New Head of Community Foundation Named

Friday, July 31st, 2009

Over the years, Lynne Berry has been very much involved with several philanthropic groups.  Now, she has been named as the Huntsville/Madison County Community Foundation’s first executive director.  This means she’s heading an organization that’s serving all nonprofits.  She said, “There’s a lot of challenges and work in this new job but I have the opportunity to be in an umbrella organization to benefit all nonprofits and I like to learn new things.”

One of the first jobs of Berry is to educate the people about all benefits (especially tax) as well as give and educate potential donors about other community needs that would be good for them.  Community foundations can work with other donors to create funds or meet a specific community need.  These funds can either be given immediately, pooled with others, or held indefinitely.

The foundation’s chairman, Chris Russell, said that the role of the foundation is to make sure that people find it easier to make a donation or charitable gift.  Russell, who work with Huntsville Wachovia Bank in wealth management said, “There’s a difference in planned giving and annual giving.  For planned giving, what we’re focusing on has always been to raise the bar and look for more opportunities.”

Tags: charitable gift, Chris Russell, community foundation, donors, Lynne Berry, nonprofits, Planned Giving
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Planned Giving is a Long-term Solution

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

Planned giving can stabilize income and nonprofits understand the benefits derived from it.  So how will you know if the planned giving you chose is the best one for your nonprofit?  It’s a question asked by many organization executives and board members.  Since charitable giving is down, more and more nonprofits would be turning to planned giving instead.  One size certainly doesn’t fit all, but here are questions that you can ask and find out the answers yourself:

*What is the meaning of planned giving for you?

*Why would your nonprofit need a planned giving program?

*What do you need in order to run your planned giving program?

*What are the possible pitfalls?

*When would be the best time to start your own planned giving program?

*What are your reasonable expectations and how long will it take to see the results?

*How will you judge success?

To research more on planned giving alternatives, you can attend seminars and do your own research.  However, it would be best to consult an attorney specializing and experienced in planned giving.  They can give you actual scenarios and examples to guide you in setting up your own program.

Tags: attorney, charitable giving, income, nonprofits, Planned Giving, program
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Agencies Seek Aid and Share Needs

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

At the summit called “Behind the Front Lines,” several directors from local nonprofits have stressed to financial planners that depth of need is not met locally due to budget cuts and flagging economy. The summit was presented by Planned Giving Council of Southwest Florida and Manatee Community Foundation.   It was a chance for the leaders of nonprofits to connect with a lot of financial planners, who typically help clients make the right choice in charitable giving (some lawyers can also help in this area).

Social services tend to hype their organization efficiency and the quantity of aid they provide because political support and government funding are on the line.  According to Laurel Lynch, Hope Family Services executive director, “The demand is so high yet resources are not keeping up.”

Directors of Manatee Glens, Hope Family Services, Community Coalition on Homelessness, St. Joseph’s Food Pantry, and Meals on Wheels PLUS made five-minute presentations on the state of their community and agencies.  To take a snapshot, 2,075 children were homeless from birth until 18 years old during the past year, and Manatee Glens is giving addiction services and mental health in one out of every 30 families.

Hopefully, the testimonials have made an impact on those financial planners in attendance.  And after the summit, the people have understood that there is a need affecting the whole community.

Tags: Behind the Front Lines, directors, financial planners, Laurel Lynch, lawyers, nonprofits, Planned Giving, summit
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Resourceful and Creative Donations

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center is helping families and individuals for over 25 years.  They have a compassionate mission to assist people involved in domestic violence.  It began as a compassionate mission where a few St. Paul’s volunteer parishioners grew into a local organization nationally recognized to serve the people of Groveland, West Newbury, Salisbury, Rowley, Newburyport, Newbury, Georgetown, Merrimac, and Amesbury.

The mission of this crisis center has been to empower community members and live free from violence, intimidation, fear, or threat of abuse by providing education, advocacy, and support.  The major goal is to create safe communities and end domestic violence for its members.

It’s very obvious that individuals and businesses would want to continually support nonprofits in their communities.  The public is invited to donate through these resourceful and creative ways:

• *Honor a friend or family member during special occasions, such as birthdays, or honor new graduates by donating through their name.
• *Donate a portion of your eBay auction for the Crisis Center.
• *Give through the matching gifts programs of employers.
• *Create your own planned giving program.

During these tough economic times, individuals and area businesses have stepped up efforts in order to support the individuals impacted by domestic violence and families in crisis.

Tags: domestic violence, donate, Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center, mission, nonprofits, parishioners, Planned Giving, St. Paul, violence, volunteer
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