Donor Advised Funds

Donor Advised Fund (or DAF) giving has become more popular for individuals and families that want to benefit multiple charities throughout the year and for extended periods of time. 

A DAF is a separately managed fund that is maintained and operated by a sponsoring organization, such as the Seattle Foundation, Fidelity, or Schwab. Once a donor establishes a DAF, that individual and/or a representative retains advisory privileges with respect to investment allocations and distributions to various charities. 

In addition to offering ease of administration, a donor-advised fund offers the opportunity to create a low-cost, flexible way to diversify your philanthropy without the expense of creating a private foundation. 

You can make a meaningful gift anytime to Bastyr University through your donor advised fund. You simply provide the following information to the sponsoring organization (foundation, bank, other) of your fund. 

Each DAF-sponsoring organization will have the appropriate forms to complete such donations. You can usually access these forms through an online portal, or you can work with your fund advisor. Your sponsoring organization can then complete the donation transaction to distribute funds to Bastyr University. It is a very easy process if you already own a donor advised fund. 

 A DAF distribution is subject to IRS charitable contribution restrictions. A recommendation for a distribution from a DAF will likely not be approved by the sponsoring organization if any portion of the gift will be used to provide more than incidental benefits. For instance, DAF gifts cannot be used to pay for tickets to a fundraising event, gala dinner, or golf tournament.