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Did you help a client open a Donor Advised Fund before year-end?

If so, was it at Schwab or Fidelity?

For many advisors, that decision is driven by practicality. The platform is familiar. The process is quick. The fees are low. With a few clicks, the fund is open and planning moves forward.

It’s easy.

But over time, that convenience can quietly turn into habit. And when something becomes habit, we stop asking whether it’s the best fit for our clients or our community.

Here’s a simple example.

On a cold day in December, I walked to Child’s Play Toys downtown. It would have been faster and easier (and warmer) to stay in my office and click “buy now” on Amazon. But I would have missed out on having store owner Nancy Savage greet me by name when I walked in. She asked what I was shopping for and then suggested a board game that was new to me. 

Because I know her – and she knows me – I trusted her recommendation for my two young girls.

That game? It’s already become a family favorite.

I never would have even considered “adding to cart” if she hadn’t recommended it. 

That kind of personal experience is what we offer at the Community Foundation. Local insight, context and relationships define how we work with you and your clients.

Donor Advised Funds, at their core, are technically all the same. The tax benefits, structure, online access and grantmaking flexibility are consistent whether the fund is held at a national provider like Schwab or Fidelity, or at the Community Foundation.

The difference is what surrounds it.

When you recommend a Donor Advised Fund at a national provider, you’re choosing a platform built for speed and low cost at scale. 

When you recommend one at the Foundation, you’re choosing a locally governed nonprofit that offers that same charitable product - paired with deep knowledge of Sioux Falls and the nonprofits working here every day.

Beyond administering funds, the Foundation actively invests in this community: advocating for more mentors in our schools, helping expand mental and behavioral health support for our students, greening our city through partnerships like the Parks Foundation and convening local nonprofit leaders at a summit to strengthen their organizations. 

Can your clients still give back locally through Schwab? Absolutely.

But when they give through the Community Foundation, they also support a local nonprofit whose mission is to support other nonprofits and help Sioux Falls thrive. 

That’s why this choice matters.

Reframing a Donor Advised Fund from “just another account” to giving where it matters, through an organization that matters elevates the advice you provide. And when advisors help lead that shift, they don’t just help clients give, they help shape the future of Sioux Falls.

It’s your turn to be a part of the growing good in Sioux Falls. Think of us the next time you think about philanthropy.