Introduction to Donor-Advised Funds
A CIRO-accredited course designed to support advisors in integrating charitable giving into client planning.
Format: Live virtual session
Duration: 50 minute presentation + 10-minute Q&A
Accreditation: 1 CE credit
Cost: Free
Overview
The course combines foundational education with applied insights, helping advisors strengthen their professional offering with differentiated expertise in the financial and strategic aspects of charitable giving.
Charitable giving is increasingly part of how clients think about their financial decisions. At the same time, many clients lack a clear understanding of how to approach giving strategically.
Through a structured, applied approach, this course covers how donor-advised funds work, the strategies they enable, and how they support more intentional, tax-efficient charitable giving.
Advisors who complete the course will be able to:
- Navigate charitable giving conversations more effectively
- Provide informed guidance aligned with client goals
- Integrate giving into broader financial planning discussions
What you’ll learn
- What a donor-advised fund is and how it works
- Key drivers behind the growth of donor-advised funds
- The structure of donor-advised funds, including how to grow charitable assets tax-free with a charitable investment account
- Tax considerations, including capital gains exceptions that apply to in-kind donations of publicly traded securities
- Fee structures and eligible asset types
- Differences between donor-advised funds and private foundations
- How to speak to your clients about donor-advised funds and charitable giving
At its core, the course equips advisors to position charitable giving through a DAF as a tax-efficient strategy within broader financial planning, aligned to each client’s unique philanthropic goals.
Instructors
Eugene Wong
Director, Charitable Investments Programs
Charitable Investment Programs leader at Charitable Impact for the past 2 years. In addition, Eugene has 20+ years of experience working at CIRO regulated dealers in various operations and finance roles. He has been a designated CPA since 2008.
Kathleen Brouse
Senior Account Manager, Charitable Investment Programs
Kathleen has over 7 years of experience working with financial advisors that utilize donor-advised funds in their practices. She also worked at TD Wealth for more than 4 years and holds a MFA-P designation.
About Charitable Impact
$1.8B+
in donations
16,000+ charities
have benefited
225,000+ people
have given
Charitable Impact is a modern giving platform that helps Canadians engage more personally and intentionally with charitable giving. Operating as a donor-advised fund, it offers flexible tools and support for people to plan their giving, support the causes that matter to them, and collaborate with others to grow their collective impact. Learn more at charitableimpact.com.