to combine the most favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to easily support your favorite charities. An increasingly popular charitable vehicle, DAFs are an excellent way to both simplify your charitable giving and facilitate your strategic philanthropic goals.

How does it work?

• Establish your DAF by making an irrevocable, tax-deductible donation to a public charity that sponsors a DAF program
• Advise the investment allocation of the donated assets (any investment growth is tax-free)
• Recommend grants to qualified public charities of your choice

Main advantages of a donor-advised fund

Simplicity—The DAF sponsor handles all record keeping, disbursements, and tax receipts.
Flexibility—Timing of your tax deduction can be separate from your charitable decision making.
Tax efficiency—Contributions are tax-deductible, and any investment growth in the DAF is tax-free. It is also easy to donate long-term appreciated securities, eliminating capital gains taxes and allowing you to support several charities from one block of stock.
Family legacy—A DAF is a powerful way to build or continue a tradition of family philanthropy.
No start-up costs—There is no cost to establish a donor-advised fund. However, there are often minimum initial charitable contributions to establish the DAF (typically $5,000 or more).*
No transaction fees—Once approved, 100% of your recommended grant goes to your qualified public charity of choice.*
Privacy if desired—Donors may choose to remain anonymous to the grant recipient.

* Sponsoring organizations generally assess an administrative fee on the assets in a DAF. These fees vary by the charity that sponsors a DAF program.

How it works (detail)

1) An individual or entity makes an irrevocable contribution to a sponsoring charitable organization to establish a donor-advised fund. This person becomes a donor-advisor.

2) The sponsoring organization allocates the charitable contribution to the particular donor-advisor’s DAF. The donor-advisor has the opportunity to name the DAF (e.g. The John Doe Fund).

3) The donor-advisor retains advisory privileges over the investment allocation for the DAF. Since the assets in the DAF belong to the sponsoring organization, any investment growth is tax free. The investment options available vary by sponsoring organization.

4) The donor-advisor has advisory privileges over the disbursements made from the DAF. The disbursements are recommended by the donor-advisor, but must meet the grant making criteria of the sponsoring organization. Typically, disbursements may only be recommended to IRS-qualified public charities exclusively for charitable purposes. Additionally, the donor may not receive any more than incidental benefits as a result of the disbursement.

5) Once the sponsoring organization approves the recommended disbursement, the grant is made to the qualified charitable organization.