Donor-advised funds round-up

Another thing I'm up to tonight:  a brief overview of donor-advised funds.  Particularly after the 2006--cough, choke--reforms, the law in this area offers yet another sterling example of how difficult it's becoming do good without the government getting medieval on your @$$.   

What Congress fails to grasp in its ongoing effort to extirpate private interest in charitable giving is that charity is, like any medium, an extension of the self.  Rigging up ever more draconian and arcane laws will not only fail to bring about an end to private influence on public action; they'll actually push people to find ways of making their influence stronger. 

Google.org is a perfect example--despite the dot-org extension, G.o is not a nonprofit or a charity.  It operates within Google's for-profit network.  The logic:  a little tax is a worthy price to pay for freedom.

Anyway, here are few links worth reading re donor-advised funds.  There are a lot of others, of course, but it's late and I'm sleepy.

Council on Foundations post-2006 link roundup

Council on Foundations comments on donor-advised funds reform

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

NY Times on for-profit charity funds

Tides Foundation donor-advised funds

Donor-advised funds and IRAs