October 2023
Professional Advisor Newsletter
Greetings from Whidbey Community Foundation! 
It’s October, and the fourth quarter is upon us.  

The team at Whidbey Community Foundation is especially looking forward to talking with many of you about incorporating charitable giving into your clients’ estate plans in honor of National Estate Planning Awareness Week from October 16 to 22. In that spirit, we’ve put together a collection of articles this month that might help guide your discussions with clients.

We hope you enjoy the updates and, as always, we look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions about topics and resources that would be useful to you as you serve your philanthropic clients.

Thank you for all you do to make our community a better place by assisting your clients with charitable planning. It is our honor and pleasure to support your work in any way we can.

All the best,

– Whidbey Community Foundation
Clients want to know: What’s deductible and what’s not?
What’s deductible and what’s not? As you talk with clients about supporting their favorite charities in their estate plans, it’s a great time to brush up on the rules for deductibility. This is the time of year when nonprofit solicitations are landing in clients’ inboxes and mailboxes nearly every day. Clients might not always realize that “nonprofit” does not necessarily mean “charitable” in the eyes of the IRS. Our brief summary of the rules provides a handy primer for you and your clients.
Spotting opportunity: Moving from a commercial fund to the community foundation
Moving from a commercial fund to the Whidbey Community Foundation. Clients are reading about donor-advised funds everywhere these days! Some of your clients might even have established a donor-advised fund at a “commercial gift fund” without you even knowing it. As you work with clients on their estate and financial plans, be sure to ask whether the client has a donor-advised fund. In many, many cases, moving the donor-advised fund to the community foundation from a national financial institution provider is not only easy, but also is a far better fit for your clients. Learn why. 
Charitable planning and women clients: Three mini-case studies
Charitable planning and women clients. The dynamics are different when you’re working with women on their estate and financial plans. Make sure you approach these conversations with solid awareness of the often unique perspectives women bring to the table when they are deciding how to structure their wills or trusts and which vehicles they will use to support charities. We’re coming off a summer of Barbie and records broken by Taylor Swift and Beyonce; your women clients will appreciate your awareness of what’s going on in the marketplace. We’re offering tips for your conversations.
This newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal, accounting, or financial planning advice. 
Whidbey 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. This newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal, accounting, or financial planning advice.  
Thank you for letting Whidbey Community Foundation assist in your charitable efforts!