High-net-worth clients are looking for increasingly comprehensive solutions to their complex financial situations. Investors don’t just need financial management that keeps administration out of their hands; they need services that align their wealth management strategies with their values, and prepare their families for the future.
Charitable giving has evolved far beyond simple check-writing to become an integral component of financial, estate, and tax planning. Now more than ever, partnering with charitable advisors, or as we call them philanthropic advisors, to enhance your charitable giving offerings can increase your capabilities for your clients and help you expand your practice.
Greater Houston Community Foundation’s philanthropic advisors serve as specialized partners to your professional team, providing the philanthropic expertise needed to seamlessly integrate complex charitable strategies into your clients’ broader financial objectives, helping their giving create maximum impact in their communities and on their tax returns.
What is a charitable advisor?
A charitable advisor is a philanthropy professional who helps donors and their professional advisors work at the complex intersection of philanthropy, tax strategy, and financial planning. Unlike financial advisors, who specialize in wealth generation and preservation, a charitable advisor’s expertise lies in a variety of charitable vehicles, tax-advantaged giving strategies, and their local charitable ecosystem.
Charitable advisors work collaboratively with financial planners, estate planners, attorneys, and tax professionals to develop comprehensive giving strategies that maximize a client’s financial benefits and prepare them for the future.
At Greater Houston Community Foundation, our philanthropic advisors bring decades of experience in philanthropic planning, intimate knowledge of Houston’s nonprofit landscape, and proven expertise in managing complex charitable assets to support both advisors and their clients in achieving meaningful philanthropic outcomes.
More than just support for your financial planners
Greater Houston Community Foundation collaborates with professionals in the following disciplines to support your financial and philanthropic goals.
Financial planning
Our charitable advisors can be invaluable extensions of your financial planning team. We provide specialized support for charitable giving financial planning that helps enhance overall portfolio performance while maximizing impact for meaningful causes.
Our financial planning support includes:
- Strategic timing for charitable contributions to maximize tax benefits
- Portfolio rebalancing opportunities using appreciated securities for charitable gifts
- Integration of charitable vehicles with retirement planning strategies
- Wealth transfer planning that incorporates philanthropic goals
- Cash flow optimization through tax-efficient giving strategies
- Investment growth opportunities within charitable accounts
- Coordination between charitable giving and estate planning objectives
- Third-party investment management for accounts over $500,000.
Estate planning
Estate planning always requires coordination between a number of professional advisors. Our charitable advisors fit into your current processes, collaborating directly with your estate planners and attorneys to seamlessly integrate philanthropic measures into your estate plan through our estate planning and charitable giving expertise.
Our estate planning collaboration process includes:
- Bequest planning through donor advised funds
- Estate tax reduction strategies through charitable gifts
- Succession planning for family philanthropic traditions
- Charitable remainder trust structuring
- Charitable lead trust planning and implementation
- Family foundation establishment and governance
- Documentation of charitable intent and legacy wishes
- Coordination with other estate planning instruments
Tax planning in Houston
Tax efficiency is always a primary concern when clients make charitable contributions. Our advisors bring significant experience and sophisticated understanding of charitable giving tax strategies to your planning discussions.
Our tax planning strategies include:
- Strategic contribution timing to maximize charitable giving deductions
- Bunching donations to exceed standard deduction thresholds
- Appreciated securities donations to avoid capital gains taxes
- Qualified charitable distributions from retirement accounts
- Alternative minimum tax planning with charitable contributions
- Estate tax reduction through charitable bequests
- Generation-skipping tax mitigation strategies
- Corporate charitable giving tax optimization
- Multi-year charitable planning for income fluctuations
Attorneys
Legal professionals often encounter clients who need specialized guidance on the charitable components of their estate or financial plans. Our philanthropic advisors serve as knowledgeable partners providing expertise in legacy planning and philanthropic strategy.
Our legal practice support areas include:
- Complex asset donation legal requirements
- Nonprofit governance and board responsibilities
- Tax-exempt organization qualification verification
- Planned giving legal document coordination
- Family foundation bylaws and operating agreements
How the Community Foundation supports your professional services
Greater Houston Community Foundation can augment your practice by providing specialized philanthropic expertise that complements your core services.
| Service area | Foundation support | Your benefit |
| Client education | Meet with your clients to explain charitable options and strategies | Enhanced client value with specialized expertise |
| Strategy development | Create customized giving presentations tailored to client objectives | Comprehensive solutions that differentiate your practice |
| Implementation support | Handle administrative workload of complex charitable vehicles | Focus on core services while we manage philanthropic details |
| Technical expertise | Answer complex charitable planning questions and guide through scenarios | Confident responses to sophisticated client inquiries |
| Professional development | Resources to enhance your charitable planning knowledge | Expanded capabilities and service offerings |
| Collaborative partnership | Work alongside your existing services without competing | Strengthen client relationships through comprehensive offerings |
Donor advised funds and beyond
While donor advised funds are often the foundation of modern charitable planning, our advisory capabilities extend far beyond this single vehicle.
| Charitable vehicle options | Asset donation capabilities |
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By working with our philanthropic advisors, your organization gains access to a varied list of charitable vehicle options, complex asset donation facilitation, strategic philanthropic planning partners, and a deep rolodex of local organizations searching for collaboration.
*Continue reading: How to set up a donor advised fund
Expand your practice with high-net-worth philanthropy capabilities
Partnering with Greater Houston Community Foundation allows you to offer sophisticated philanthropic planning services without the overhead of building internal charitable expertise. Our philanthropic advisors can help you confidently present giving solutions that complement your services.
This enhanced capability not only better serves existing clients but also positions your practice to attract new high-net-worth relationships who need advisors that can address their complete financial picture.
Our partnership model respects your client relationships while providing you the specialized knowledge they need to succeed. Call Greater Houston Community Foundation today at 713-333-2210 or reach out directly to get started.
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