Elaine Gast Fawcett

Contributing Editor, NCFP

Elaine Gast Fawcett is a philanthropy advisor, communications and grantmaking strategist, and storyteller with 20+ years serving multigenerational family foundations, nonprofits, and grantmaker associations. She is the published author of 12 field-respected books for grantmakers, and hundreds of articles, tools, case studies, and guides for family philanthropists, and a long-time contributing writer and editor for NCFP. Reach Elaine at PhilanthropyCommunications.com or LinkedIn.

Contributions

How do donor-advised funds compare with private foundations and other family giving vehicles?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Audrey Jacobs, Elaine Gast Fawcett

When setting up a philanthropic vehicle, families often wonder whether to give directly to charitable organizations (check-book giving), or to set up a more formal planned giving vehicle, such as a donor-advised fund (DAF), private foundation, or charitable trust… Read More

What questions should donors ask potential sponsor organizations when considering setting up a donor-advised fund?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Audrey Jacobs, Elaine Gast Fawcett, Tony Macklin

Before opening a DAF, donors need to be clear on the services, fees, and restrictions of a fund, as they vary widely among sponsor organizations… Read More

What questions should a donor, couple, or family ask their advisors before setting up a donor-advised fund?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Audrey Jacobs, Elaine Gast Fawcett

Before opening a DAF, donor families should talk with their trusted professional advisors about the benefits and tax implications. Professional advisors might include the family CPA or attorney, financial or estate-planning advisors, heads of family offices, or professional philanthropic advisors… Read More

What questions should an individual donor, couple or family ask themselves before opening a donor-advised fund?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Audrey Jacobs, Elaine Gast Fawcett

Before opening a DAF, families should reflect on and talk about their values and goals for their philanthropy—individually, and as a family—and their specific needs for what the vehicle should deliver… Read More

What services do sponsor organizations for donor-advised funds typically offer?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Audrey Jacobs, Elaine Gast Fawcett

Donor-advised fund sponsor organizations offer a wide range of services to donors. These services vary among individual sponsor types and organizations. … Read More

What are sponsor organizations and what are the different types of sponsor organizations for donor-advised funds?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Audrey Jacobs, Elaine Gast Fawcett

Today, there are an estimated 1,000 or more DAF sponsor organizations in the U.S. Broadly, these sponsor organizations fall into three types: community foundations, single-issue non-profits, and national non-profits (which include both commercial gift funds and noncommercial organizations)… Read More

What are the important limitations and restrictions on using a donor-advised fund?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Audrey Haberman, Elaine Gast Fawcett

Each sponsor organization will have its own set of rules and restrictions on the donor-advised funds they offer—so be sure read the fine print on fund agreements. However, in general, here’s what you need to know about DAFs… Read More

What are the principal uses and benefits of donor-advised funds?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Audrey Jacobs, Elaine Gast Fawcett

Families choose donor-advised funds (DAFs) for a number of good reasons. Here are some of the most important… Read More

When is the best time to start a donor-advised fund?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Audrey Jacobs, Elaine Gast Fawcett

Donors and families can establish a DAF at any time, through a number of different sponsor organizations. Minimums can be as low as $5,000, although many start at $25,000 (and sometimes more). … Read More

What are donor-advised funds?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Audrey Jacobs, Elaine Gast Fawcett

Think of a donor-advised fund as a personal philanthropy checking and savings account. An individual donor, couple, or family creates an account (a donor-advised fund) by transferring assets to a sponsor or sponsor organization, such as a community foundation, a religious federation, or a commercial gift fund. … Read More

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