Open a client DAF account
In a few simple steps, open a DAF account for your client.
As an advisor, you can invite your clients to access your firm's custom giving platform to manage their donor-advised fund, by making a contribution, activating investing, sharing giving opportunities, assessing customary advisory fees, and retrieving tax statements on their behalf.
Additionally, you can support your clients as they take independent action with giving goals, contributions, grants, community funds, gift cards, beneficiaries, and tax statements.
Preparing to open a client donor-advised fund account?
All you need is their full name and email to get started with your firm's custom DAF program. The IRS does not require more detail for individual donors, as accounts are titled under the donor-advised fund sponsoring organization (in this case, Charityvest).
Create a client account
When you are ready to invite a new client under your umbrella as an advisor in your firm's giving program, here are the steps to add them:
Log in to your advisor account Dashboard.
Click the Add Client button.
Enter your client's first name, last name, and email in the fields provided.
Click the checkbox Send welcome email to client with login details. If you do not select this checkbox, your client will be added to your dashboard but will not yet be notified about your firm's DAF program. You can opt to send their invitation at a later date.
From the dropdown menu, select your preference for their initial DAF investment portfolio.
[Optional] Enter their internal client ID for your reference.
Click the Continue button.
Review the new client account details. If accurate, click to Create account & send invite button. If you have selected to send them a welcome email, they will receive login instructions to claim their account.
Under your advisor Dashboard, you will see your new client listed as Pending until they claim their account.
You will not be able to make any adjustments to a Pending client account until they complete their account setup and agree to the terms of the program.
Once your client claims their account, you can click on your client's name to view their profile, adjust their investment portfolio, and make contributions on behalf of your clients.
Notice that a client account is still Pending?
If a client account is Pending, they have not yet accepted your invitation to claim their donor-advised fund account. You will not be able to make adjustments to their account until they have completed their setup process. Learn how to resend their invitation here.
Need to know what this experience looks like for a client?
Learn more about the client experience of account invitation from your Dashboard here.
Send your advisor enrollment link
If you wish to share your access to your firm's giving program with clients more broadly, or a client wishes to sign up independently, you can invite a new client under your umbrella as an advisor in your firm's giving program with your shareable advisor enrollment link. Here are the steps to retrieve your unique link:
Log in to your advisor account Dashboard.
Click the Add Client button.
You will see your unique advisor enrollment link at the top of the form. Click Copy link to copy the link address.
Share this link at your discretion with clients.
Need to know what this experience looks like for a client?
Learn more about the client experience of account invitation via your enrollment form here.
Request to manage an existing client Charityvest account
It is possible that your client has an existing Charityvest donor-advised fund account. If so, you can invite them to move their account to your firm's giving platform, instantly.
Since they already have a Charityvest account, you can invite them to your firm by using the email associated with their Charityvest account. They will receive an email request to approve you as their advisor. Once they accept this request, you will be able to view and manage their profile from your advisor account.
To send an invitation to a client with an existing Charityvest from your Dashboard, follow the instructions above.
Sending an invitation to a client with an existing Charityvest account? Be sure to use the email address that is associated with their existing Charityvest account, otherwise you will create a second account in their name.
Need to know what this experience looks like for a client?
Learn more about the client experience of account invitation if they have an existing Charityvest account here.
How to (re)send an invitation to a client
You may have initially chosen not to notify your client upon creating their account. Alternatively, you may need to send your client a reminder email to claim their account. Either way, you can use your advisor account to trigger an invitation email to your client with their login details.
Here are the steps to send or resend a client invitation:
Log in to your advisor account Dashboard.
Search or scroll to locate your client's name.
Next to the mail icon, click the blue hyperlink text, Send invite or Resend invite.
Click the Send invite button to confirm. The invite will be delivered to the email address associated with your client's account.
Trying to decide if you should resend a client invitation?
Clients that receive your firm's giving program account invitation will also receive automated reminders after 7, 30, 60 and 90 days. We recommend sending a reminder email if your client requests it.
Curious to learn more about your firm's custom DAF program? Contact your firm's program manager for program-related matters or Charityvest (support@charityvest.org) for platform-related matters.
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