Financial advisors with an interest in charitable planning and social media can indulge their tastes in both with a new venture by Fidelity Charitable.
The nation’s largest donor advised fund has launched a new group on LinkedIn called The Giving Strategies Network. It’s aimed at professionals who work across a broad range of the philanthropic industry: attorneys, CPAs, wealth managers and others.
In addition to networking opportunities, the group will circulate charity-related content that members can share their thoughts on. Membership is by invitation only, Fidelity says, but the bar doesn’t appear to be raised too high; anyone who calls himself a wealth manager qualifies. (A group moderator will be scoping out profiles to be sure, Fidelity Charitable President Sarah Libbey says.) Advisors can seek to join the group by logging onto LinkedIn here.
On a related note, Fidelity Charitable says it received $372 million in donations in the first quarter, up 38 percent year over year. Fidelity says it's a first-quarter record.