Talking with nonprofits about your gifts
If you have a gift spoiler in your life, you know it can make a birthday or holiday less fun when you know what’s wrapped and headed your way. It’s not the same for nonprofit organizations – knowing what funding to anticipate helps plan their operations and make decisions that help people. Yet we sometimes feel uncomfortable going to our favorite charities to discuss our giving plans, and in some ways, it feels like spoiling Christmas morning! But having conversations with nonprofits about your giving plan is a wise, strategic and productive thing to do.
Becoming a giving partner
When you give a single or recurring contribution to a nonprofit organization, you can deeply impact their work. Every gift you disburse is meaningful, regardless of size or frequency. But if you reach a point in your giving journey where you are blessed enough to give a large gift – a gift that’s beyond an organization’s typical giving structure – it’s a good time to have a conversation with the organization.
Discussing large gifts on the front end is critically important both for the nonprofit organization and for you as a giver. You may have one idea of how your grant could be used, but the nonprofit might have a new initiative or unannounced project in the works you’d be even more excited to support. When you talk about your gift, you can create a plan supporting your giving aspirations and the organization’s operations.
Depending on the size of the nonprofit you’re supporting, having a conversation about a large gift may also be important for their internal planning. The organization may not have the staff or facilities to support your gift, and this conversation can help set expectations, both yours and theirs, for a feasible timeline and how the grant should be disbursed over time.
Ultimately, having a conversation with a nonprofit about a profound gift helps you become a partner with the organization in your giving. You can work together to create an impact in the areas that matter most to your heart, following the Lord’s calling for your giving journey.
Where your donor-advised fund comes in
To simplify your family’s bookkeeping, you may need to immediately contribute to a nonprofit organization. Based on your conversation with the nonprofit organization of your choice, they may be unable to facilitate your gift in one lump sum. That’s where your donor-advised fund comes in. You can donate to your donor-advised fund and receive one receipt for bookkeeping and tax purposes. Then, following your conversation with the nonprofit, you can disburse your grant in smaller amounts. The added benefit is that your money in the donor-advised fund can be invested tax-free. So as you disburse grants into the future, you may have more money to give away than you originally invested!
At CCF, we don’t tell you where or how much money to give away. But we are always willing to talk with you about giving plans and strategies that help you facilitate the gifts God has given you on earth. Connect with us today by calling 901-682-6201 or sending us an email.