Fidelity Charitable^sm Launches First LinkedIn^® Group Dedicated to Assisting Advisors with Charitable Planning

New Resource Comes as Fidelity Charitable^SM Sees Increases in Advisor Engagement and Strongest Ever First-Quarter Giving Results

Boston – Fidelity Charitable, the nation's largest donor-advised fund program, today announced the launch of The Giving Strategies Network, the first LinkedIn^® Group dedicated to assisting a broad range of advisors with charitable planning.

The Group, open by invitation to professional advisors involved in charitable planning, including wealth managers, certified public accountants and attorneys, offers the intermediary market access to breaking thought-leadership, educational content and current viewpoints on charitable planning from a network of sector experts. The Group also provides advisors the opportunity to build their own professional networks by making connections with their peers nationwide who are helping clients in this area. Advisors can request access to the group at http://linkd.in/thegivingstrategiesnetwork.

“As more people turn to advisors for help in planning their charitable giving, our goal is to be the resource they turn to,” said Sarah Libbey, president of Fidelity Charitable. “This initiative complements our in-person efforts and dedicated advisor service team, allowing advisors multiple ways to access expert resources on charitable planning that can help them add value to their conversations with clients.”

Fidelity Charitable has seen a nearly four-fold increase in contributions from donors associated with advisors over the past four years, with this segment of contribution dollars representing more than 55% of the organization’s total contributions over this period. Separately, Fidelity Charitable’s recent research shows that charitable planning is often coordinated among a donor’s other advisors, creating the need for advisors to work together. Two-thirds (67%) of advisors surveyed in March reported that they “sometimes or most of the time” work with a client’s other advisors – e.g. CPAs, tax or trust and estate attorneys on charitable planning.

“This cross-disciplinary network is a powerful resource and a great example of the multiple benefits social media can offer advisors – the opportunity to actively strengthen their knowledge base, make connections and build their own professional brands,” said Mike Durbin, president of Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services.

Fidelity Charitable Experiences Strongest Ever First-Quarter Giving
Fidelity Charitable also announced today its strongest-ever giving results for a first-quarter. Donors recommended more than 92,000 grants totaling $323 million through March 31, 2012, up more than 6% and 10% respectively over the first quarter of 201l. At the same time, incoming contributions jumped 38% from the same period, resulting in more than $372 million in new charitable dollars.
These numbers follow on 2011, the strongest year of giving for Fidelity Charitable, and add to the $12 billion in grants it has made nationwide on behalf of its donors since its inception in 1991.

“Donors are continuing to give in record amounts and are increasingly utilizing their advisors to manage their contributions through our Charitable Investment Advisor Program,” said Libbey. This is an exciting trend that points to the value advisors bring to the charitable planning discussion.”

About Fidelity Charitable
Fidelity Charitable is an independent public charity, established in 1991, with the mission to further the American tradition of philanthropy by providing programs that make charitable giving simple and effective. Since its inception, the program has helped donors support more than 150,000 nonprofit organizations with over $12 billion in grants.

Fidelity Charitable is the brand name for the Fidelity^® Charitable Gift Fund, an independent public charity with a donor-advised fund program. Various Fidelity companies provide services to Fidelity Charitable. The Fidelity Charitable name and logo are service marks, and Fidelity is a registered service mark, of FMR LLC, used by Fidelity Charitable under license. Giving Account is a registered service mark of the Trustees of Fidelity Charitable.

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