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  • 1.  Need to reissue DAF/IRA checks

    Posted 07-16-2025 12:54 PM
    Hello friends,
    It feels like a lot of the checks sent from financial institutions for DAF or IRA donations are getting lost in the mail and just not making it to us.  Has anyone else experienced the same?  Some of our mid-level donors have to request a check multiple times.  One donor is making the request for the third time and is going to have the check sent to him, and then will send it to us via registered mail.
    Is our mail service especially bad, or do others have similar challenges?  Has anyone had luck requesting electronic transfers, registered mail, or any other tactic to ensure receipt of funds directly from the financial institution?
    We're having trouble figuring out the cause of the problem. We're collecting examples to see if the problem is more with one or two financial institutions. We don't think it's an internal handling issue because we've audited our processes.  If not, then it seems other orgs must have similar issues we need to address with the financial institutions issuing these checks.
    We'd appreciate knowing if any of you have similar challenges.  Thanks!


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    Erin Robinson
    Best Friends Animal Society
    erinr@bestfriends.org
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  • 2.  RE: Need to reissue DAF/IRA checks

    Posted 07-17-2025 10:41 AM
    Hi Erin - we are having similar issues with mail. I recently had to ask a corporate donor to reissue a check and send it certified mail.
    Many DAFs have moved to wire transfers. Problem with the wires, they rarely have information about the advising donor. We are having to check with our constituents to send if they recommended funding. 

    Necie



    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Need to reissue DAF/IRA checks

    Posted 07-18-2025 10:52 AM

    Depending on your relationship with the donor, it can be helpful in identifying their wire transfer if you can have them send an odd amount rather than a round number (e.g., $10,000.07). Your institution is much less likely to receive two wire transfers in that amount around the same time, so it's easier to identify that transfer as being from your donor.



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    Russel Heskin
    University of La Verne
    rheskin@laverne.edu
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Need to reissue DAF/IRA checks

    Posted 07-18-2025 11:05 AM
    However, if your donors don't bother to inform you that they have initiated anything, you still won't know who belongs to the $10,000.07!

    And, sadly, DAFs are making it all too easy for donors to choose an "anonymity option" when recommending a gift.

    I have determined that the best solution is frequent and effective communication with our donors. Let us handle the anonymity aspect in our CRM, explaining to the donor our available anonymity options. Rarely do donors not want to be identified at all. They mostly do not want their names publicized outside of the Advancement Office. But DAFs don't offer those nuances. For them, it's either a yes or a no for anonymity.

    And our MGOs need to be trained to ensure that when they speak to a donor who plans to make a gift, they ask whether it will come from a DAF. And, if so, roughly when? Those details must be noted in contact reports and flagged so Advancement Services can readily see who has promised to make a DAF gift. It's a similar process to what we should do for gifts of securities that also come through without a name.

    John

    John H. Taylor, Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier Street
    Durham, NC     27705

    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987





    Original Message


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