In the realm of charitable giving, donor-advised funds (DAFs) have emerged as a powerful tool, offering donors a streamlined and strategic approach to philanthropy. A donor-advised fund is a charitable giving vehicle that allows donors to make contributions to a public charity and receive immediate tax benefits. Donors can recommend grants from the fund to qualified charitable organizations over time, providing flexibility and strategic planning in their philanthropic endeavors, all while the account grows tax-free.

Value Partners Charitable Foundation is a registered charity that allows clients to set up their own private donor-advised funds. This provides numerous benefits that enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of charitable contributions.

1. A More Efficient Way To Give

Working alongside Canadian families to help them build wealth, we’ve come to realize that it’s easy to give money away, but it’s difficult to give money away thoughtfully and purposefully.

Some families consider starting their own private foundation without realizing the workload and costs associated with it. They’d need to run their own board of directors, complete all administration and compliance, report to CRA, and carry all legal liability.

A donor-advised fund offers the same benefit as a private foundation without the headaches. Value Partners Charitable Foundation makes it easy - we take care of administration, compliance, reporting to CRA, due diligence on organizations, sending grants to charities, and we carry all legal liability.

2. Flexibility In Giving

Donor-advised funds accept donations of not just cash, but also non-cash assets, such as publicly traded securities and mutual funds, stocks, private company shares and life insurance. Value Partners Charitable Foundation alleviates the worry of whether you’ll be able to donate non-cash assets to every organization that you want to work with, as not all organizations are set up to take these types of donations.

3. Donor Designated Beneficiaries

With donor-advised funds, donors choose which charitable organizations they wish to support and when that support will be granted. If personal values change over time, donors can choose to support different organizations going forward.

4. Numerous Tax Benefits

Donor-advised funds offer several tax benefits. Donors receive a tax deduction at the time of contribution and the funds invested in a donor-advised fund have the potential to grow tax-free. When non-cash assets are donated, there are tax advantages such as minimizing capital gains taxes on appreciated securities or structuring the sale of a business to be tax-efficient by taking philanthropy into consideration.

It’s also important to note that donors can claim the tax donation in the year they need it most, up to five years after the donation is made. When an initial investment is made into the donor-advised fund, the donor has until the following calendar year to initiate the first grant recommendation. After that, it’s simply a minimum 5% grant per year of the December 31st account value. There is no maximum on how much can be granted out.

5. Support More Causes With A Single Gift

An appealing attribute of donor-advised funds is the ability to support multiple charitable organizations with a single gift. It’s a simple process to make a recommendation and have Value Partners Charitable Foundation send the cheque in accordance with your wishes.

6. Legacy Planning

We encourage clients to involve their children and grandchildren in the process. In our experience, children gain a new appreciation for what their parents have accomplished, a deeper interest in learning how to build wealth themselves, and a sense of pride in their family’s accomplishments.

A donor-advised fund is flexible. The donor can recommend their final grants to specific organizations, or they can name a “Successor Advisor” who would continue making grant recommendations going forward.

Finally, a donor-advised fund can be named as beneficiary on life insurance, RRIF accounts, and in wills. This option saves estate tax, as the assets would transfer tax-free upon death to the donor-advised fund, which could seed the fund for future generations or create a wonderful legacy gift.

Summary

At Value Partners Charitable Foundation, we allow you to think strategically about your giving, so you can focus on the things that matter most, support the causes you care about, and create a legacy that future generations will take pride in. It’s a privilege working with Canadians who have meaningful values and a generous spirit.