Giving Season Central

Year-End Giving with a Donor-Advised Fund: Deadlines, Guidelines and Resources

AS THE YEAR DRAWS TO A CLOSE, many of us look for meaningful ways to give back—whether it’s supporting communities, addressing urgent challenges or advancing innovative solutions. This is what we call Giving Season, and a donor-advised fund (DAF) provides a simple, tax-efficient way to support the causes that matter most to you.

This page will guide you through the essentials of year-end giving with a DAF, including important contribution deadlines, grant recommendation guidelines and other useful tools to help you achieve your charitable goals during this busy time.

Contribution Deadlines

Refer to these important dates to ensure that your contributions—of any type—are received by December 31. Following these guidelines will help to ensure that National Philanthropic Trust (NPT) receives your contributions by December 31 for treatment as a 2024 gift.

Most assets require the submission of a Contribution Agreement, which may be completed online via the donor portal.

 

 

* For gifts of stock, bonds, ETFs or mutual funds, please note that the external custodian currently holding the assets may require that you submit a Letter of Instruction to initiate the transfer of the assets; if so, please present originals of the completed Letter of Instruction to the external custodian and not to NPT.

Grant Guidelines

Many of your favorite charities will be making their year-end appeals soon. Follow these deadlines to ensure that your support will be counted this year.

 

NPT's Extended Year-End Hours

Please note that National Philanthropic Trust’s offices will have limited hours for the Thanksgiving holiday:

Thursday, November 28, 2024: CLOSED

Friday, November 29, 2024: 8:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET

To support your year-end giving, National Philanthropic Trust will then offer extended hours starting December 2:

Monday–Friday:  8:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. ET

These hours will be in effect through year-end, except on the following special days:

Wednesday, December 25, 2024: CLOSED

Wednesday, January 1, 2025: CLOSED

Additional evening and weekend hours are available by appointment. Please contact us at (888) 878-7900 or npt@nptrust.org with any questions or to schedule an appointment. This season and always, we are proud to be your partner in giving.

Take Action

Use a DAF to make the most of Giving Season.

Essentials of Year-End Giving offers resources, tips and insights for philanthropy at this busy time of year.
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Current donors can use our convenient donor portal to recommend a grant or schedule future grants.
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Additional Resources

Donor-Advised Fund Rules for Grantmaking

Discover what charitable causes and purposes you can—and can’t—support through a DAF.

Supporting Disaster Relief

Explore how to effectively support disaster relief efforts and maximize your philanthropic impact during times of crisis.

Defining Your Philanthropic Legacy

Learn how to take proactive steps to communicate your philanthropic intentions in a legacy plan.

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Five Tips for Year-End Giving

Discover five tips to maximize your year-end grantmaking impact and tax benefits.

Giving Season Activation Toolkit for Advisors

Use NPT’s advisor toolkit to identify DAF prospects, prepare for client meetings and engage clients about their year-end philanthropic goals.

Strategies for Year-End Giving

Get expert insights on how a DAF can help clients reach their giving goals tax-efficiently and tips to keep their philanthropic goals on track.

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