Want more? Register today for a trial. 7-day trial

Biography

Sheryl Aikman is Vice President of Development at The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, a $250 million foundation serving an 18-county region, where she has been a member of the staff since 1998. Sheryl has served in national leadership roles for the community foundation field and since 2010 has been a peer reviewer for the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations™. She is a member and former board officer of the North Carolina Planned Giving Council and past president of the Land of Sky Estate Planning Council. Sheryl is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Davidson College, holds a masters degree in Management of Nonprofit Organizations from Case Western Reserve University and is a William C. Friday Fellow of the Wildacres Leadership Initiative.

Commentary

So You Wanna Be A Philanthropist? Cost-Benefit Choices For The Philanthropist: Private Foundation, Supporting Organization, Or Donor Advised Fund?

Friday, October 15, 2010

This article examines the three major types of grant‐making vehicles: a private foundation, a donor advised fund, and a grant‐making supporting organization. After a concise summary of the different vehicles and the various laws that govern each of them, it explores recurring situations that favor the use of one vehicle over another, and suggests solutions to common transactions that may pose problems (e.g., the impact of a legally‐binding pledge from a donor?). This lively mix of theory with practice helps solve the challenges that grant‐seekers and grant‐makers see every day.