Ten reasons to consider community foundations for your charitable giving
There are many reasons to consider a community foundation for charitable giving
instead of a private foundation or a commercial gift fund. Here are ten of them:
- We're local, governed by local community leaders. We're not an 800 number; we're your neighbors.
- We know our community's most pressing needs and channel resources to address them.
- We can act as a "neutral convener" - bringing key stakeholders together to work collaboratively toward solutions on tough issues and longstanding community problems.
- We seek grants on behalf of our community from larger private foundations and other resources that we are uniquely positioned to attract.
- We help professional advisors (estate planners, attorneys, financial planners) help their clients meet charitable and tax planning goals.
- As a public charity, we provide the maximum tax deductions for income, gift and estate tax purposes.
- We educate donors on community needs.
- Donors can leverage their charitable gifts by pooling their contributions with other donors with similar interests (e.g., the environment, youth, etc.)
- We do the legwork for our donors, researching and evaluating nonprofit groups that match our donors' philanthropic interests.
- Donors can name their fund and advise on how the dollars are distributed to local, national or international charities.