Talking to Clients about Charitable Giving

As a professional advisor, your job is to provide expert advice about the management and investment of your clients’ assets, their estate plan and their tax situation.

At the Idaho Community Foundation, our job is to help Idahoans support the causes and organizations they care about.

Some advisors aren’t sure how to bring up the subject of charitable giving. By listening to your clients, you may hear something that invites you to ask additional questions. These may include a client:

• Talking about a desire to help meet a specific community need or a wish to support one or more specific organizations.
• Expressing interest in setting up a private foundation or who has a private foundation and wants to simplify management.
• Whose year-end planning shows a need for greater tax deductions.
• Whose estate planning reveals the possibility of significant estate taxes.
• Who owns appreciated stock in a company that is about to be acquired.
• Who has a substantial IRA and/or 401(k) assets in his or her estate.

The Idaho Community Foundation can help you determine if the community foundation has an option that would work for your client. We can work with you to provide information to your client or we can meet together with you and your client. We always respect that you control the client relationship.

To help get a conversation started with clients about charitable giving, here are some questions you could ask:

• What is the most satisfying charitable gift you ever made? Why?
• Do you have any specific organizations that you like to support?
• Would you be interested in supporting nonprofits and/or schools in your town, county or region?
• Does the idea of making a permanent investment in philanthropy appeal to you?
• Do you want to involve your children in your philanthropy?