This Season of Giving: Key Opportunities to Support Your Clients

by Denyve Boyle, CAP, Associate Vice President of Philanthropy

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December is a meaningful time for many people. It is a season of reflection, generosity, and planning for the year ahead. As the year draws to a close, there is still plenty of time to support clients who are making their December giving decisions. December remains the busiest month for charitable giving, creating two important opportunities to support your clients as they consider their financial and philanthropic goals.

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Opportunity 1: Year-end planning encourages charitable conversations

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As clients review their finances before December 31, you may find they are more open to discussing their overall giving strategy. This is especially true in 2025, as many clients are navigating the implications of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The OBBBA has created a timely window for clients who itemize deductions to consider increasing charitable giving before the new rules take effect in 2026. A donor advised fund at Community Foundation Tampa Bay can be an effective tool for clients who want to secure a current-year deduction while planning for future grantmaking.  

If your clients are looking to make a gift to a nonprofit by the end of the year, Community Foundation Tampa Bay also maintains a Critical Needs List, where nonprofits share urgent and unexpected needs with community philanthropists. This resource enables donors to directly support organizations that address the most pressing challenges in our region.  

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Opportunity 2: Legacy planning is top of mind

The end of the year is also when clients often revisit their long-term plans, including wills, trusts, and beneficiary designations. Even clients who regularly support charities during their lifetime may not realize how simple and meaningful it can be to incorporate charitable gifts into their estate plans.

This is an ideal time to encourage clients to review the charitable provisions already in place, consider adding a legacy commitment for the first time, or update their legacy plan. Many appreciate the reminder and value your guidance.  

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Three steps to support your client conversations

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Step 1: Use the OBBBA as an entry point

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Begin with a reminder that the OBBBA changes the landscape for charitable deductions in 2026. High income earners may benefit from “front loading” charitable giving in 2025 through a donor advised fund at Community Foundation Tampa Bay.

December remains one of the most active times for establishing a donor advised fund. As clients finalize contributions and consider future impact, donor advised funds help them streamline giving, maximize tax benefits, and stay connected to the needs of the Tampa Bay community.

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Step 2: Bridge to estate gifts

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Once charitable giving is part of the conversation, encourage clients to revisit the charitable components of their estate plans. Clients who already give annually are often eager to discuss an estate gift and excited by the opportunity to increase the impact of their generosity.

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Step 3: Call Community Foundation Tampa Bay

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Partner with our team to help your clients build a charitable giving portfolio that aligns with their philanthropic goals as well as their estate and tax planning needs. This may include donor advised funds, designated funds for Qualified Charitable Distributions for clients over age 70 and a half, annual community support, and documenting a future gift to the Foundation.

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We are here to support you.

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Community Foundation Tampa Bay is here to help you strengthen your client relationships and ensure that their philanthropy is both meaningful and strategically effective.  

Thank you for your continued partnership. We look forward to assisting you and your clients throughout the year and especially during this season of giving.

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Denyve Boyle, CAP®, CFRE, MBA is the Associate Vice President of Philanthropy at Community Foundation Tampa Bay. She is an experienced, highly motivated professional that inspires philanthropy throughout the community by educating and engaging individual donors, corporations, and professional advisors. She can be reached by phone at (813) 609-4868 or via email at dboyle@cftampabay.org.

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