Five reasons to call Akron Community Foundation

In an economic and legislative environment full of unpredictability, we encourage you to tap the knowledgeable staff at Akron Community Foundation–perhaps even more than you have in the past. 

If you've already established a donor-advised or other type of fund at the community foundation, you're familiar with many of the ways we make charitable giving easy, flexible, and effective so that you can achieve your goals for improving the quality of life in our community as well as fulfilling your own estate planning and financial objectives. 

Not quite sure when to reach out to the community foundation? If any of these situations apply to you, reach out to Laura Lederer to learn how we can assist you.

You're ready to get ahead of the year-end crunch

The last few months of the year are always hectic with holiday activities. When you layer on the added stress of tax planning and completing the charitable giving plans you set back in January, you might tip the scales from hectic to chaos! Our staff can help organize your year-end charitable giving early so that it achieves both your financial and your philanthropic goals.

You're concerned about the recent cuts to funding for local nonprofits

Akron Community Foundation is our community's champion and generator of enduring philanthropy. That means we've got a finger on the pulse of our community's needs and the nonprofits that are addressing them. Our team can provide information about program cuts that have left people in our community vulnerable and share ideas and recommendations for how you can help fill the gaps. 

Your professional advisor suggested increasing your charitable donations in 2025, but you want to ensure you can provide consistent support for years to come

For those who itemize deductions on their individual income tax returns, 2025 may indeed present opportunities. Our staff is happy to work with you and your tax advisors to structure gifts to a donor-advised or other type of fund at the community foundation to ensure that you're leveraging tax advantages while also maintaining consistent support year after year for the causes you care about. 

You're considering selling commercial property, and know a charitable gift can be an effective component of the transaction

Many people do not realize until it's too late that they can give real estate or closely-held stock to a fund at the community foundation well in advance of a future sale and achieve significant tax benefits, while also setting aside charitable dollars to make a positive difference in the community either immediately or across generations. Before you and your advisors put any pen to paper on the disposition of real estate or private business interests, please reach out!

You're updating your estate plan and want to leave money to charity, but you're not sure which one

Please reach out to our staff when you are updating your estate plan or related financial documents, such as beneficiary designations on IRAs, life insurance policies, or retirement accounts. Our team is happy to work with your advisors to deploy the community foundation's flexible tools to round out your estate plan and make sure you're exploring the tax benefits of using various types of assets to fund your charitable intentions. 

Whether you've already started a fund at the community foundation or you're considering getting involved, contact Laura Lederer at 330-436-5611 or [email protected]. We're always available to answer your questions about philanthropy or to schedule a personal consultation with you and your professional advisors – all at no cost.

This article is not intended as legal, accounting, or financial planning advice.