The 87/81/6 Charitable Planning Gap: Are You Giving Clients the Philanthropic Advice They Want?

87% of clients say they want charitable planning advice. 81% of advisors say they provide it. Only 6% of clients say they actually receive it.

Those three numbers, from research featured in AEF’s Unlocking Generosity report, describe the widest service gap in wealth management. They also describe one of its clearest openings.

What is the charitable planning gap?

The charitable planning gap is the distance between the charitable advice clients want, the advice advisors believe they are delivering, and the advice clients say they actually receive.

There are versions of this gap across wealth planning, according to recent research from CEG Insights cited in Unlocking Generosity. For estate planning advice, 91% of clients want it, 86% of advisors say they provide it, and 22% of clients feel they receive it. Tax planning advice runs 89/85/25. Charitable planning is the widest gap of all at 87/81/6.

One thing to consider: the 6% is not a measure of activity. It is a measure of what registered with the client, and investor perception is reality.

Why does the charitable planning gap exist?

Largely because advisors and clients define “charitable planning advice” differently.

Advisors who raise philanthropy tend to be strong on the technical questions, or the “how” of giving:

• Can the client afford to give, and how much?
• Which asset should they give?
• Which charitable giving vehicle should they use?

That may lead to a client opening a donor-advised fund (DAF), setting up a trust, and finalizing their will. The work looks complete. But clients are often still holding a second set of questions, the “why” of giving:

• What are my values and passions?
• How do I channel those into a giving strategy?
• How do I find and evaluate nonprofits that align with what I care about?
• How do I know my giving is creating real impact?

When only the “how” gets answered, the client registers it as transactional tax planning rather than charitable planning advice, leaving them wanting more. A separate 2018 U.S. Trust study reinforces the point: 80% of advisors report initiating conversations about philanthropy, while only 45% of wealthy clients report being satisfied with those discussions.

Why is the charitable planning gap an opportunity?

Because the advisors who close the gap grow faster. The honest barrier is confidence, not indifference. Only 24% of advisors report feeling very confident in their charitable planning knowledge, according to Purpose Consulting Group’s study cited in Unlocking Generosity.

That is a training gap, not a character flaw. And closing it pays.

Cerulli Associates data shows that advisors practicing as private wealth managers, offering a full planning suite that includes charitable giving, have an average of $822 million in AUM per practice. On the other hand, advisors who offer more basic planning to less wealthy clients average $230 million. Cerulli also finds that advisors serving clients above $5 million are growing 50% faster than advisors serving non-HNW clients.

The interviews behind Unlocking Generosity, conducted with more than 50 advisors, academics, and philanthropic professionals, show what that growth looks like. One advisor, whose work centers on aligning client values with giving strategy, nearly tripled her AUM from $335 million to over $1 billion in five years. She described a leapfrog effect that expanded her network of clients. For instance, after she helped one business owner transition into philanthropy and open a DAF, he referred his parents, his girlfriend, and her parents to her, adding $22 million in new relationships.

Charitable planning is uncommon enough that handling it well makes an advisor stand out. It is also a topic clients talk about: 90% of high-net-worth individuals discuss their charitable giving with someone, most often a spouse or partner, family member, or friend. That is how one well-handled philanthropy conversation turns into new referrals.

How do you start closing the charitable planning gap?

There are three key moves to close the gap, none of which require becoming a philanthropy expert. 

1. Ask the “why” questions before the “how” questions.

Reflective, introspective questions pull clients out of auto-response mode. Start by asking clients why they want to give:

• What life experiences have inspired you to give?
• What issues do you care about most in your daily life?
• What kind of legacy do you hope your giving will create?
• What role do you see your family playing in shaping that legacy?

For a longer list of conversation starters, see AEF’s guide to questions to ask clients about their charitable giving. Let these questions lead the discussion, then shift toward the “how,” including which giving vehicle to use.

2. Put philanthropy on the agenda instead of waiting for it.

Bank of America found that 40% of wealthy clients say they initiate the conversation on strategic philanthropy, while only 11% say their advisor does. The topic is already coming up, but it tends to come from the client side of the table. Adding a standing line to your meeting agenda shows that you’re proactive and emphasizes the importance of philanthropy. For more help, check out these charitable planning tips from leading philanthropic advisors.

3. Give the conversation somewhere to land.

A values conversation with no next step is simply a nice conversation. That is where the shift to “how” becomes crucial. Be prepared to discuss the giving vehicle most appropriate for the client’s situation.

Where do donor-advised funds fit into the conversation?

A DAF is the most practical bridge between the why and the how. It is a large part of why DAFs now hold $327.87 billion in assets and account for 23.1% of all individual giving, according to the DAF Research Collaborative’s Annual DAF Report 2025.

A DAF gives your client an answer to “What do I do now?” without requiring them to have their entire giving strategy figured out. They can contribute appreciated assets, take the deduction in the year it helps most, and take real time to build a grantmaking approach that reflects their values. And you stay in the conversation as that strategy develops, which is exactly where the charitable planning gap gets closed.

The 94% of clients who don’t feel they receive charitable planning advice? That is unclaimed territory.

If you’re an advisor with a client you suspect may be interested in philanthropy, or whose giving has been running on autopilot, opening a DAF is a simple, straightforward way to turn a conversation about values into a charitable giving plan. Start the DAF process with AEF today or talk with our team about the client you have in mind.