Your Partner for Philanthropic Planning
Your relationship with your clients comes first. When your client is ready to talk about giving, we offer charitable gift planning expertise, tax-wise consultation, and insight into Middle Tennessee’s greatest needs and opportunities.
Our Team is an extension of your team. Advisors who work with CFMT see everything: every gift, every fund, every conversation. We build the plan with you, and the plan stays yours to present.
ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT
GRANTED SINCE 1991
YEARS SERVING MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Resources we provide
Investment options, common forms and resources, and multiple ways to grow your value to your clients and their charitable goals.
Giving & Asset Options
Fund types, gift vehicles, and the flexibility to accept assets national platforms won’t touch.
Forms & Resources
A full toolkit, including fillable forms, sample agreements, and checklists, so your team spends less time on paperwork and more time with clients.
Education & Events
CE credit and outreach, built around your calendar — from Lunch and Learns to the Annual Advisor Seminar.
Client Scenarios
Example anonymized scenarios from past partnerships showcase how CFMT worked alongside the advisor at every step.
Get Started Today
Cathy R. Sheffield, MBA, CAP®, CFRE, CSPG – Director of Philanthropic Partnerships
A fund for what your client wants to accomplish
CFMT offers a full range of fund types built around what your client wants their giving to accomplish, along with the flexibility to accept assets that many national donor advised fund platforms will not touch.
$500,000
Once a client’s donor advised fund exceeds $500,000, you can manage the assets after they are donated to the fund.
$5,000
Minimum to establish a charitable named fund. No minimums for gifts to the fund or grants from the fund.
Ideal for clients who want to stay actively involved, suggesting organizations to receive gifts over time.
Supports one or more specific organizations for the long term.
Furthers the education of deserving students.
Focused on broad areas of interest, such as education, the arts, youth services, or support for people with disabilities.
Each contribution effectively drives meaningful change where it’s needed most. Donors can directly witness their impact by engaging in projects and initiatives, strengthening their commitment to philanthropy.
Built for nonprofits growing their own endowment and those who want to support it.
Delivers the structure of a private foundation without the administrative burden.
Giving and Asset Options
| Gift Options to Meet Client Goals | If Goal Is To: | Then Client Can: | And The Benefits Are: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outright Gift of Securities | Eliminate capital gains tax. | Contribute long-term appreciated stock or other securities. | A charitable deduction plus eliminate capital gains tax. |
| Gift of Real Estate | Eliminate capital gains tax on the sale of land or other real estate. | Donate the property to CFMT to benefit the client’s charitable fund. | An income tax deduction plus reduction or elimination of capital gains tax. |
| Gift of Retirement Plan Assets | Eliminate the possible twofold taxation on IRA or other employee benefit plans. | Name client’s charitable fund the beneficiary of the remainder of the assets after client’s lifetime. | The ability to leave their family other assets that carry less tax liability. |
| Outright Gift of Personal Property | Share enjoyment of a collection or other personal item. | Donate tangible personal property like art or a coin collection. | A charitable deduction based on the cost-basis value. |
| Gift of Life Insurance | Make a large gift with little cost to client. | Contribute ownership of a life insurance policy you no longer need. | Current and possibly future income tax deductions. |
| Retained Life Estate | Give client’s personal residence or farm, but retain current use. | Create a charitable gift now, but retain occupancy for life. | Tax advantages plus continued use of the property. |
| Bequest | Defer a gift until after client’s lifetime. | Put a bequest in client will’s; give Client charitable fund cash, specific property, or a share of the residue. | Donations exempt from tax. |
What sets us apart
You stay in the room
Our work can happen entirely in the background, at a meeting alongside you, or with your client directly. That choice is always yours.
Assets others won’t touch
Real estate, closely held business interests, mineral royalties, even art and digital assets. If your client’s balance sheet is complicated, that’s exactly the gift our team is built to handle.
Numbers in confidence
Sample gift calculations prepared in confidence.
Middle Tennessee insight
Fund structures, tax knowledge, and community insight from across Middle Tennessee’s forty counties, brought to every plan we build with you.
Start a Conversation
Tell us a little about your client’s situation — on your terms and at your pace. You’ll hear back from a named contact on our team, not a general inbox.
Call Cathy at (615) 695-2979
Cathy R. Sheffield, MBA, CAP®, CFRE, CSPG
Director of Philanthropic Partnerships
