Enable multi-custodial DAF accounts

Expand your program's reach with external custodians

Your custom DAF platform leverages an integrated, self-clearing broker-dealer, Alpaca, for simplified on-platform DAF investments. For sophisticated clients who require external, separately managed accounts (SMAs), you can enable multi-custodial donor-advised fund accounts through your custom DAF program.

Multi-custodial functionality enables your firm’s custom DAF program to display client assets held at external custodians directly within your branded DAF platform.

This capability allows you to provide clients with a complete view of their philanthropic assets—regardless of where they're held—while maintaining your firm's existing custodial relationships.

Learn more about multi-custodial capabilities for your firm's custom DAF program below:

• Powered by BridgeFT

• Benefits of multi-custodial accounts

• How billing works on multi-custodial DAF accounts

• How to configure multi-custodial DAF accounts

Powered by BridgeFT

Charityvest partners with BridgeFT, the industry's leading API-first wealth infrastructure platform, to enable seamless connectivity to external custodians. BridgeFT's technology aggregates data from multiple custodians through a single API connection, allowing you to display balance information without building individual integrations.

Benefits of multi-custodial accounts

Multi-custodial capabilities allow your firm to:

• Scale your custom DAF program without having to move existing client assets from their current custodians

• Strengthen your brand by consolidating all DAF visibility under your firm's platform

Your clients and team benefit from viewing all DAF balances in one trusted, branded interface—eliminating the need to access multiple platforms just to check account values.

Looking to manage client external DAF accounts? External account management still requires accessing the custodian's platform for external grant processing, external asset transfers, external investment rebalancing, and external transaction history.

Available now: Schwab Charitable integration

Multi-custodial connectivity is currently available for Schwab Charitable accounts, supporting both existing accounts and new account openings.

How billing works on multi-custodial DAF accounts

Once you enable multi-custodial accounts for your firm, you will be able to manage DAF investments on behalf of your clients both on and off-platform.

On-Platform Billing

For billing on each client's on-platform "Giving Wallet" balance, your existing custom DAF program billing will apply, including:

• Advisory fees: Your customary investment management fees, accrued daily and assessed monthly on each fund balance. These fees are remitted by our team to your firm's connected bank account in the month following the fee accrual period.

• Admin fees: The fees collected on behalf of Charityvest, accrued daily and assessed monthly on each fund balance.

External Custodian Billing

For billing on each client's off-platform external custodian balance, you have more flexibility with billing:

• Advisory fees: Your customary investment management fees collected by your firm directly, as with any other client brokerage account. These fees can differ from your on-platform fee structure, with a cap of 150 bps.

• Admin fees: The fees collected on behalf of Charityvest, accrued daily and assessed monthly. These fees are calculated by our team and one consolidated invoice is delivered to your firm program manager in the month following the fee accrual period.

How to configure multi-custodial DAF accounts

Curious how much time it will take? The total estimated timeline for initial setup is approximately 2-3 weeks from initiation.

If you are a firm program manager, and wish to set up multi-custodial accounts under your custom DAF program, contact your Charityvest relationship manager or the Charityvest support team ([email protected]) for guidance on completing these steps:

1. Open new client external DAF accounts (titled in the name of the DAF sponsor: Charityvest, Inc.) on the external custodian platform for each client.

2. Establish a new firm SL Master account via the external custodian (up to 4 business days).

3. Complete ROI authorization for BridgeFT (up to 8 business days).

4. Connect your new external client DAF accounts to your custom DAF platform with help from your Charityvest relationship manager (up to 3 business days).

5. Validate and test account balance displays alongside the Charityvest support team.

Once these steps are completed, this capability will be available to your firm. The SL Master account setup and ROI authorization only needs to be completed once per firm.

For any future client external DAF accounts, desired after the initial setup process, you may contact your Charityvest relationship manager to coordinate:

• Opening new client external DAF accounts (titled in the name of the DAF sponsor: Charityvest, Inc.) on the external custodian platform.

• Assigning new client external DAF accounts (titled in the name of the DAF sponsor: Charityvest, Inc.) to your firm's SL Master.

Open new client external DAF accounts

The first step in the process to enabling multi-custodial DAF accounts is to create new brokerage accounts on behalf of each of your clients.

You will need to open a unique account per client interested in a multi-custodial DAF arrangement. However, these accounts will be titled in the name of the DAF sponsor, Charityvest, Inc.

When creating the account, contact your Charityvest relationship manager to ensure you have the proper details on the forms:

• Name: Charityvest, Inc.

• Address: C/O Foundation Source, 55 Walls Drive, Suite 302, Fairfield, CT 06824

• Tax ID: 81-2771871

The account opening forms must be signed by the President of Charityvest, Inc. Your Charityvest relationship manager can assist in getting this form signed.

Opening a new client DAF account? Make sure the account is titled in the name of the DAF sponsoring organization, Charityvest, Inc.

Establishing a SL Master

Once the new client accounts have been created, your firm will need to establish one entirely new SL Master account, which will:

• Create a dedicated container for your firm's DAF clients

• Maintain complete separation from other firms' accounts

• Provide maximum control over account organization

Your firm will need to create a new SL Master that is specific to your firm's custom DAF program, as our system cannot accommodate SL Master accounts that include account data unrelated to DAF giving (i.e. not titled in the name of the DAF sponsor: Charityvest, Inc.).

Already have a FA Master or SL Masters? This new SL Master should be added to the new client DAF accounts in addition to any of your firm's existing FA Master or SL Masters.

Prefer to skip the SL Master setup process entirely? In the future, Charityvest, Inc. may establish an omnibus master account with Schwab. If interested, please contact your Charityvest relationship manager for more information.

Release of Information (ROI) Authorization

As a firm program manager, follow these instructions to initiate the ROI authorization process for BridgeFT once the appropriate master accounts have been established. These may vary by custodian.

Schwab ROI Authorization

For ease of reference, here is BridgeFT’s official instructional documentation on Schwab data feed authorization.

• Log into Schwab Institutional and select Account Management at the top of the page.

• Select the Account Management tab.

• Select the Forms library.

• Search for “Request for Data Access Agreement”. To the right of that form, click Submit Request.

• Complete the required fields and select the Submit request button.

  • Recipient and Signer should be: Bridge Financial Technology Inc

  • Email: [email protected] OR [email protected]

  • Select the blue ‘Master Account’ hyperlink on the form to type in the appropriate master account. This field has dynamic text matching to prevent an incorrect account from being entered.

  • Select the checkbox to include the FAM file at the bottom of the form.

• After submission, Schwab will send a confirmation email with a case number for the request.

• Your firm will receive an email notification to sign the form via DocuSign within 1-2 days of submission. If the DocuSign request is not received within 2 business days, contact Schwab’s advisor platform support group (888-306-7327) with your SL Master and case number.

• Once received, open that email and click the link on the email notification to provide your signature.

• After the Docusign is completed, Schwab will release data to BridgeFT within 2-4 business days. Please notify your Charityvest relationship manager when confirmed.

Connect your new external client DAF accounts

Once your firm's Release of Information forms have been processed, the Charityvest support team can assist with mapping the external client DAF accounts to the on-platform client DAF accounts:

• Contact your Charityvest relationship manager to share the on-platform email address associated with each external account number.

• The Charityvest support team will monitor the external data feed to confirm the appropriate data is received and connect each new external account to existing on-platform accounts.

Validate and test account balance displays

With the external account mapping process complete, clients can view their entire DAF balance, both on-platform and external, via their account dashboard. Your firm will have access to view individual as well as aggregate account values, all in one place.

Both the Charityvest support team and your firm can verify that the account balance displays are accurate, and report back any issues as needed.

Multi-custodial connectivity helps differentiate your DAF program by meeting clients where they are—within their existing custodial relationships—while providing the modern, unified experience they value.