In the United States, a donor-advised fund (DAF) is a type of giving program, administered by a third-party public charity (such as Fidelity Charitable or Schwab Charitable – also referred to as “sponsor” below), that allows you to combine the most favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to easily support your favorite water charity (WWFA, of course!).
And we have a convenient way to donate to WWFA using your DAF: You can use the DAF donation form to the right.
DAFs are created for the purpose of managing charitable donations on behalf of an organization, family, or individual.
An increasingly popular charitable vehicle, DAFs are an excellent way to both simplify your charitable giving and facilitate your strategic philanthropic goals. DAFs allow donors to give cash, stock, and other assets—with the donor receiving an immediate tax deduction at the time of contribution is made, but the donor can grant specified amounts to the charities of their choice at a later time.
Note about the form to the left: Click the “DAF” option, then scroll to find your DAF fund. Once you select it, you’ll be prompted to log into your fund, and follow the prompts.
If your fund is not listed, please contact them to request a check be issued to Water Wells for Africa, PO Box 635, Manhattan Beach, CA 90267.
Either way you issue your DAF gift, we thank you!
How It Works
- Establish your DAF by making an irrevocable, tax-deductible donation to a public charity that sponsors a DAF program. Examples of these public charities are Fidelity Charitable and Schwab Charitable. There are others.
- Advise the investment allocation of the donated assets (any investment growth is tax-free).
- Recommend grants (i.e., donations) to qualified public charities of your choice.
Main Advantages of Donor-Advised Funds
Donor-advised funds provide a number of benefits that direct donations to a charity may not, including:
- Simplicity: The DAF sponsor handles all record-keeping, disbursements, and tax receipts.
- Flexibility: Timing of your tax deduction can be separate from the time you decide to allocate a grant to your preferred charity.
- 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 multiple 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, as decided by the sponsoring organization).**
- 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 sponsoring organization.
What Can Donor-Advised Funds Do for Water Wells for Africa?
DAFs provide an easy, flexible, low-cost method of giving which supports our work to provide clean and accessible water to people in rural, hard-to-reach places in Africa.
Please make a donation to Water Wells for Africa via your Donor-Advised Fund today!
