To contribute to your Vanguard Charitable account, we require you to complete a Make a Contribution form, which you can do online or with a printed form. 

This helps Vanguard Charitable to: 

• Match incoming assets with your account.
• Verify that the assets delivered match your intentions.
• Identify who should be substantiated for tax purposes.
• Indicate how you want the funds invested in your account.
• Provide consent to the unconditional and irrevocable nature of the gift as outlined in our Policies & Guidelines. 

The easiest and most secure way to contribute to your account is to do so online within your account. If you would like to donate assets held at Vanguard, click here. 

1. Log in to your account.
2. Begin by identifying the registration for your gift by selecting an option from the Select Account Type dropdown menu.
   • Where applicable, identify or provide the required information about the joint owner or type of account you will be contributing from. Once you have confirmed the nature of your relationship with this individual or organization, click Next to proceed.
3. Next, scroll to the section that represents your contribution type and click Select.
4. Enter the details of the contribution and click Save to Continue.
   • For gifts of securities, enter the Ticker Symbol and click Search to auto-populate the Security Name.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Next.
6. Select your investment allocation options, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click Next.
7. Review that the details of your contribution are correct, then click Submit at the bottom of the page. 

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll need to initiate the transfer of the intended asset. Click here to learn more. 

Learn how to register your Vanguard Charitable account online. 

Download the paper form and paper instructions.

Learn how to make a contribution of assets held at Vanguard.

Create one or multiple succession plans for your Vanguard Charitable account. 

The first step in establishing your succession plan is to be sure you review your options. You can read more about your options here or contact us to discuss your needs. 

To view your existing succession plan: 

1. Log in to your account and navigate to My Account àAccount Details.
2. Scroll down to My Succession Plan and locate your existing plan details directly below the My Account Documents section.
   • It is not uncommon for My Account Documents to list None on File, keep scrolling!
3. Click Show More to review the details of your plan. 

To update your existing plan: 

1. Next to My Succession Plan, click Edit.
2. On the Edit Legacy Options page, scroll to your existing succession plan and click View & Edit.
3. Make the edits you’d like to your plan. Once finished, scroll to the very bottom of the page and click Update. 

To leverage multiple options for your succession plan: 

1. Next to My Succession Plan, click Edit.
2. On the Edit Legacy Options page, scroll to your existing succession plan and click View & Edit.
3. Change the percentage allocated to this option and click Save and Continue.
4. Scroll to your additional option and click View & Edit.
5. Choose the percentage you’d like allocated to this option and fill in the related details.
6. Scroll to the very bottom of the page and click Update. 

To replace your existing plan with a new option: 

1. Next to My Succession Plan, click Edit.
2. On the Edit Legacy Options page, scroll to your existing succession plan where you can remove the original option by clicking Remove.
3. On the Edit Legacy Options page, scroll to preferred option and click Select.
4. Choose the percentage you’d like allocated to this option and fill in the related details.
5. Scroll to the very bottom of the page and click Update. 

Additional tips for updating your succession plan: 

• If you don’t see the edits reflected on your Account Details page, confirm you’ve clicked Update at the bottom of the page after making changes.
• If you’re not able to click Update after making changes, confirm that the total percentages allocated to each option total 100% and that there are no required fields left blank.
• If you’re interested in introducing your Successor Advisor(s) to your Vanguard Charitable account, you can add them as an Interested Party at any time.

We recommend everyone be web-registered for simple and secure service of their Vanguard Charitable accounts. 

Your online account is a useful tool in your charitable giving. With online access you can: 

• Make contributions online.
• Search for charities and recommend grants.
• View current and historical account activity.
• Account Advisors can view and edit their succession plan.
• Access important confirmations, statements, and other documents. 

Get started here.

1. Agree to the Consent to Terms and Electronic Delivery page.
2. You will need the account number and either the last four digits of your SSN or your 4- digit PIN (which you would have set when you opened your account).
   • If you need your account number, check a recent Account Statement.
   • If you’re still having trouble, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 888-383-4483.
3. After completing steps 1 and 2 of the registration process, you will be directed to a secure page where you will create your user ID and password.
4. After registering, you will be prompted to register for multi-factor authentication to protect your account. 

Learn how to open a Vanguard Charitable donor-advised fund account.

Learn how to fund your account.

If donating assets held at Vanguard valued over $10 million, you’ll need to follow these additional steps. 

1. After initiating your contribution, you will need to complete a signed Letter of authorization, which can be found here: Forms. 
2. The form requires further authentication such as Vanguard Voice verification (VVVV), Signature guarantee, or Medallion signature guarantee. Your contribution will not be processed until the form is received in good order. 

Learn more about Vanguard Voice Verification.

If you're not eligible to initiate a contribution on vanguard.com, you must authenticate your contribution. One way to do so is to use Vanguard Voice VerificationTM (VVV) if the contribution value exceeds $10 million. 

To complete VVV: 

1. Contact Vanguard Charitable to inform us of your intention to use VVV and provide the name of your Vanguard representative, if known.
2. All registered owners of the asset must be enrolled in VVV prior to the contribution. Registration is conducted with your Vanguard representative and must be completed at least 7 days prior to use.
3. Once you have submitted your contribution information to Vanguard Charitable, your Vanguard representative will contact you to initiate and complete the VVV process. Please make sure all owners of the asset are available for the call.
4. Authentication must be completed on the day of the asset transfer. If you have any questions about VVV, please contact your Vanguard representative directly. 

Learn more about contributing assets held at Vanguard without using vanguard.com.

You have two options to contribute assets held at Vanguard without using vanguard.com. 

If you're not eligible to initiate a contribution on vanguard.com, you can make a contribution two ways:    

1. Paper form: Download the Make a Contribution form from our site here: Forms.
2. Online: Log in to your account and go to Make a Contribution and follow these instructions: How to contribute to your account.   

You may be asked to authenticate your contribution using one of the following processes, especially if your contribution exceeds $2 million:   

1. Signature guarantee on a Letter of Authorization 
   A signature guarantee is a promise by the transferring financial institution that the signature is genuine and the financial institution accepts liability for any forgery. It can be obtained at many banks and financial institutions. Once completed, all original forms with signature guarantees must be sent to Vanguard Charitable via overnight or registered mail to: Vanguard Charitable, 2670 Warwick Avenue, Warwick, RI 02889-9509  
2. Medallion signature guarantee on a Letter of Authorization 
   A medallion signature guarantee is a promise from a bank or financial institution that the signature is genuine, the individual has the funds available, and the financial institution accepts liability for any forgery. A medallion normally has a dollar limit. You can obtain a medallion signature guarantee from many banks or brokerage firms; however not all states provide them. To determine if your area provides medallions, visit the Securities Transfer Association, Inc. website. Original forms with completed medallion signature guarantees must be sent to Vanguard Charitable via overnight or registered mail to: Vanguard Charitable, 2670 Warwick Avenue, Warwick, RI 02889-9509.  
3. Vanguard Voice Verification TM (VVV) 
   Contact us to let us know your intention to use VVV and provide the name of your Vanguard representative, if known. All registered owners of the asset must be enrolled in VVV prior to the contribution. Registration is conducted with your Vanguard representative and must be completed at least 7 days prior to use. Once you have submitted your contribution information to Vanguard Charitable, your Vanguard representative will contact you to initiate and complete the VVV process. Please make sure all owners of the asset are available for the call. Authentication must be completed on the day of asset transfer. If you have any questions about VVV, please contact your Vanguard representative directly. 

Learn how to contribute to your account.

Learn more about transferring assets.

Learn more about using Vanguard Voice Verification.

Easily locate your tax substantiation letter at any time within your online account. 

Once the tax substantiation letter is ready, follow these simple steps: 

1. Log in to your Vanguard Charitable account.
2. On the My Documents page, scroll down to Contribution confirmations & tax records where you’ll find your tax substantiation letters. 

You can view the details of transactions by logging in to your account.

1. Log in to your online account.
2. On the Documents & Statements page, select View Transaction Summary.
   • On this page, you can filter by a specific transaction category you want to view. Recent transactions, within the past 90 days, are listed on the account summary page.  

Learn how to check the status of a contribution.

Securities may take a full business week to settle and show up in an account, but you can check the status of your contribution in your online account. See: How do I check the status of my contribution?

Funds will appear in your account one business day after settlement (once the asset and required paperwork are received in good order by Vanguard Charitable). For more information about asset settlement times, see the chart, which details the standard timeline for liquidating stock and mutual fund shares. The schedule may vary depending on the circumstances of the donation, current market schedules, and the assets being donated, such as restricted stock, thinly traded securities, and special assets.

¹ If a stock is thinly traded, selling all contributed shares on the same day may not be feasible. Vanguard Charitable will use its discretion to sell thinly traded securities as quickly as possible without significantly impacting the market price of the security. Thinly traded securities must be preapproved by Vanguard Charitable before they are contributed. There is no definitive timeline for restricted stock, as processing depends on the cooperation of the transfer agent and company issuing the shares. Contact Vanguard Charitable with questions.

² Interest earned overnight in the money market account is used to offset Vanguard Charitable expenses.

³ Mutual funds can take between one and three days to settle. The settlement period is specific to the fund and determined by the fund company.

Learn how to check the status of a contribution.