Giving Experts in Your Corner

Starting in 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) lowers the tax benefit of giving for some clients. It also makes one deduction limit permanent. Check two groups of clients: those who itemize, and those in the top tax bracket.

• 0.5%-of-AGI floor (clients who itemize): The first 0.5% of a client’s AGI in giving each year is no longer deductible.
• 35% cap (top-bracket clients): The deduction is now worth up to 35% of the gift, down from the full 37%.
• 60%-of-AGI limit (helps): The limit for cash gifts to public charities was set to expire. It is now permanent.

For clients near these thresholds, a donor-advised fund lets you time and bunch contributions into fewer years, so the floor applies once instead of every year.

Nearly all advisors have multiple clients who would benefit from donor-advised funds, but we find advisors with the greatest number of applicable situations (50%+ of their client base) tend to meet at least two of the following criteria:

• Deepen a client relationship by being part of some of the most meaningful financial decisions they’ll make – their personal mission, community impact, and family legacy, or
• Help clients optimize charitable deductions, including liquidating concentrated or illiquid assets, selling a business, or just simply managing a high income year
  will find that the simplicity and flexibility of donor-advised funds make for a streamlined way to participate in the charitable giving conversation.

Most clients begin thinking about giving in late Q3 into Q4 (Giving Season) as gains and losses materialize across their portfolio. Introducing the concept earlier in the year allows for a more efficient decision-making process ahead of or during Giving Season. Clients ready to fund their donor-advised funds earlier in the year will experience faster processing times. Some clients may want to explore multiple types of charitable gift vehicles.

Yes. Ren provides the technology and services powering your client’s DAF, but we do not offer investment advice and we never manage the assets. Many financial advisors choose to work with Ren for just this reason; through our non-profit partner Renaissance Charitable, SMAs start at $20K and keep you and your investment strategies in the driver’s seat.

Use our Find my Program feature to find out if your firm has a Ren DAF in-house. If not, you can get a Ren DAF directly through our 501(c)(3) partner Renaissance Charitable. Click Open a DAF to learn more.

Ren validates that charities are eligible at the time of grantmaking so you don’t have to. It is exceedingly rare that an IRS-recognized charity is not eligible for DAF grants – even small, new, and local charities are eligible. Thanks to Ren’s vetting technology, once your client’s preferred charity is vetted, it can remain approved for additional grants from your client’s DAF and others.