Yes. I'm acquainted on how small charities get their donations. I've been on the other side. It is fragile. There's lots of room for error.
QCDs, especially after RMD age, need to be reconciled. You're usually responsible for making sure the charity gets the money, you need get the confirmatory letter, and the check will need to be cashed and not "misplaced" or lost. To me, this is worth it if you're making a substantial donations but I don't need the hassle for smaller amounts--so a DAF is still going to have merit during QCDs.
The DAF will "bulldog" the transaction until it is properly completed. Last year I donated to a charity that moved, and in the mess, the check got lost. I didn't think about it, I was busy and not monitoring, although I was surprised I didn't get a quick thank you letter from the charity like I did in the past. Next thing you know, I'm getting a mail from the DAF (Vanguard Charitable) saying the transaction wasn't completed, they see the address change, and they are reissuing the check. I got my thank you letter about 10 days later from the charity. Years ago, I also had a DAF check stolen in the mailbox to another charity. The DAF reissued that one after I inquired as to why it wasn't in "complete" state. The DAF took care of finding out what happened. Finally, if the charity is hooked up properly, it will happen electronically. Most small charities are not, though.
Basically, the DAF worries about it all. That's part of where the fee goes.
Statistics: Posted by Tubes — Sun Dec 28, 2025 6:54 am — Replies 14 — Views 954