Episode 118
Episode 118 of Tales From the Trenches Tuesdays again features Mike Todd, a philanthropy strategist. He has spent his career bridging the worlds of Bay Street wealth management and frontline charitable giving. As the founder of Transform Philanthropy, Mike works at the intersection of donors, wealth advisors, and charities. He helps each party get more out of the philanthropic capital flowing between them. With deep expertise in donor-advised funds and a reputation for being, in his own words, “weirdly passionate” about the topic, Mike has made it his mission to change the conversation around DAFs in Canada and unlock their potential for charities that have been slow to embrace them.
Mike traces the knowledge gap back to a simple historical difference. In the US, Fidelity Investments launched Fidelity Charitable in 1991. This essentially democratized the DAF for everyday donors and making it a household concept. Canada never had that moment. With slower adoption and no major institution driving awareness, DAFs quietly existed on the margins for decades — leaving most donors, financial advisors, and charities largely in the dark.
The consequence of that knowledge gap, Mike argues, is that the worst narratives fill the void. Some charities have come to view DAFs not as a tool but as a threat. They see money that “should have come directly to us” but got rerouted. Mike spends a significant portion of his work dismantling exactly that mindset.
You don’t dislike Visa, you don’t dislike checks, you can’t dislike the DAF. It’s just a different form of payment.
Mike also pushes back on the assumption that DAF donors arrive with rigid, pre-determined giving plans. While many do come in with favorite charities already in mind, the structure of a DAF increasingly gives donors the breathing room to rethink their philanthropy altogether. Do the causes they’ve supported for a decade still align with where the world is heading. That kind of reflective, strategic giving is good news for charities willing to engage meaningfully with their donors.
Just click on the picture of Mike below to hear our conversation.
L’chaim,
jack
