Would you like to engage your clients on a deeper level? Having a charitable planning discussion can provide a more in-depth relationship and enhance the services you provide. While you might be reluctant to ask your clients about this highly personal subject, studies show clients want their advisors to ask them about their giving. Here are 10 things to keep in mind as you get started.
1. Do you know if your clients are charitably inclined? Starting with some simple questions can lead to larger discussion about how you can help clients maximize and simplify their giving.
Conversation Starters
2. Are your clients holding appreciated assets, including publicly traded securities, and facing capital gains tax? Your clients avoid capital gains and receive a tax deduction by donating these securities to a charitable giving account, also known as a donor advised fund.
3. Do you have clients who want to sell a business, or do your clients have illiquid assets they want to put to charitable use? We can accept donations of complex assets, including business interests, life insurance policies and real estate, allowing your clients to receive the maximum tax deduction for their donations.
4. Are your clients hesitant to let someone else manage their assets? We allow donors to choose how assets in their charitable giving accounts are invested, by working with their own trusted financial advisors, or by choosing to invest in one or more of our investment pools.
5. Are your clients too busy to handle the administrative side of their giving? With a fund at LBCF, your clients can log in to our online donor portal anytime day or night to see statements and make grants. We will perform the due diligence to ensure grants are made to IRS-qualified public charities. We can mail checks directly to charities or to your clients.
6. Is collecting charitable tax receipts burdensome for your clients? If your clients organize all of their giving through a charitable giving account, they are spared this chore. Because we are a 501(c)3 public charity, they will receive a tax deduction for contributions to their account, so the only receipts they need to keep are ours.
7. Do your clients have children? Donors with charitable giving accounts can pass along their charitable legacies by naming future generations as successor advisors of their accounts.
8. Are your clients private about their wealth? We never share any personal information about our donors. They can also choose to make anonymous grants from their charitable giving accounts. Or, if your clients like to share their philanthropy, we can facilitate promoting their charitable giving.
9. Are your clients nearing retirement age? If they want to support causes after they retire, they can set aside money in a charitable giving account now and give to charities later.
10. Do your clients need help keeping track of their giving? Your clients will receive quarterly statements outlining their giving for the year. They can also access our online portal to see a full history of how much and how often they have given to organizations in the past.
To learn more about how to partner with Laguna Beach Community Foundation, click here to access the remainder of the Professional Council Toolkit.
1. Do you know if your clients are charitably inclined? Starting with some simple questions can lead to larger discussion about how you can help clients maximize and simplify their giving.
Conversation Starters
- What charities do you currently support and how do you support them?
- What general causes do you care about?
- What was your most important or most satisfying charitable donation or volunteer experience?
- Do you want your family to have more involvement in your giving?
2. Are your clients holding appreciated assets, including publicly traded securities, and facing capital gains tax? Your clients avoid capital gains and receive a tax deduction by donating these securities to a charitable giving account, also known as a donor advised fund.
3. Do you have clients who want to sell a business, or do your clients have illiquid assets they want to put to charitable use? We can accept donations of complex assets, including business interests, life insurance policies and real estate, allowing your clients to receive the maximum tax deduction for their donations.
4. Are your clients hesitant to let someone else manage their assets? We allow donors to choose how assets in their charitable giving accounts are invested, by working with their own trusted financial advisors, or by choosing to invest in one or more of our investment pools.
5. Are your clients too busy to handle the administrative side of their giving? With a fund at LBCF, your clients can log in to our online donor portal anytime day or night to see statements and make grants. We will perform the due diligence to ensure grants are made to IRS-qualified public charities. We can mail checks directly to charities or to your clients.
6. Is collecting charitable tax receipts burdensome for your clients? If your clients organize all of their giving through a charitable giving account, they are spared this chore. Because we are a 501(c)3 public charity, they will receive a tax deduction for contributions to their account, so the only receipts they need to keep are ours.
7. Do your clients have children? Donors with charitable giving accounts can pass along their charitable legacies by naming future generations as successor advisors of their accounts.
8. Are your clients private about their wealth? We never share any personal information about our donors. They can also choose to make anonymous grants from their charitable giving accounts. Or, if your clients like to share their philanthropy, we can facilitate promoting their charitable giving.
9. Are your clients nearing retirement age? If they want to support causes after they retire, they can set aside money in a charitable giving account now and give to charities later.
10. Do your clients need help keeping track of their giving? Your clients will receive quarterly statements outlining their giving for the year. They can also access our online portal to see a full history of how much and how often they have given to organizations in the past.
To learn more about how to partner with Laguna Beach Community Foundation, click here to access the remainder of the Professional Council Toolkit.
