Giving through a donor advised fund (DAF) – rather than the traditional method of writing checks to charity— can help you save time and better organize your donations.
Traditional direct donations take a lot of steps and time
Donor advised giving can save you time and the hassle of the lengthy process of getting your donation check to your favorite charity.
Step 1. Research which charity to donate to
Step 2. Visit Guidestar or Charity Navigator to determine if the charity is an IRS-approved public charity
Step 3: Get out your checkbook and pen, and write a check
Step 4. Locate a stamp and mail your donation
Step 5: Make sure to save the donation receipt from each charity you support, since you’ll need it for your taxes
Donor Advised Giving is Efficient
When you make donations to charity using a donor advised fund, Jewish Communal Fund handles all the due diligence to ensure that the charity is an IRS-approved 501(c)3 public charity.
You can come to JCF with charities you already know and support, or you can search our database of over 10,000 already vetted charitable organizations based on issue areas you would like to support.
Donating to Charity using a DAF is Quick and Easy
Plus, donor advised giving is easy and enjoyable. Just log onto the JCF secure online donor portal, type in the name of the charity you’d like to support, and with a few clicks, you’re done. It’s that easy. And repeat donations are even simpler, because the charity is already in your grant history—making it even easier to send them another grant from your JCF fund.
Those who are careful to balance their checkbooks regularly find that using a donor advised fund means fewer checks from your personal checking account to track and account for.
And come tax time, you won’t need to keep track of dozens of receipts from charities thanking you for your donation. You’ll just need to give your accountant the contribution acknowledgement receipt from Jewish Communal Fund, since you get an immediate tax deduction when you make the gift to JCF, a 501c public charity.
Another benefit is the ability to invest the charitable assets in your JCF donor advised fund, potentially growing the amount of money available to give to charity.
As many of our donor advised fundholders have learned, donor advised giving is so much simpler and easier than giving to charity using your checkbook.