Among its many provisions, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 has for the first time defined donor advised funds and has placed new rules on their use. In this article, Laura Hansen Dean, J.D., from the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana, reviews the new rules and offers help to organizations that desire to communicate them to fund advisors.  MORE »

In the last edition of Gift Planner's Digest, the PGDC posted an article by Philip Tobin entitled, Donor Advised Funds: A Value-Added Tool for Financial Advisors. Originally published in the November 2001 issue of CCH's Journal of Practical Estate Planning, the piece was reproduced on the PGDC as it appeared in the magazine. Since that time, we received several comments from our readers alleging the article contained errors of fact and that it unfairly characterized how donor advised funds are operated by the community foundations. In this supplement to Mr. Tobin's article, we have reproduced the sections with which our readers took issue, their candid comments, and the response of the author.  MORE »

In this edition of Gift Planner's Digest, Philip T. Tobin discusses donor advised funds and explains how this simple, flexible and cost-effective tool can assist in tax-efficient planning and allow a wide range of Americans to participate in philanthropic pursuits.  MORE »

Earlier this year, PGDC published Part I of this article which gave an overview of the increasingly popular donor advised funds, including what they are and how they are being used. Part II of this article gives a comprehensive analysis of the recommendations for new laws governing donor advised funds found in the President's fiscal year 2001 budget proposal. The President's proposal offers a definition of donor advised funds, applies private foundation rules to the funds and reclassifies public charities administering donor advised funds as private foundations under certain circumstances. In addition, a description of some of the alternate ideas for donor advised fund regulation put forth by other individuals and groups is provided.  MORE »

The use of donor advised funds has increased dramatically in recent years, making them one of the more popular vehicles for making charitable contributions. Their increased popularity has also caused increased scrutiny that may ultimately lead to more regulation. In this first part of a two part article, PGDC's legal editors provide an overview of donor advised funds, including what they are and how they are being used.  MORE »