Last updated and tested September 2024 using updated Fidelity Workflows

This process has been tested by contributing Vanguard Mutual Fund shares from a Vanguard Brokerage Account to a Fidelity Donor Advised Fund. It may be appropriate (and slightly different questions in the securities sections) if you are contributing 3rd party Mutual Funds, ETFs or Common Stocks (I just haven't tested those use cases.)

WARNING - on 9/11/2024 I was informed that it now appears that Fidelity is allowing an automated creating an ACATS pull for shares entered in Step 2 below! I have updated the steps to show how to request the Fidelity initiated ACATS process or how to default back to the process where the actual transfer is initiated by Vanguard. Be careful on the Sign and Submit page.

I have received reports that Fidelity Charitable does not (yet) support trusts as the donor account.

Historical Timing Experience

I am going to list my personal experience with transfer times as I do this at least once annually, any other users of this process can let me know their timing for different types of securities and I will report here. I am most likely only going to be transferring Vanguard Mutual fund assets for the foreseeable future.

• September 2024 - Transfer shares of VIGAX (Vanguard Growth Index Fund) using the Fidelity ACATS process

  • Forms submitted: 9/23/24 (Monday)

  • Funds left Vanguard: 9/27/24 (Friday)

  • Funds arrive at Fidelity: 9/27/24 (but only recorded online on the 30th)

  • Funds sold into DAF allocation:  9/30/24 (Monday) - Settlement date: 10/1/24

  • ***Interesting side effect of using Fidelity, the outgoing shares no longer listed as gifted on the Vanguard website, only as transferred.

    • This is not a tax issue, just a recording, research difference.

• July 2023 - Transfer shares of VIGAX (Vanguard Growth Index Fund)

  • Forms submitted: 7/17/23 (Monday)

  • Funds left Vanguard: 7/25/23 (Tuesday) - 6 business days!

  • Funds arrive at Fidelity: 7/25/23 (Tuesday)

  • Funds sold into DAF allocation: 7/26/23 (Wednesday) - Settlement date: 7/2x/23 (xxxday)

• November 2022 - Transfer shares of VIGAX (Vanguard Growth Index Fund)

  • Forms submitted: 10/31/22 (Sunday)

  • Funds left Vanguard: 11/3/22 (Thursday)

  • Funds arrive at Fidelity: 11/3/22 (Thursday)

  • Funds sold into DAF allocation: 11/4/22 (Friday) - Settlement date: 11/7/22 (Monday)

 Process Involves up to Four Steps

1. Identify the shares you wish to donate to Fidelity Charitable.

2. Fill out the form at Fidelity to identify the source and details of the shares to be donated.

   • Make a choice between asking Fidelity to make and ACATS request or initiate the transfer via Vanguard

     1. eSign the LOI form and request that Fidelity initiate the ACATS transfer

        • Step 3 must not be executed for this path.

     2. Print the form as a reference only, no need to mail to Vanguard.

        • Step 3 must be executed for this path to succeed.

   • Both paths create a record of an incoming donation at Fidelity.

3. If initiating the actual ACATS transfer via Vanguard, use the online form at Vanguard to make the donation, this allows for specifying lots, etc. and controls the date of execution a bit.

   • There is a PDF version that can be a bit faster if time is of the essence, must be submitted via secure message to our Flagship Representative. I have not tried this path for at least 2 years, and may no longer be an option.

4. Follow the status on both sites until transaction completes.

1.    Identify Shares to be donated from Vanguard Brokerage

General rules: pick the shares that are the most appreciated, have at least 1 year holding period and are most overweight in the portfolio asset allocation.

Fund Ticker: ___________

   Fund Share Count: ___________

Date Shares were acquired: ____________

Important, if you desire to submit the shares via Fidelity initiation, you will need a recent statement PDF file for your Vanguard brokerage account that holds the shares.

2.    Fill out the Fidelity Form

How to access the Fidelity DAF LOI Form

• Login to fidelity.com

• Select the Account and Positions form and click on Fidelity Charitable

• Select “Fund your Giving Account”

• Select “From a Non-Fidelity brokerage account”

• Fill out the form with the data below

Delivering firm name

Vanguard Brokerage Services

Account type

Individual

Broker name

Vanguard

Email

n/a

Phone: (Vanguard Phone Number)

877-347-1689

Fax:

n/a

Street address: (Vanguard - Overnight)

455 Devon Park Drive

Wayne, PA 19087-1815

Account # at Delivering Firm

<<Use your Vanguard Brokerage Account #>>

Complete the form, click next

Securities to contribute

Enter the Security Information collected in Step 1 of this document.

Click next,

Investment Selection

Enter your preferred Investment Allocation Information on the form.

Click next,

On this page, review the details to ensure correctness. At the bottom of the page, you will see this selection:

Press Submit & sign.

This will complete your data entry phase, but now you need to choose the process you wish to complete the transaction.

The dialog below will display on your browser. **Important, you only get one chance to pick the option you want below. There is no back button or cancel step once you make your choice below**

• eSign your LOI will request that Fidelity complete an ACATS request to transfer the shares from Vanguard to Fidelity.

  • If you choose this option, you have completed the transaction.

  • The electronic signing process optionally requests the pieces of information:

    • The date(s) the shares were acquired

    • A PDF file of a recent statement for you sending Vanguard account.

• Other initiation options presents a PDF Letter of Instruction document (as in the past) for printing and mailing. If you choose this option, you can continue with Step 3 below and initiate the transaction via the Vanguard Donation process below.

Do NOT submit this form to Fidelity by eSign, or US Mail if you intent to actually transfer the shares through the Vanguard process!

3.    Fill out Vanguard Form

How to find the Vanguard Gifting Form

• Login to Vanguard.com

• In the search box enter the following string:

  • • Give Shares or Securities to an Individual or Organization

• This linked worked in SEP 2024: Vanguard - Change of Ownership

• Select the online form for this activity and follow steps to do an online form

click Get started

What type of gift do you want to make?

Gift to a non-Vanguard Account

What type of account are you gifting from?

Individual Account

click Continue

What account are you gifting from?

<<Choose the brokerage account as appropriate >>

Select the funds you wish to gift from via the list provided on the screen.

click Continue

Enter the number of shares and the cost basis method.

click Continue

Who are you sending the gift to?

a Charity

Do you wish to give your gift anonymously?

No << or appropriate answer>>

click Continue

Name of receiving firm

National Financial Services LLC

Brokerage DTC

0226

Name of individual (first, middle initial, last), trust or organization

Fidelity Charitable Giving Account XXXXXXX

Receiving account Number

Z97000442

Note: this is the public account number for all DAF transfers. See this form for details.

click Continue

Review form 

click Continue

I, <<Name Here>>, sign and agree

check box, click Submit

Backup information, Just in case (but not on online form)

Fidelity Charitable Phone

800-952-4438

Fax: 877-665-4274

US Mail

Fidelity Charitable

PO Box 770001

Cincinnati, OH 45277-0053

Overnight Mail

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

100 Crosby Parkway

Mail Zone KC1D-FCS

Covington, KY 41015-9325

4.    Transfer Request Status

The status of the Vanguard form can be checked at

Portfolio > Accounts > Holdings > Gifted Shares

It may take several days for status to show on this page after submittal. This request is the action that makes the transfer happen.

In fact, with the new workflow in July 2023, the does not display any in-process status. The gift only appears here once the transfer has been completed. Way to go Vanguard, sigh.

The status for the Fidelity LOI can be checked on Fidelity Charitable at:

History > Contribution History

Note, this form does not trigger any action at Fidelity, it only prepares the account to receive the transfer from Vanguard. The initiation of the transfer is performed by Vanguard. Fidelity only responds to the transfer request.