6. They may be receiving poor advice from friends, family, non-profit staff or other advisors and may set up an inappropriate charitable vehicle, establish the right vehicle at the wrong place or in something that may be outside of the control of their trusted advisor.

7. They are advancing in age but keep putting off decisions about charitable giving during lifetime or at or after death, even though these decisions should be made now while they still think clearly.

8. They regret that they have not discussed philanthropy with their children, included them in decisions or passed down their charitable values, or put together a plan to use philanthropy as a means to keep their family united after their deaths.

9. They may be frustrated by having to keep track of numerous tax receipt letters from charities, receiving many solicitations from non-profits, or deciding how, when, how much and which assets to donate.

10. They may be overwhelmed or burdened by the responsibility of running their own private foundation, unhappy about the cost, and may be looking for a simpler or less expensive alternative.

11. They are reactive in their giving and often procrastinate until the end of the year when they make hasty giving decisions.

12. They are generous with their giving, but don’t feel that they are having an impact.

It is rare that clients will face all 12 of these issues, but advisors who guide them to overcome some of these will be welcomed and embraced. Often clients are not aware that they can turn to their advisors for help with these matters and feel they should just try to figure out a path themselves.               

The advisors who address the above issues will often become the lead and trusted advisor, especially because the clients’ charitable investments and goals are among the most important aspects of their lives and legacies. By demonstrating how donating different assets can reduce taxes and enable them to provide additional support now and for many years, clients will view their advisors as an important part of their charitable planning.

Additionally, many advisors have in recent years helped clients establish donor-advised funds so they can receive one tax-receipt letter each year, give a consistent amount every year, reduce the cost and eliminate the complexity, responsibility and burden of managing their private foundation, utilize the donor-advised fund sponsor’s technology to easily make and keep track of all of the grants they make over time, and unify the family.