For the past several years, not only have I had the honor of being part of the SCCF team professionally as a stewardship advisor, but I have also had the privilege to partner/benefit personally as a client as well. My wife and I established a charitable giving account, known as a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) at the Foundation.
A DAF is a charitable vehicle that allows a donor to make a tax-deductible gift each time they fund the account while enjoying the flexibility of making advised grants to charities out of the fund over time. Other practical advantages of a DAF include:
Keeping charitable dollars invested until ready to distribute
Making anonymous gifts
Streamlining the giving process
Consolidating giving receipts/records
Establishing recurring donations
Utilizing a bunching strategy to maximize charitable gift deduction
Making gifts of long-term appreciated assets to avoid capital gains
Receiving a charitable tax deduction
Personally speaking, while implementing this charitable giving tool has yielded tax benefits (avoiding capital gains by gifting appreciated assets, bunching our giving, simplifying record keeping), the bigger motivation was our desire to be more responsive to the Holy Spirit in the stewardship of resources. We view the fund as an “altar” of sorts that is “set apart” and gets the money “out of our hands.”
Our motivation…
“The bigger motivation was our desire to be more responsive to the Holy Spirit in the stewardship of our resources.” Greg Hynds, Stewardship Advisor
Luke 12:34 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
As we have sought to be more intentional with our giving, my wife and I have found this verse to be true—our hearts are more sensitive to the needs all around us. Each month, as we sit down and prayerfully consider how much and to whom we should give out of our DAF, we find joy because our hearts are now more deeply aligned with the Lord and with each other through eternal investments of His treasure.
Are you interested in learning more about giving tools like the Donor Advised Fund? SCCF can serve you on your stewardship journey. Please contact us at Admin@SCChristianFoundation.org or 864.949.5800.