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Download the Hope Foundation Donor Advised Fund Agreement
DONOR ADVISED FUNDS (GIVING FUND)
Donor Advised Funds: A donor advised fund makes giving efficient, effective, flexible and easy. It is the equivalent of having your own personal foundation but much less expensive and, therefore, useful for anyone who gives more than once a year to more than one charity or faith based organization.
A donor advised fund is established by a donor(s), and provides for their continued involvement by allowing donors to plan their giving and make grant recommendations to churches or non-profit organizations whenever they choose. The donor receives a tax deduction in the year in which the gift is made to their fund.
You may give stock, mutual funds, retirement fund assets, real estate or other tangible property to your donor advised fund. Gifts of appreciated stock, both publicly traded and closely held, allow donors to receive a tax deduction equal to the stock's appreciated value without payment of capital gains tax.
The funds are invested in a variety of alternatives and grow tax-free. When you are ready to make a gift or grant from your fund, you recommend to us who you would like that to be. We write all of the checks and keep all necessary records. The minimum fund size is $1,000.
Advantages and Uses of a Donor Advised Fund and Related Services: (click each link to learn more)
Download PDF of Hope Donor Advised Fund Benefits
- Better than your own foundation – A donor advised fund is like having your own private foundation without the cost or legal hassles and it offers better tax advantages.
- Convenience – At the minimum, we are a check writing and record keeping service. We write all of the checks you normally write to church, non-profits, schools, ministries, etc. We send you quarterly statements listing your gifts, grants, investment returns and the balance of your fund.
- Flexibility - You may make gifts from your fund to any valid non-profit except those openly antithetical to Christian beliefs. You may also may request that grants be awarded anonymously. Click here to see how to make grant recommendations.
- Invested funds grow tax-free - We offer several attractive investment alternatives. Click here to see recent rates of return on these alternatives.
- Tax planning – Get a deduction this year…give it away later. Donate appreciated stock and avoid capital gains taxes (see above discussion of Donor Advised Funds)
- Accumulate funds for giving later - Accumulate funds to make a very large gift or to create a scholarship fund.
- Retirement & financial planning - Accumulate funds so you can continue to give during lower income, retirement years while getting tax deductions in years when your income is higher. This also avoids the conflict of using retirement funds for charitable giving which you may need to live on.
- Giving planning – Determine thoughtfully who to give to. Develop a budget and a strategy for your giving rather than reacting to pleas and emergency appeals. Make gifts anonymously if you wish.
- Stewardship Philosophy - We can help your develop a stewardship philosophy
- Strategic Christian giving - Hope can assist you with determine needs of the the City, conduct ministry research, and develop your giving strategy.
- Estate & gift planning – A donor advised fund is the ideal tool for charitable giving planning offering the ultimate in flexibility in wills, trusts, etc.
- Charitable gift planning - In addition to estate planning, a donor advised fund is an excellent tool for planned giving such as charitable remainder trusts or charitable lead trust
- Create a legacy - You may create a endowed fund after your death which can make grants in perpetuity to charities or faith based organizations you wish to support. These are called Legacy Funds.
- Create an endowment for a non-profit or a church - These type funds are called Donor Designated Funds.
- Give complex gifts – Such as real estate, restricted securities, business interests, notes or accounts receivable, retirement plans, life insurance, certain personal property (such as gold or collectible coins) and business equipment. Click here to view our gift acceptance policies.
- Demonstrate to your children the joys of giving - Help them make the transition of being good stewards with their own funds.
- Connect, motivate & mobilize donors - We are anxious for our donors to get involved in ministry with their time and talent as well as their dollars. We maintain web pages with listings of ministry job opportunities and summer internships.
- Issues of interest in Memphis - We publish data regarding the City's key issues and problems which we call the State of the City.
Frequently asked questions about donor advised funds
