Whether the matter at hand is tax planning, updating wills and trusts, or structuring retirement portfolios, attorneys, CPAs and financial advisors are no strangers to tough conversations. How can those discussions lead into one about charitable giving? It doesn’t have to be complicated.
Clients are expecting you to bring up charitable giving, but the approach matters. Don’t just check a box—show sincere interest. While plenty of resources offer excellent suggestions for how to bring up charitable giving in conversations, many advisors tell us that they have to keep it even more simple. We understand that you don’t have time to ask endless questions. That does not mean, however, that you can’t have a meaningful conversation. Even just two minutes is plenty if you show genuine interest in the client’s intentions.
For example, the charitable planning part of a client meeting could be as simple as following a conversation on retirement projections, beneficiary designations, and portfolio allocation with a check-in on charitable giving by asking the client about their involvement with community organizations.
Then, let them talk. If they’re not involved in any community organizations, they’ll tell you. And if they are, they’ll tell you that, too.
If the client is indeed involved in community organizations, let them know that you are happy to connect them to the team at the Community Foundation, or, better yet, tell the client that you’d be happy to invite a professional from the Community Foundation to your next meeting. Your priority as their advisor is to bring professionals to the table to help achieve their charitable giving goals.
You might be surprised at how a simple approach puts the client at ease and how much the client appreciates your interest in areas of their lives that go beyond dollars-and-cents transactions and legal documents.
The Community Foundation is a resource and sounding board as you serve your philanthropic clients. We understand the charitable side of the equation and are happy to serve as a secondary source as you manage the primary relationship with your clients and offer a cost-effective partnership to make the most of your clients’ generosity today, tomorrow and forever.