January 11, 2004

Establishing a fund with us

There is a simple way for you to make a difference and leave a lasting legacy in our community. You can make a difference by establishing a charitable fund with us. Your gifts will achieve positive results and, of course, maximize your tax deductions. You can involve your family in giving. You may want a tasteful amount of recognition -- or perhaps anonymity.

You can create a fund in honor of someone you love, or to celebrate a special event. You can direct your gift broadly or narrowly to issues you care about, or to wherever the needs are greatest.

We offer you power and flexibility in charitable giving without the paperwork, time and expenses associated with running your own private foundation. We can help you set up a fund that will maximize both your tax advantages and your impact on our community - now and forever.

We use professionals to invest and manage our assets. Our board is made up of local citizens who know the community. We can help with grants that make the difference you want.

Review the following steps to establish a fund:

1) Decide when to give -- you can create your fund now, establish it in your will, or create it through a trust that benefits your family as well as charity.

2) Decide what to give -- Almost any kind of asset can by used to start your fund, such as cash, publicly held securities, closely held securities, life insurance and many others.

3) Choose a name for your fund -- most of our funds are named for the donor, or the donors family, or as a memorial to someone. Every grant from the fund will carry this name.

4) Choose the type of fund -- we offer a number of funds that are flexible to meet our donors' different charitable interests:

Unrestricted Funds allow grants to be made by the Foundation Board wherever we determine the community needs are greatest.

Field-of-Interests Funds create grants that meet needs in a particular field that is of interest to you.

Donor-Advised Funds enable you to recommend specific organizations to receive grants.

Designated Funds let you support specific organizations while we make sure that grants to these groups remain relevant over time and responsive to changing circumstances.

5) Meet with us to discuss your plan and explore different gift vehicles. Then review our documents with your attorney, and transfer your gift.

We are your premier local source for comprehensive charitable gift planning. Please contact us to learn more about establishing a fund.