Courtney Markley, Cofounder of Financial Discipleship Center, on the Idle Wealth in Donor Advised Funds

Courtney Markley, founder of the Center for Financial Discipleship and host of The Heart of Money podcast, has spent about a decade helping people explore the connection between spiritual health and financial behavior. In her new investigative podcast, Idle Treasure, she examines the billions of charitable dollars held in donor advised funds and the heart-level questions that can keep those resources from reaching their intended destination.
Courtney explores why fear, control, status, uncertainty, and even the desire to give wisely can slow generosity. Drawing from conversations with donors, ministry leaders, financial advisors, and generosity experts, she shares principles that emerged across very different approaches to stewardship: staying deeply connected to Christ, cultivating an eternal perspective, giving with intentionality and urgency, and asking whether your use of money is making you more like Jesus.
She also considers practical tools including financial finish lines, philanthropic advisors, and sunsetting donor advised funds. By the end, you may see more clearly where thoughtful stewardship ends, where surrender begins, and how knowing God shapes the way you release what He has entrusted to you.