“The question is not whether money has left our investment account. The question is whether it has reached the ministries God intends us to support.”
In a commentary published by the nonprofit MinistryWatch, its president, Warren Cole Smith, argues that donor-advised funds need reforms to ensure charitable dollars reach ministries and nonprofits more quickly. He notes that while DAFs–holding more than $328 billion, provide valuable tax and planning benefits, they have become a warehouse for assets that often remain undistributed for years. Smith contends that resources need to reach organizations serving immediate real-time community challenges and not sit gathering value for future distribution. He calls for congressional action to limit how long funds can remain unused, meaningful transparency from sponsors, and an affirmative change among Christian donors to view DAFs as tools for giving in the present.
