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 Maricopa Community Colleges 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 Maricopa Community Colleges 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 Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation to receive all or part of the account balance after your lifetime.

An Example of How It Works

Happy family 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 The Maricopa Community Colleges (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 The Maricopa Community Colleges as the beneficiary to receive the account balance after their lifetimes. Joe and Laura are delighted to start this personal legacy of giving.

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Next Steps

  1. Evaluate a sponsoring organization to make sure it supports your interests, values, and the type of asset you are considering as a funding source.
  2. Get to know the organization's policies and procedures; from minimum contributions to administrative fees. (Each organization handles these details differently.)
  3. Contact Judy Sanchez at 480-731-8739 or judy.sanchez@domail.maricopa.edu to discuss using donor advised funds to support The Maricopa Community Colleges and our mission.
  4. Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.
  5. If you include The Maricopa Community Colleges in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.

Legal name: Maricopa County Community Colleges Foundation
Address: 2419 West 14th Street, Tempe, Arizona 85281
Federal tax ID number: 860327449

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.

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A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

"I give to Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, a nonprofit corporation currently located at 2419 West 14th Street, Tempe, Arizona 85281, or its successor thereto, ______________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose."

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

the growth in value of an asset like stock or real estate since the original purchase

the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

a written and properly witnessed legal change to a will

the person named in a will to manage the estate, collect the property, pay any debt, and distribute property according to the will

A donor advised fund is an account that you set up but which is managed by a nonprofit organization. You contribute to the account, which grows tax-free. You can recommend how much (and how often) you want to distribute money from that fund to The Maricopa Community Colleges or other charities. You cannot direct the gifts.

An endowed gift can create a new endowment or add to an existing endowment. The principal of the endowment is invested and a portion of the principal’s earnings are used each year to support our mission.

Tax on the growth in value of an asset—such as real estate or stock—since its original purchase.

Securities, real estate, or any other property having a fair market value greater than its original purchase price.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property, or undeveloped land.

A charitable remainder trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for life or a period not exceeding 20 years from assets you give to the trust you create.

You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to The Maricopa Community Colleges as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to The Maricopa Community Colleges as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and The Maricopa Community Colleges where you agree to make a gift to The Maricopa Community Colleges and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.
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