Skip to main content
Community Foundation of Northern Nevada Logo

Donor Advised Fund at the Community Foundation has Unique Value

Are you aware of the unique benefits of having a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation of Western Nevada rather than at Fidelity, Schwab, or Vanguard? People might see the lower administrative fee at these commercial financial institutions and think establishing their donor advised fund with them it is the smart move. But commercial providers of donor advised funds don’t offer the value-added that you receive with a donor advised fund at the Community Foundation. Here are a few examples, one of which may surprise you. Staff expertise: The Community Foundation has experts who have administered thousands of grants worth tens of millions to large and small organizations locally and around the world.  Fundholders benefit from philanthropic “concierge” services, including research, nonprofit site visits, restricted grants, grant monitoring, grant reporting, and legacy planning. Community support:  Every fundholder at the Community Foundation contributes to our ability to research and address persistent community issues by being a part of the Community Foundation and providing us with stability, size, connections, and endorsement. Giving Options: The Community Foundation can receive contributions of restricted stock, real property, notes, personal property, and many other illiquid assets, that cannot be donated to commercial donor-advised funds. Investment options: The Community Foundation can invest your charitable fund assets in long-term pools, treasuries, and with your investment manager. We also invest locally in projects that benefit our community through low-income housing and other equity investments. Commercial funds invest in their proprietary funds. Perhaps the most unusual beneficial way we serve fundholders is to offer the option for other types of investments for your charitable assets. We have assets in charitable funds which include ownership of local companies, industrial property with lease income, and investments in land. Some of these investments have increased dramatically in value, far exceeding by a multiple factor of several times, the return in the stock market. The Community Foundation of Western Nevada is your Community Foundation. Flexibility and the ability to work with donors to realize their charitable goals are some of the reasons the Community Foundation continues to grow, increasing the impact in our region. If you use a commercial charitable donor-advised gift fund, please give me a call. We can help you do more with your philanthropy, and, through your endorsement, you will help your community and the Community Foundation at the same time. It’s a win-win. Chris Askin, President, and CEO 775-333-5499