You wish to keep your charitable giving private, especially gifts funding sensitive or controversial issues. Set up a DonorsTrust account and ask that your gifts remain anonymous. Know that any contributions to your DonorsTrust account that have to be reported to the IRS will not become public information. Unlike with private foundations, gifts from your account will remain as anonymous as you request.

Appreciated Stock
You own appreciated stock and want to distribute it to a number of charities and avoid the capital gains tax. Make one transfer of stock to DonorsTrust and receive the market value for your gift. Then at your leisure, request DonorsTrust to distribute multiple gifts from the transfer.

Closely Held Stock
You possess closely or privately held stock and want to avoid the capital gains tax while taking the best possible tax deduction. Contribute the stock to DonorsTrust and calculate your tax deduction based on the market value of the stock rather than the cost basis. At your leisure, make any number of charitable gifts from the single transfer.

Unexpected Windfall
You just received a bonus, inheritance, or trust fund distribution. You need to give to charity to reduce your tax burden but don’t have time right now to figure out where and how much. Open an account at DonorsTrust, immediately receive your full tax deduction, and disburse charitable gifts at your leisure.

You wonder if your family will eventually give your hard-won earnings to groups with which you disagree. Open a DonorsTrust account and write a specific charitable intent statement-even listing what charities you will or won’t fund. Give your family the opportunity to preserve your intent as successor advisors to your account and rely on DonorsTrust to protect and enforce it.
 

Community Foundation
You give through your local community foundation but wonder if they’ll approve your grant requests when your trusted contact leaves or your grantees fall on the wrong side of the current political trend. Set up a new account by making a grant disbursement to DonorsTrust, a public charity that serves as a philosophical community foundation. DonorsTrust will always respect grant requests that fall within the DonorsTrust mission and purpose.

Commercial Donor-Advised Fund
You manage your charitable giving through a commercial fund like Vanguard or Fidelity. However, given your philosophical principles, you like the idea of being with a fund that was built on those same values and really knows the groups you support. Make a grant disbursement from your account to DonorsTrust (a public charity) and establish a new account at DonorsTrust where you receive personal attention and a solid mission to protect your intent to support liberty.

Private Foundation
You enjoy the benefits of your foundation but wish to rid yourself of the hassles of meeting the 5% payout deadline, paying lawyers and staff to comply with regulations, and seeing your grant disbursements on the Internet 24/7. As a public charity, DonorsTrust can accept your foundation’s payout and immediately relieve you of the payout deadline. Grants are disbursed at your discretion, all IRS forms are completed for you, and total anonymity is possible.

You make annual gifts to a number of charities but are tired of writing checks, managing the IRS receipts, and remembering how much and when you gave to whom. Write one check to DonorsTrust and receive one IRS receipt. From your account, request gifts to your favorite charities. DonorsTrust will cut the checks, track the receipts, and send you quarterly activity reports.
 
You wish to give a large gift to a charity but don’t want to just write a blank check. Open a DonorsTrust account with the gift and immediately receive your full tax deduction. Request gifts from your account with the assurance that you may legally direct the money elsewhere if the project or the mission of the organization sours.
 

Additional questions?

Contact us to have a qualified representative answer your questions about DonorsTrust. Thank you for your interest.

Author

  • Peter Lipsett

    Peter Lipsett is vice president at DonorsTrust. He also leads DonorsTrust’s Novus Society, a network of donors under 40 committed to growing their philanthropic know-how. He has a dual degree in political science and theater from Davidson College and finally got a practical credential with an MBA from George Mason University.