Charitable giving is about more than writing checks or reducing taxes. For many clients, philanthropy is an opportunity to express personal values, support meaningful causes, involve family members, and create a lasting legacy.

Yet financial advisors may be missing opportunities to have these conversations. While clients regularly discuss investments, retirement income, and estate planning, their charitable interests and personal values may receive far less attention.

In a recent Financial Experts Network webinar, “Partnering with Advisors & Clients in Values-Driven Philanthropy,” Richard “Rick” Peck, CFP®, CAP®, ChFC®, independent philanthropy advisor and founder of The Philanthropy Guy®, joined Scott Coulter, CFP®, Senior Vice President and Chief Wealth Planning Officer at Ledyard, to explore how advisors can incorporate values-driven philanthropy into comprehensive financial planning.

Their message was simple: Start with the client's values, not the charitable giving vehicle.

Why Financial Advisors Should Be Talking About Philanthropy

Charitable giving represents an enormous opportunity to connect financial planning with clients' personal priorities.

According to Giving USA, Americans contributed approximately $617 billion to charitable causes in 2025, with individual donors accounting for roughly 64% of total giving. When bequests are included, individuals account for approximately three-quarters of charitable contributions.

Despite this generosity, many clients have never had a structured conversation about why they give, what they hope to accomplish, or how their charitable intentions fit into their overall financial plans.

Peck explained that charitable planning can help advisors strengthen relationships, deepen client satisfaction, and identify planning opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Coulter emphasized that these conversations also create a natural opportunity to connect with the next generation.

Rather than waiting until clients bring up philanthropy, advisors can make questions about personal values and legacy a routine part of their discovery process.

A Three-Stage Approach to Values-Driven Philanthropy

Peck and Coulter outlined a practical framework that moves clients from identifying their values to implementing charitable strategies and engaging family members.

1. Begin With Values and Legacy

Before discussing donor-advised funds, charitable trusts, or tax deductions, advisors should understand what matters most to their clients.

Peck suggested beginning with questions such as:

• What experiences have shaped your relationship with money?
• Which values would you like your wealth to express?
• What causes or communities are especially meaningful to you?
• What experiences have motivated your charitable giving?
• What would meaningful impact look like five or ten years from now?

These questions can uncover deeply personal stories and motivations that traditional financial planning conversations might never reveal.

The presenters described using motivational values cards and legacy-image cards to help individuals and couples identify their priorities. Clients select values or images that resonate with them and discuss why those choices matter.

The process can ultimately lead to a philanthropic focus statement that identifies the client's core values, preferred causes, geographic interests, and desired impact.

For families, creating a shared focus statement can become an especially meaningful exercise, helping multiple generations understand what the family stands for and how its wealth might support those priorities.

Importantly, Coulter noted that advisors do not have to begin by asking about charitable giving.

Simply asking, “What do you want your legacy to be?” can open the door to conversations about inheritance, family relationships, community involvement, and philanthropy.

2. Match Giving Strategies to Client Goals

Once clients have clarified their values and charitable objectives, advisors can begin evaluating the financial strategies that might best support those goals.

One important opportunity involves looking beyond cash donations.

Many clients hold significant wealth in appreciated securities, real estate, business interests, retirement accounts, and other non-cash assets. Depending on the circumstances, contributing these assets may provide advantages over making cash gifts.

The presenters discussed several charitable planning strategies, including:

• Donor-advised funds (DAFs): Allow donors to make charitable contributions and recommend grants to eligible organizations over time.
• Community foundation funds: Can support local causes, scholarships, designated organizations, or broader charitable interests.
• Charitable remainder trusts (CRTs): May provide an income stream to beneficiaries while ultimately benefiting charitable organizations.
• Charitable lead trusts (CLTs): Provide payments to charity for a specified period, with remaining assets passing to other beneficiaries.
• Charitable gift annuities: Combine charitable support with payments to designated beneficiaries.
• Outright gifts and charitable bequests: Offer straightforward ways to support organizations during life or through an estate plan.

The key is determining which strategies align with the client's financial circumstances, income needs, tax situation, charitable intentions, and legacy goals.

Complex strategies also require coordination among financial advisors, attorneys, CPAs, charitable organizations, and philanthropy specialists.

Peck emphasized that the financial advisor should remain central to this process, coordinating the broader planning relationship while bringing in specialists when their expertise is needed.

3. Engage the Next Generation Through Philanthropy

One of the most compelling themes of the webinar was the role philanthropy can play in bringing families together.

Financial advisors often work closely with the wealth creators in a family but have limited relationships with their children or grandchildren.

Values-driven philanthropy can help bridge that gap.

With the client's permission, advisors can invite adult children and grandchildren to participate in discussions about family values, charitable priorities, and the intended purpose of inherited wealth.

These conversations can also help younger family members better understand the responsibilities that may accompany significant wealth.

Peck described an approach in which grandchildren are invited to participate in modest charitable grantmaking exercises. Giving younger family members a voice in selecting organizations can introduce them to philanthropy and help develop their decision-making skills.

Coulter emphasized that family engagement should happen naturally and at a pace that feels comfortable to clients. Some families may begin with conversations between spouses before gradually involving children or grandchildren.

The goal is not simply to retain assets across generations. It is to create a shared understanding of family values and help future generations make more intentional financial and charitable decisions.

Real Client Examples: What Values-Driven Planning Looks Like

The presenters shared several anonymized examples from their work together at Ledyard Wealth Management.

A couple in their late 50s wanted a more meaningful approach to charitable giving. Through values discussions, they clarified their priorities and began exploring appropriate giving vehicles. The couple also expressed interest in eventually involving their three adult children. Their positive experience led them to consider transferring an existing $15 million donor-advised fund relationship to Ledyard, although the transfer had not been completed.

A woman in her early 70s wanted to explore reparative philanthropy related to her family's history. The planning process included discussions about qualified charitable distributions from retirement accounts and ways to involve her children and grandchild in future charitable decisions.

A couple in their late 70s wanted to support their adult children while advancing charitable goals. Their discussions included charitable remainder trusts and a family philanthropic focus statement. Bringing their adult children into the process helped clarify potential next steps.

A couple approaching retirement identified education and scholarships as important charitable priorities. Their conversations explored how retirement might change their capacity to give and how they could make their philanthropy more intentional.

Although not all these situations had resulted in completed gifts or implemented strategies, the presenters emphasized that the planning conversations themselves delivered value by helping clients clarify their priorities and make more informed decisions.

The Five T's of Philanthropy: Giving Is More Than Money

Toward the end of the webinar, Peck reminded attendees that philanthropy extends well beyond financial contributions.

He introduced the Five T's of Philanthropy, which illustrate the different ways individuals can support causes they care about.

For advisors, understanding these different forms of generosity can reveal charitable interests that clients might not initially identify as philanthropy.

A client who volunteers regularly, serves on a nonprofit board, or advocates for a particular cause may already have a strong philanthropic identity—even without making large financial contributions.

Making Philanthropy Part of the Financial Planning Process

Advisors do not need to become philanthropy specialists to begin incorporating these conversations into their practices.

Peck suggested a straightforward implementation approach: identify clients who might benefit from deeper values discussions, incorporate those questions into discovery meetings, coordinate appropriate planning strategies, and revisit the results over time.

The process should also consider whether charitable gifts are achieving the client's intended objectives and making a meaningful difference for the organizations and communities receiving support.

Successful values-driven philanthropy is not necessarily measured by the size of a charitable gift or the complexity of a planning vehicle.

It is measured by how effectively the planning process connects a client's wealth with their priorities, relationships, and desired impact.

Final Thoughts: Lead With Values, Not Vehicles

For financial advisors, philanthropy offers an opportunity to move beyond traditional financial discussions and connect with clients on a more personal level.

By exploring what matters most to clients, coordinating appropriate charitable strategies, and thoughtfully engaging family members, advisors can help transform charitable intentions into meaningful action.

As Peck and Coulter demonstrated, the most valuable conversations may begin long before anyone discusses a donor-advised fund, charitable trust, or tax deduction.

The first question isn't necessarily how much a client wants to give. It's what they want their wealth—and their legacy—to accomplish.

Additional Resources

For more information about charitable giving strategies and the planning concepts discussed in this webinar:

• Giving USA — Annual research on charitable giving in the United States.
• IRS: Charitable Contribution Deductions — Rules governing deductible charitable contributions.
• IRS: Qualified Charitable Distributions — Information on retirement account distributions, including qualified charitable distributions.
• National Philanthropic Trust — Research and educational resources on donor-advised funds.
• National Council of Nonprofits — Resources on nonprofit organizations and charitable engagement.

This article is based on the November 4, 2026, Financial Experts Network webinar, “Partnering with Advisors & Clients in Values-Driven Philanthropy.” It is intended for educational purposes and does not constitute individualized financial, tax, or legal advice.