Building personal relationships with the community foundation team
At Akron Community Foundation, we are honored to work with generous individuals and families who have established funds to support the causes they care about and the needs of our community both now and in the future. Wherever you are in the stages of your philanthropic planning, the team at Akron Community Foundation is here for you and considers our relationship to be personal. That's why we welcome the opportunity to meet with our fundholders and prospective fundholders. Here are a few insights into what those meetings are all about:
You can expect personal, dedicated service. Unlike financial institutions' donor-advised fund platforms where access to a dedicated donor services team can be rare, the staff at your local community foundation is here to help you every step of the way along your charitable giving journey. Our team is happy to meet with you one-on-one, and we are also happy to join a meeting with you and your legal, tax or financial advisor to assess your current situation and determine the best charitable tax strategy for you. This includes evaluating the best assets to give to your fund or funds at the community foundation, including publicly traded stock and even other noncash assets such as real estate or closely held stock.
We care about your intentions for your fund. The team at Akron Community Foundation wants to understand the areas of interest that are a priority for you, whether that's the arts, health care, social services, the environment, education, community development, or something else. We also want to understand the role you envision for the successor advisors you've named in the fund documentation, such as your children, who will make decisions about the fund when you are no longer living or able to manage the fund yourself.
We will help you establish additional funds to meet your goals. Sometimes when the team at the community foundation is working with a fundholder to understand the intentions for a donor-advised fund, we discover that it's worth adding one or more additional funds to complement the donor-advised fund structure already in place. For example, some fundholders decide to also establish a designated fund for a particular nonprofit organization or a board discretionary fund to support the community foundation's mission in perpetuity. Many times, fundholders decide to make recurring contributions over time to multiple funds at the community foundation to achieve their various philanthropy goals.
We make the paperwork a breeze. As you know if you've already established a donor-advised fund at the community foundation, the paperwork is straightforward and not at all cumbersome. As we're exploring updating your existing donor-advised fund, setting up a new donor-advised fund, or adding additional types of funds to your portfolio, we'll prepare simple documentation to capture your wishes, collect important contact information, and address your vision for your fund or funds both during and after your lifetime.
We're always here to strategize about your giving options. As you periodically review your assets and financial situation with your advisors, keep an eye out for appreciated assets that could be ideal to give to your fund or funds at the community foundation because of the potential capital gains tax savings. The community foundation can work with you and your advisors on contributions of a wide variety of assets to help you achieve your tax and estate planning goals. We are happy to go over the appraisal and documentation requirements for gifts of nonmarketable assets such as closely held stock and real estate.
We'll let you know about educational opportunities and gatherings with other fundholders. During our meeting, we'll share a calendar of upcoming events and ways you can learn more about the causes you care about and what's going on in the community overall. Our team is here to help you stay up-to-date on the various ways you can support the community by working with the community foundation and partnering with other fundholders.
Thank you for your commitment to philanthropy. If you're already a fundholder, we are grateful that you've made the choice to organize your giving by working with the community foundation. If you're considering getting started, we look forward to continuing the conversation!
To learn more, contact Laura Lederer at 330-436-5611 or llederer@akroncf.org. 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.
Additional Resources
This article is not intended as legal, accounting, or financial planning advice.