Philanthropies

What Philanthropies does

Philanthropies is a department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a Utah Corporation Sole) and the only Church department authorized by the First Presidency to solicit and receive voluntary philanthropic contributions other than tithes and offerings. Founded in 1955 as the BYU Destiny Fund and operating today as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—Philanthropies following a 2019 rebranding, the organization is headquartered at 1450 N. University Ave., Provo, Utah, and employs 251–500 staff. It serves members and friends of the LDS Church who wish to make structured charitable gifts to Church-affiliated educational institutions and charitable programs.

The organization's core product is a donor management and gift processing platform accessed via give.churchofjesuschrist.org and a "My Account" donor portal at donate.churchofjesuschrist.org. The platform supports credit card, echeck, PayPal, and Venmo donations, as well as more complex instruments including Donor Advised Funds, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, Charitable Remainder Unitrusts, securities, real estate, life insurance, and testamentary giving tools. Distribution channels include self-serve online giving, a Donor Outreach Center launched in 2022 that uses texting, crowdfunding, and video for donor engagement, professional gift planning services delivered by phone, email, and in-person consultation, and mail-in check giving. The product portfolio addresses eight giving destinations: five educational institutions (BYU, BYU-Hawaii, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Pathway Worldwide, Ensign College) and three charitable programs (Humanitarian Services, General Missionary Fund, Church General Fund).

Philanthropies does not sell products or services and generates no commercial revenue; it operates a donation-based model in which all contributions are voluntary and directed to Church institutions and programs. Pricing is not applicable, as gift planning services are provided at no charge. GTM is direct-to-consumer through the website, donor portal, email, phone (1-800-525-8074), and mail, supported by donor liaisons organized in geographic teams for stewardship. The organization coordinates donor relationships across the Church Educational System to prevent competing fundraising requests, and operates under governance set by the Presiding Bishopric and the First Presidency, including 2018 fundraising guidelines that aligned higher-education fundraising with Church-wide priorities.

Name

Philanthropies

Legal name

Philanthropies, a department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Website

https://philanthropies.churchofjesuschrist.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Philanthropies, a department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, facilitates voluntary charitable donations to five Church-affiliated educational institutions and three charitable programs via an online giving platform, donor portal, and professional gift planning services for global Church members and friends.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Educational Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAE

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPAGAKAF

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYEDALAOAD

Advancement Services & Donor Operations (CRM, Gift Processing, Stewardship)

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Alumni Relations, Development & Campus Community Engagement

SECONDARYFSAEAKAH

Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Fiduciary, Trust & Estate Advisory

SECONDARYFSAAANAI

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Trust & Fiduciary Services (Trust Companies, Estate & Custody Trusts)

Keywords

• Charitable fundraising services
• Donor-advised funds
• Gift planning services
• Higher education philanthropy
• Humanitarian aid donations

Headquarters

HQ city

Provo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: Philanthropies facilitates voluntary charitable contributions (not tithes or fast offerings) to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its affiliated institutions including BYU, BYU-Hawaii, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Pathway Worldwide, Ensign College, Humanitarian Services, Missionary Fund, and Church General Fund. Revenue is generated entirely from donor contributions rather than product/service sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Philanthropies facilitates voluntary charitable contributions to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its affiliated educational institutions (BYU, BYU-Hawaii, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Pathway Worldwide, Ensign College) and charitable programs (Humanitarian Services, Missionary Fund, Church General Fund). It operates an online giving platform, the My Account donor portal, and provides professional gift planning services including donor-advised funds, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, securities and real estate gifts, and testamentary estate planning tools. Revenue is generated entirely from donor contributions rather than product or service sales.

Product overview

Philanthropies is a department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responsible for facilitating philanthropic donations to the Church and its affiliated institutions. The organization offers a comprehensive giving platform that supports donations to five educational institutions (Brigham Young University, BYU-Hawaii, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Pathway Worldwide, and Ensign College) and three charitable programs (Humanitarian Services, Missionary Fund, and Church General Fund). The core product portfolio includes a digital online giving platform with multiple payment methods (credit card, echeck, PayPal, Venmo), a donor portal (My Account) for managing donations and viewing history, and sophisticated gift planning services featuring Donor Advised Funds, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, Charitable Remainder Unitrusts, and various testamentary giving tools. The universities represent the primary beneficiaries of fundraising efforts, while the gift planning services provide donors with estate planning tools and legacy giving options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gift Planning Services Comprehensive estate and gift planning services for donors, including donor-advised funds, IRA qualified charitable distributions, securities and real estate gifts, and testamentary giving tools. Provided free of charge to donors and professional advisors.
• Donor Advised Fund (DAF) A charitable giving vehicle operated in partnership with Deseret Trust Company that allows donors to make contributions, receive immediate tax benefits, and recommend grants to charities over time.
• IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution A tax-advantaged giving mechanism allowing donors aged 70½ and older to transfer funds directly from their IRA to charity, satisfying required minimum distributions while potentially reducing taxable income.
• Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT) A life income plan where assets are transferred to a trust, paying variable income to beneficiaries for life or a term of years, with the remainder going to the Church or its institutions.
• My Account Donor Portal Online donor portal allowing donors to view donation history, print receipts, modify recurring donations, and access year-end tax statements.
• Online Giving Platform Web-based donation platform accepting credit cards, echecks, PayPal, and Venmo for non-tithing donations to Church institutions and programs.
• Donor Outreach Center Digital engagement unit launched in 2022 that uses texting, crowdfunding, and video technologies to cultivate and steward donors.
• Brigham Young University (BYU) A private research university affiliated with the Church, supported through philanthropic donations facilitated by Philanthropies.
• BYU-Hawaii A private university in Laie, Hawaii, part of the Church Educational System, that receives philanthropic funding through Philanthropies.
• BYU-Idaho A private university in Rexburg, Idaho, formerly Ricks College, part of the Church Educational System, that receives philanthropic funding through Philanthropies.
• BYU-Pathway Worldwide An online university providing flexible education pathways, part of the Church Educational System, that receives philanthropic funding through Philanthropies.
• Ensign College A private college in Salt Lake City, Utah, formerly LDS Business College, part of the Church Educational System, that receives philanthropic funding through Philanthropies.
• Humanitarian Services Church humanitarian efforts providing aid and disaster relief worldwide, funded through philanthropic donations facilitated by Philanthropies.
• General Missionary Fund Funds missionary efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, receiving philanthropic donations through Philanthropies.
• Church General Fund General charitable fund for Church-wide initiatives and needs, receiving philanthropic donations through Philanthropies.

Quantifiable outcome

• $411.7 million raised in BYU/BYU-Hawaii campaign
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fidelity Charitable: The largest U.S. donor-advised fund sponsor with a comparable DAF and gift planning product set, multi-channel online giving, and large-scale donor services infrastructure; most directly comparable on the DAF and gift planning product side.
• Schwab Charitable: Major donor-advised fund sponsor offering DAFs, securities gifting, and planned giving tools through an integrated donor portal; directly comparable to Philanthropies' DAF offering and online donor experience.
• National Philanthropic Trust: Independent DAF sponsor providing donor-advised funds, gift planning, and philanthropic advisory services; highly comparable on DAF infrastructure, planned giving tools, and donor-advised giving operations.
• BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund: Bank-sponsored donor-advised fund offering DAFs and complex asset gifting (securities, real estate); directly comparable to Philanthropies' DAF and complex-asset gift planning capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• American Red Cross: Large-scale, multi-channel (online, recurring, planned giving) charitable donation platform supporting humanitarian programs; comparable on donation platform scale, recurring giving, and humanitarian giving operations.
• UJA-Federation of New York: Faith-community-based federated fundraising and grantmaking organization coordinating donor contributions across multiple affiliated institutions, structurally analogous to Philanthropies' multi-institution coordination role.
• Salvation Army: Large faith-affiliated charitable organization receiving donations and distributing them across humanitarian and social service programs, comparable in donor-channel structure and donor-advised giving operations.
• Catholic Charities USA: National network for faith-affiliated (Catholic) social services and humanitarian aid, comparable to Philanthropies' humanitarian aid and member-driven charitable distribution role.

Others

• Giving USA (Giving Tuesday Foundation): Adjacent ecosystem organization promoting charitable giving culture, digital fundraising days, and donor engagement campaigns; relevant adjacent peer for Philanthropies' digital Donor Outreach Center and crowdfunding initiatives.

Emerging players

• Vanderbilt University Office of Development and Alumni Relations: University advancement office managing CRM, gift processing, donor stewardship, and capital campaigns for a single institution; comparable to Philanthropies' advancement services and donor operations across its five beneficiary universities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ldsgiving

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Philanthropies