Warren Buffett’s gift to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is having an impact on donations to other charities, according to a poll of wealth advisors by the Dow Jones Wealth Management Advisory Council.

“Warren Buffett and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s stunning charity announcement in 2006 is changing the way wealthy individuals are thinking about giving money away,” said James A. Covell, senior vice president and financial consultant, RBC Dain Rauscher.

Patricia Bell, a Merrill Lynch wealth management advisor, agreed. “Philanthropy changed in 2006. High-net-worth investors who might have set up their own endowment are today more likely to consider working with established philanthropies to make the best use of their funding.”

The survey, taken in January and released February 15, showed that the top five issues facing wealth advisors are: philanthropy; new markets and vehicles; reminding clients, especially after the market gains of 2006, that risk is ever-present; cultivating the family; and tax trends.

The Dow Jones Wealth Management Advisory Council is an industry group that includes wealth advisors as well as experts from research and consulting organizations.