I am a trustee on a Vanguard account. Can all trustees make contributions of Vanguard assets to the Vanguard Charitable account independently?
Yes, so long as all trustees are web-registered on vanguard.com and have provided authorization for other trustees to transact on the account independently.
How can I optimize scrolling up and down on tables?
If you’re trying to review the data in a table but can’t see all the data, there are two steps you can try:
- Click into the table and use your mouse to scroll up and down, or
- Use the gray sliding bar on the right side to move the table content up and down or the bottom gray sliding bar to see data to the right to left within the table.
Where are the login and logout buttons?
The login button is located on the top, right side of your screen. Once you’re in your online account, click the circle icon at the top, right side of your screen (it looks like the head and shoulders of a person) and click Logout in the dropdown.
I have a joint Vanguard account. Can either account owner initiate a contribution of Vanguard assets from vanguard.com independent of the other?
Yes, so long as all account owners are web-registered on vanguard.com and have provided authorization for other owners to transact on the account independently.
What web browsers are supported?
If you’re running the most updated version of your preferred web browser, there should be no issues with using our website.
If you’re having browser issues, make sure your operating system is up to date. In general, the browsers we support are:
Microsoft Windows web browsers:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.x-11.x
- Microsoft Edge 20.x and higher
- Firefox 45.x and higher
- Google Chrome 45.x and higher
Macintosh web browsers:
- Safari 8.x and higher
- Firefox 45.x and higher
- Google Chrome 49.x and higher
Operating systems:
- Windows Vista
- Windows 7
- Windows 10
- Mac OS X 10.9 and higher
Can I contribute Vanguard mutual funds and securities held at Vanguard to my Vanguard Charitable account?
Yes, you can contribute assets held at your Vanguard accounts to Vanguard Charitable. Learn more about donating assets held at Vanguard to your Vanguard Charitable account.
Why does Vanguard Charitable limit its investment offerings?
Our investments selection is thoughtful, intentional, and specifically chosen to provide our donors with the best chance of success to support strategic philanthropy, both now and in the future. These decisions are based on Vanguard’s best-in-class investments. We have chosen to work with Vanguard because we strongly believe in their investment options.
Our investment options perform above average in generating charitable returns. 100% of the rated funds were given a gold, silver, or bronze rating by Morningstar1, with an impressive 72% rated gold2. 82% of the funds underlying VC investment pools have outperformed their Lipper peer averages over the past 5 years.1
Vanguard Charitable has worked with world class investment advisors to create a menu of options that provide our donors with the best chance for success, while maintaining our low-cost commitment. Plus, guidelines from independent charity regulators have identified a menu of investment options as a best practice among DAF providers. This encourages the prudent management of resources and can help keep investment costs low.
We review our investments offering often to ensure it meets our donors’ needs. Your feedback is important, and we are always interested in learning how we can grow and provide more for our donors. Please let us know you if are looking for a certain type of investment and why it’s appealing to you.
Explore our investment options.
1Morningstar is a leading independent investment authority. It uses at least three key “pillars” or indicators (process, people, and parent) to rate every fund. Funds that Morningstar expects will outperform peer group averages are classified as either bronze, silver, or gold, depending on Morningstar’s confidence in its projections.
2All data as of June 30, 2020. Results will vary for other time periods. Only funds with a minimum five-year history were included in the comparison, and for this reason the funds underlying our Values-driven Investments are not reflected in the data. Past performance does not guarantee future returns. Lipper is a financial service firm and leading independent authority on investment performance.
Do you charge fees for exchange recommendations?
Vanguard Charitable does not charge exchange fees for most internal pool-to-pool exchanges.
All exchange recommendations are subject to approval, and Vanguard Charitable reserves the right to decline recommendations if they become excessively frequent, if they cause unnecessary expenses, or for any reason.
How does Vanguard Charitable categorize investment risk?
The potential for risk in Vanguard Charitable investment options can be categorized in levels from 1 to 5.
Knowing the level of risk you are comfortable with and the length of time you expect the assets in the philanthropic account to be invested can help you select an appropriate investment recommendation. This is consistent with Vanguard's approach:
- Risk level 1 Vanguard funds are classified as conservative if their share prices are expected to remain stable or to fluctuate only slightly. Such funds may be appropriate for the short-term reserves portion of a long-term investment portfolio, or for investors with short-term investment horizons (three years or less).
- Risk level 2 Vanguard funds classified as conservative to moderate are subject to low-to-moderate fluctuations in share prices. In general, such funds may be appropriate for investors with medium-term investment horizons (four to ten years).
- Risk level 3 Vanguard funds classified as moderate are subject to a moderate degree of fluctuation in share prices. In general, such funds may be appropriate for investors who have a relatively long investment horizon (more than five years).
- Risk level 4 Vanguard funds of this type are broadly diversified but are subject to wide fluctuations in share price because they hold virtually all of their assets in common stocks. These funds may be appropriate for investors who have a long-term investment horizon (ten years or longer).
- Risk level 5 Vanguard funds classified as aggressive are subject to extremely wide fluctuations in share price. These funds may be appropriate for investors who have a long-term investment horizon (ten years or longer). The unusually high volatility associated with these funds may stem from a number of strategies.
What is a share class?
A share class is a security designation that indicates the rights, privileges, fees, and expenses associated with the shares. Share classes are a common way of offering the same mutual fund investment at different costs. The investment objective and strategy, portfolio manager, and underlying investments are identical across share classes.
What varies is the cost structure. Typically, the higher the minimum initial investment, the lower the expense ratio. This allows you to get the same high quality regardless of which share class you choose. A share classes that Vanguard Charitable donors typically have access to are: Vanguard Admiral, Institutional, and Institutional Plus share classes.

Maintenance fee may be applied
Accounts having a balance below $25,000 may be subject to an annual maintenance fee of $250.
You are eligible for special rates
Our premier clients enjoy reduced pricing to further maximize their impact.
Our representatives are happy to guide you through.