​The Tax Side of Giving: Structures, Opportunities and Red Flags

​Charitable planning often starts with a simple question:

​“How can I support something I care about?”

​The answer can quickly lead into donor-advised funds, charitable trusts, private foundations, appreciated assets, family philanthropy, income-tax planning, and legacy decisions that may extend across generations.

​For estate planning attorneys, fiduciaries, wealth advisors, CPAs, and families, the challenge is knowing enough about this landscape to recognize the opportunities and, just as importantly, knowing when to bring in a charitable tax specialist.

​This session offers a practical introduction to the major charitable planning structures and the questions that should be considered before documents are drafted or assets start moving.

​We’ll begin with donor-advised funds, one of the most accessible charitable vehicles available today. Legally, assets contributed to a DAF are controlled by the sponsoring charity, while donors generally retain advisory privileges regarding investments and distributions. That distinction creates important planning considerations around control, distributions, benefits to donors and family members, and what happens when the original donor’s advisory role ends.

​We’ll then explore when more sophisticated structures enter the conversation.

​Charitable remainder trusts can provide payments to noncharitable beneficiaries before the remaining assets ultimately pass to charity. Charitable lead trusts essentially reverse that sequence, providing a charitable interest first while preserving a later interest for noncharitable beneficiaries. These structures can create powerful planning opportunities, but their economics and tax consequences should be modeled before drafting begins.

​We’ll also briefly unpack private foundations, including why some families choose them for governance and multigenerational philanthropy, alongside rules involving self-dealing, annual distributions, excess business holdings, and investment-income excise taxes.

​Most importantly, attendees will leave with a working framework for spotting the handoff point.

​When is an estate planning attorney equipped to proceed?

​When should the CPA enter the conversation?

​When does the family need charitable planning or tax counsel before making the next move?

​Whether you advise families professionally or are simply curious about making your own giving more intentional and tax-aware, this session will help demystify the charitable planning toolbox and show how thoughtful coordination can turn generosity today into a legacy that continues long after the original gift.

Join Tracy Paglia, CPA, Founder of Nonprofit Tax Services, for a practical conversation about the tax side of charitable giving and the planning considerations attorneys, fiduciaries, advisors, and families should understand before assets start moving.

​Drawing on nearly 30 years in public accounting and extensive experience advising foundations, universities, healthcare systems, and other tax-exempt organizations, Tracy will explore the major charitable planning structures, the opportunities they can create, and the red flags that can make specialized tax guidance essential.

​About Tracy Paglia, CPA

​Tracy Paglia is the Founder of Nonprofit Tax Services, where she advises tax-exempt organizations and charitably minded individuals on the compliance and planning questions that come with charitable giving and philanthropy.

​A CPA with nearly 30 years of experience in public accounting, Tracy retired as a Tax Partner from Moss Adams LLP, where she spent more than a decade leading the firm's national Public Entities, Not-for-Profit and Tribes tax practice. During her career, she advised foundations, universities, healthcare systems, and other organizations on complex tax matters, including excise taxes, Form 990-PF filings, joint ventures, tax-exempt bonds, and nonprofit tax compliance.

​Tracy has also become a nationally recognized resource on nonprofit and charitable tax issues. She has served as a member of the AICPA's Technical Resource Panel and has been a frequent speaker for organizations including NACUBO, the Council on Foundations, and the AICPA. She is also a published author on charitable planning and nonprofit tax policy.

​Today, through Nonprofit Tax Services, Tracy works with tax-exempt organizations and individuals navigating the technical and strategic questions that arise when doing good intersects with tax law. Licensed in both California and Nevada, she brings deep technical expertise and a practical, straightforward approach to complicated tax and charitable planning issues.

​Tracy is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and continues to help professionals and families better understand the tax implications of charitable giving so they can make informed decisions and build thoughtful philanthropic legacies.

👉 Join us live for an insightful conversation about charitable giving, tax planning, and how thoughtful coordination can turn generosity today into a legacy that continues for generations.