Quiet types: Supporting anonymous giving

by Shari Netzel, Vice President of Nonprofit

As you continue conversations about charitable giving with clients, one important question often arises: How would your clients like their giving to be acknowledged and recognized?

Based on each client’s unique goals, the desired level of recognition may vary. While most donors choose to give publicly, there are many situations where donors prefer to give anonymously. As a trusted advisor, it is essential to understand how anonymous giving factors into a client’s overall philanthropy plan. Of course, the Community Foundation is here to help.

Keep an eye out for the following client sentiments:

“We don’t want to get a ton of requests for charitable gifts. It’s overwhelming and it makes us feel bad that we can’t do it all.” 

In today’s challenging economic environment, nonprofits often increase outreach efforts to ask for support. Through a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation, your client can recommend the extent to which personal information is shared with each recipient organization. In many cases, our team will customize outgoing communications to charities, ensuring that your clients only receive the meaningful updates they specifically request (such as thank you notes, impact reports, and success stories).

“We don’t want our colleagues, friends, and even some of our family members to be able to see how much we give or where we give it.”

Many clients value privacy and choose to keep their giving and financial capacity under the radar. Donor-advised and other fund information remains highly confidential. Unlike private foundations, which require public reporting, donor-advised and other types of funds at the Community Foundation help keep donor identities, grantee identities, and fund balances private from the public eye.

“We want to make a big difference, but we want to do it without drawing a lot of attention to ourselves.”

For some donors, charitable giving is about honoring a loved one or building a family legacy, rather than personal recognition. These donors may want to make grants in a different name—such as a family name or in memory of someone significant. Working with the Community Foundation offers your clients a great deal of flexibility in how a family’s gifts will be recognized. Your clients can pick and choose which gifts they want to make public and which they want to keep anonymous. Clients can also make gifts that are publicly announced in honor of family members or using a generic foundation name.

If your clients are considering philanthropic endeavors with anonymity in mind, the Community Foundation is here to help. We collaborate with attorneys, CPAs, and financial advisors, providing resources and support to ensure your clients can give to their favorite causes with the level of recognition and privacy they desire. We look forward to working with you!