Gateway to Philanthropy

Donor Advised Funds

A donor-advised fund (DAF) acts like a charitable savings account, allowing you to contribute cash, stocks, real estate, or other assets into it, and make charitable donations to the organizations you want to support. You receive a tax benefit in the year you contribute to your DAF, and you can maximize the impact of that contribution with gifts to the causes you support over many years. You can request a distribution from your donor-advised fund directly through our donation form via our partnership with DAFpay. If your donor-advised fund is not listed, you can request a distribution directly through your fund and notify us by email at fundraising@eyso.org.
Request a gift from your Donor Advised Fund using DAFpay

Leave a Legacy with your Donor Advised Fund

You can also create a lasting legacy by naming the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestras as a beneficiary of your donor-advised fund. You can also create a family legacy and establish a multi-generational tradition of giving by naming your loved ones as successor advisors to your fund. You can make a transformational impact on the causes you care about and enable your loved ones to continue making grants to the charitable organizations that matter to them. Contact your fund administrator for a beneficiary form.

Benefits of a Donor Advised Fund

  • Immediately receive the maximum tax deduction that the IRS allows for the amount you invest in your DAF.
  • At any time afterward, you can make your charitable gifts as grants recommended from your DAF.
  • Your DAF sponsor will handle all record-keeping, disbursements and tax receipts for you.
  • The balance remaining in your DAF can be invested for tax-free growth.
  • There are no start-up costs for establishing a DAF, and there are no transaction fees. 100% of your recommended grants go to your qualified public charities of choice.

Establishing a Donor Advised Fund

There are many organizations that host and manage donor advised funds, from small community foundations to national investment banks. Learn more about these local community foundations and sponsoring charities at the links below: