With the new year almost here, now is a great time to formalize and finalize your client’s end-of-year giving plan to ensure they meet their personal and financial goals.
Why a year-end giving strategy is important
While charitable giving is always a crucial element of holistic wealth management, it’s especially important as the fall months end and the new year draws closer. The term “Giving Season” has been coined to denote the span of time from Giving Tuesday (the Tuesday following Thanksgiving) all the way until New Year’s Day.
To say this time of year is crucial to charitable organizations would be an understatement. According to research by the expert fundraising team at Qgiv, “… 35% of all nonprofit giving happens in the last three months of the year” (End-of-Year Giving).
There are a variety of reasons to encourage your clients to incorporate charitable giving into their year-end financial planning, like the opportunity to meet philanthropic goals or to leverage tax incentives.
As an advisor, we understand that many of your clients want and even expect you to equip them with the knowledge to maximize their philanthropic gifts, especially during the Giving Season.
That’s why we put together a list of expert tips and tricks that can help advisors maximize year-end charitable giving.
5 expert tips to make the most of year-end giving
1. Review and analyze last year’s strategy
One of the best resources to use when strategically planning for the remainder of the
fiscal or calendar year is historical data. Reviewing your client’s overall financial profile while focusing on year-end charitable giving from last year can help you inform and advise them on the best contributions to make in the upcoming Giving Season (End-of-Year Giving).
2. Start early to beat the rush
As with all elements of financial planning, preparation is key, and year-end giving is no exception. To help your clients reach their overall objectives, take advantage of tax incentives, and allocate their donations to philanthropies they care about, it is important to begin conversations about end-of-year giving strategies as early as possible (End-of-Year Giving).
3. Align with your client’s overall goals
When creating an end-of-year giving plan for your clients, keeping their personal and financial goals in mind is of the utmost importance. Maintaining their overall objectives throughout the calendar year gives you the chance to cultivate a close relationship with your client and their families during the most important time of year (End-of-Year Giving).
4. Organize their charitable giving
Encourage your clients to take advantage of one of the many charitable vehicles available to them, like private foundations or donor-advised funds. Each of these vehicles comes with its own unique advantages, but all offer the opportunity to formalize and strategize philanthropy while ensuring it is tax-efficient (Wealth Management).
5. Make it a family affair
The holiday season is all about gathering families together to celebrate. This union of multiple generations offers a unique opportunity for your clients to encourage their kids and grandkids to get involved in giving. There are a variety of ways to have them contribute to your clients’ year-end charitable goals including, “[Creating] a ‘giving budget’ to donate to charity. Each child then suggests a cause to help everyone decide where and how to distribute the ‘budget’.” (Wealth Management).
While philanthropic giving is always important to a comprehensive wealth management profile, the Giving Season is an excellent time to encourage your clients to execute their giving plan by reviewing and analyzing their financial objectives, formalizing a donation method, and encouraging them to get their loved ones involved.
To learn more about how to maximize your client’s year-end giving strategy, email [email protected].
