Behind clients’ anxiety: It’s not all because of taxes

A message from the CICF Collaborative, including Central Indiana Community Foundation, Hamilton County Community Foundation, IMPACT Central Indiana, the Indianapolis Foundation, and Women’s Fund of Central Indiana 

The dread of owing money, the complexity of reporting requirements, and the anxiety of waiting for a refund can take its toll during tax season.  

What’s important for attorneys, CPAs, and wealth advisors to recognize is how that stress might appear to spill over into other areas of clients’ financial lives. Charitable giving is one of those areas. For example, it may seem like tax-time anxiety makes clients reluctant to discuss their charitable giving plans for the rest of the year, even though you know that it’s best to line up a strategy early.   

But it may not be tax season stress that’s causing your clients to procrastinate charitable giving decisions. Indeed, not every client who is on the fence about charitable giving is wringing their hands over taxes! In fact, many of the most common obstacles are emotional and behavioral: lack of trust in how charities will use the funds, fear of losing control, uncertainty about family dynamics, anxiety about timing, or decision paralysis in the face of too many choices.  

Your philanthropic partners at the CICF Collaborative can help. For example, if control is the issue, clients may feel more comfortable when they understand they can start with a flexible structure. A donor-advised fund at an entity within the CICF Collaborative allows a client to make a contribution when it makes sense financially, then recommend grants over time. Even clients who are not ready to decide which organizations to support can still take the first step and build momentum. 

If the client’s concern is family dynamics, working with our team can help you provide a forum for participation that does not require disclosing sensitive financial information. Many clients want to involve children or grandchildren in their giving decisions, but they are hesitant to share the details of their wealth despite the benefits of doing so. Charitable conversations can allow family members to engage with the “why” without focusing on the “how much.” Over time, this can strengthen family unity and reduce conflict around legacy intentions. 

If a client is anxious about timing and making too many decisions too soon, charitable planning can be framed as an evolving journey rather than a single, permanent choice. Working with us, your client can start by supporting a small set of organizations or a broad cause area and then refine focus as confidence grows. Clients often feel relief when they realize that generosity does not require perfect certainty to begin. 

Finally, if the client is simply overwhelmed by options even for future giving, our expertise can help simplify the decision process. After all, it’s our job to know and learn about nonprofits in the Central Indiana community. We can share information about community needs, provide research on organizations, and help clients understand how different types of funds can match different levels of desired involvement. This reduces the burden on the client and allows you, as the advisor, to keep the conversation moving forward without turning it into a lengthy research project. 

The common theme is that proactive charitable planning can address the real barriers—control, family, timing, or overwhelm—while still supporting sound tax and estate planning. We are here for you and your clients—during tax time and anytime!  

About the CICF Collaborative 

CICF Collaborative is a partnership of philanthropic organizations working together to strengthen communities across the region. Each entity within the CICF Collaborative (including the cornerstone entities, Central Indiana Community Foundation, Hamilton County Community Foundation, IMPACT Central Indiana, the Indianapolis Foundation, and Women’s Fund of Central Indiana) brings deep knowledge, strong relationships, and its own individual, focused mission. The CICF Collaborative unites the entities by providing shared services, allowing the entities to operate more efficiently and effectively. By leveraging what we each do best, we’re able to better serve our communities and create more lasting impact, together. Learn more »