AFHU News

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AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY
AFHU NEWS VOL. 22 PAGE 21
Donor-Advised Funds
Q & A with Meyer Bodoff
Meyer Bodoff, President and CEO of the Dallas
Jewish Community Foundation, has more than three
decades of professional experience in the nonprofit
sector. Mr. Bodoff spoke with AFHU News about
Donor-Advised Funds as a mechanism for giving.
What is the role of a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)
as exemplified by the activities of the Dallas
Jewish Community Foundation?
Meyer: “The role of a DAF is to promote and expand
philanthropy, and to help make it impactful. The
Dallas Jewish Community Foundation works with fund
holders looking to support worthy causes. Sometimes
individuals are certain of their philanthropic priorities
and we facilitate their chosen grants to eligible
nonprofits. We can also recommend projects that we
feel reflect donors’ expressed interests. Last year, our
foundation distributed over $18 million to help 2,000
projects. We offer six different investment models
geared to individual patterns of giving. Fund holders
may choose their own time horizon for giving.”
What is the minimum contribution to
establish a DAF?
Meyer: “Our fund holders can create a DAF with the
minimum amount of $5,000, and supplement their
contributions as time goes by. This minimum amount
can vary by foundation. My belief is that philanthropy
doesn’t have to be just for the wealthy: many of us
can experience the pleasure of giving and make a
difference in someone’s life.”
Could you provide an example
of how DAFs work?
Meyer: “Let’s say you have stock you bought 10 years
ago at $10 per share, and today its valued at $50 per
share. You would pay capital gains upon selling the
stock. By contributing the stock directly to a charity or
to a DAF for charitable purposes, you can obtain a tax
deduction based on the full benefit of the stock sale.
Donating cash is always an option, and fund holders
can authorize us to disburse these charitable dollars
immediately, or let their DAF earn income, creating
incremental growth. We partner with donors to fulfill
their short and longer-term giving plans.”
Does planned giving factor into a DAF?
Meyer: “Planned gifts can be an important element
of a DAF and helpful to tax-advantaged estate
planning. You can set up an endowment, with checks
disbursed in perpetuity to your favorite charity. You
may decide that you want your children involved in
Next-Gen giving by having them provide DAF grants
to charities even after your death. It’s possible to
do something wonderful for a charity during your
lifetime and beyond.”
How do donors interact with administrators
of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation
to select projects, and how do you work with
nonprofits to identify projects that resonate
with donors?
Meyer: “We value fund holders as unique people.
A donor may come to us and say, I want to make a
gift to AFHU in support of the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem. They are certain about their grantmaking
intentions. Others may say more generally, I’d like
to support disease research, help feed the hungry,
assist the visually impaired or provide educational
opportunity to deserving students. Our foundation
vets all charities under consideration, ensuring they
are legitimate and effective. My staff and I work
with development professionals such as AFHU’s Jane
Larkin, Director of the Dallas Office. Jane shares the
latest initiatives and cutting-edge innovations. To
further aid the decision-making process for funders,
our foundation publishes a Funders File featuring
new projects.”
Do you see any particular trends in the
Dallas community?
Meyer: “Our fund holders have diverse interests;
they come from throughout the U.S. That being
said, Dallas cares deeply about feeding the hungry
and supporting medical research. Many Dallas
Foundation Relations
International Support
Jewish Community Foundation fund holders are
committed to Israel, the Jewish community and
higher education.
Do you have any special words of advice
to our readers?
Meyer: “Never underestimate the value of a gift—
even a small gift. And I’d like to share one of my
favorite quotes: ‘We all know we can’t take it with us
when we go, but no one ever said you can’t send it
on ahead.’”
Did you know that the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has international Foundation partners supporting
innovative research in varied fields from medicine to nanotechnology? Among these leading research
supporters are: the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and
the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Please visit here to learn more.