Donor Advised Fund

Simplify Your Giving

A donor advised fund (DAF), which is like a charitable savings account, gives you the flexibility to recommend how much and how often money is granted to Goodwill-Easter Seals Foundation and other charities.

You open a donor advised fund with a written agreement at a community foundation or sponsoring organization. You can make contributions to your fund at any time. These contributions are invested by the sponsoring organization, which provides regular accounting to you. You make the recommendations that various amounts be distributed to charitable organizations of your choice, such as Goodwill-Easter Seals Foundation.

There are a number of benefits of opening a donor advised fund, including:

You qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you make a gift to the fund.
You eliminate capital gains taxes when you use long-term appreciated assets.
You don't have to retain records for each contribution.
Families can build a tradition of giving by involving children in the decisions about what grants to recommend.

You can also create a lasting legacy by naming your loved ones as your successor to continue to recommend grants to charitable organizations, or name Goodwill-Easter Seals Foundation to receive all or part of the account balance after your lifetime.

An Example of How It Works

Happy couple calculating donations Joe and Laura want to give back to their hometown by putting their money where it will do the most good. They establish a $25,000 donor advised fund with a community foundation.

The couple receives a federal income tax charitable deduction for the amount of the gift. They also get the time they need to decide which charities to support.

After researching community needs with the foundation’s staff, Joe and Laura recommend grants for Goodwill-Easter Seals (which they’ve supported for years) and a local animal shelter. The foundation presents the charities with checks from the Patricia Fund, which Joe and Laura named in honor of Laura’s mother. They name Goodwill-Easter Seals as the beneficiary to receive the account balance after their lifetimes. Joe and Laura are delighted to start this personal legacy of giving.

Fund Your Donation With:

Next Steps for Making a QCD Gift

Use our tool Take Action! Give From Your IRA to connect to your retirement provider.

You may also ask your IRA administrator about making a direct transfer to Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota or have the administrator send a check from your account to us. (To be tax-free, the donation must go directly from your account to Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota without passing through your hands.)

Legal name: Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota
Address: 553 Fairview Ave. N, St. Paul, MN 55104
Federal tax ID number: 41-0706171

Next Steps

Evaluate a sponsoring organization to make sure it supports your interests, values and the type of asset you are considering as a funding source.
Get to know the organization's policies and procedures; from minimum contributions to administrative fees. (Each organization handles these details differently.)
Contact Anna Vandelac at 651-379-5824 or avandelac@gesmn.org to discuss using donor advised funds to support Goodwill-Easter Seals and our mission.
Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.
If you include Goodwill-Easter Seals in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.

Legal name: Goodwill-Easter Seals Foundation
Address: 553 Fairview Ave. N, St. Paul, MN 55104
Federal tax ID number: 47-1694921

Support What Matters

Donor advised funds are an increasingly popular way to give. Discover their benefits. View and download the FREE guide One-Stop Giving: The Convenience and Simplicity of Donor Advised Funds.