FM Area Foundation Newsletter

FM Area Foundation

FM Area Foundation 502 FIRST AVENUE NORTH, SUITE 202 FARGO, ND 58102-4873

December 2014

T

he mission of the Fargo- Moorhead Area Foundation is to enrich the quality of life of the people of this area by:

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED TELEPHONE: 701.234.0756 FAX: 701.234.9724 www.areafoundation.org

Season of Giving

D

uring the holidays I’m reminded of walking downtown as a child in the 1950s and experiencing the sights and sounds associated with the red kettles and silver bells located on virtually every corner. I was, as many of us were, offered the opportunity to participate in philanthropy at a very young age by dropping a quarter, dime, nickel and sometimes a penny into one of those kettles and experiencing the warm feeling that somehow I had done something good for someone else without expecting anything in return.

• Encouraging philanthropy • Assessing and responding to community needs • Providing flexibility for donors with varied interests and giving capacities • Serving as a resource and a catalyst for other organizations

2013-2014 Board of Directors

Serving the Community Since 1960

FM Area Foundation

Connecting people and purpose .

Nonprofit Day at West Acres

Dec. 2nd

Help Make Good

Exploring North Dakota

Workforce Study Gets Underway

• Carol Schlossman, Chair • Morrie Lanning, Vice-Chair • Dorwin Marquardt, Treasurer • Laine Brantner, Secretary • Joan Justesen, Immediate Past President • Tom Dawson • Corey Elmer • Bruce Furness • Thomas Jefferson • Susan E. Johnson-Drenth • Dr. Joel Jorgenson • Matthew Mohr • Lisa Vatnsdal • Neil Jordheim, Trustee Representative

Foundation Staff Tim Beaton, JD Executive Director Patty Mastel, CPA Finance Director Greg Diehl Development Officer Cher Hersrud Program Officer Courtney Larson Communications/Marketing Officer Lexi Oestreich Administrative Assistant

At the FM Area Foundation, we are partnering with organizations, business leaders and individuals to improve our communities, emphasizing the needs and opportunities in the areas of arts, culture and creativity; basic human needs; community building and education.

We are working with The Chamber, the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, United Way of Cass Clay and the Fargo Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau to lead the charge for a comprehensive regional workforce study. The shortage of workers has been an ongoing topic locally, which is why we are supporting this study to discover how to attract and retain more workers. However, addressing this need goes beyond hiring and bringing people into the community; we also need to look at daycare, housing, education and other factors that make this a place people can and will want to live. TIP Strategies, a consulting firm based in Austin, Texas, has been hired to lead the six-month study, which kicks off January 2015. The findings will provide a better understanding of our economic situation and offer solutions Women’s Fund of the to improve workforce shortages.

On January 22, the Women’s Fund will host “Conversations that Matter: Women in Leadership” at the Microsoft Campus. This is a continuation of our January 2014 event that focused on identifying challenges women in our community face in attaining roles in leadership.

The focus this year is contemporary mentorship.

Through partnerships and support from you, our generous donors, we’re giving back all year round.

Go Viral

(see details inside)

Surely many of you have similar memories, and you continue to donate to causes that help others and make this a better community Executive Director for everyone. On behalf of all of those causes, and in particular the FM Area Foundation, thank you.

Tim Beaton

ConfirmedininCompliance Compliance Confirmed with forfor withNational NationalStandards Standards U.S. Community Foundations

U.S. Community Foundations

Thank you and happy holidays!

FM Area Foundation Hosts

conversations that mat ter: Women in Leadership January 22, 2015 8 to 10 a.m.

Microsoft Campus Discover how contemporary mentorship can be a bridge to your future success at any stage of your life and career.

For more information, contact us at 701.234.0756 or courtney@areafoundation.org.

Exploring North Dakota

One Puzzle Piece at a Time

Connected Puzzles Encourages Geographic Literacy Have you ever wondered about the history of Billings County or where the continental divide is located? This school year 4th graders across North Dakota can learn about the history of each county through an interactive puzzle.

The FM Area Foundation is a fiscal sponsor for the new initiative called “Connected Puzzles,” which is breathing new life into the way children use puzzles.

“Puzzles have been a classic learning tool for centuries,” said Jonathan Melgaard, Kilbourne Group entrepreneur in residence. “We wanted to respect the puzzle as it was, but incorporate a new element to make it relevant to students in this day and age.”

The goal is to place one puzzle in every fourth grade classroom in North Dakota for children to learn about North Dakota’s geography and history. That means by the end of the project, approximately 430 puzzles will be placed across the state. The puzzle maps are in the shape of North Dakota, and each puzzle piece replicates one of the 53 counties. On the back of each county-shaped puzzle piece is a QR code. Using a tablet, students can go directly to a webpage with historical information about that particular county.

The motive behind the program is to promote geographic literacy. Melgaard explained he believes in order to be a well-informed society you have to understand where you are in the world and how things got there.

“It’s not just having people know about their counties, it’s being aware of the heritage that’s here in North Dakota and having an appreciation for that. There’s a lot that’s come before us, and it’s honorable for us to know what’s happened to help us move forward in the future,” Melgaard said.

Fourth-grade teachers have shown interest in using the puzzle maps, not only in the classroom, but as part of their curriculum.

Greg Diehl hired as Development Officer

The FM Area Foundation recently hired Greg Diehl as Development Officer.

The North Dakota Historical Society helps develop the curriculum for 4th and 8th grade settings and has an interest in taking this project forward and managing the content.

Diehl is a native of Mandan, N.D. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Mary, Bismarck, N.D.

To read more about this project,visit areafoundation.org.

Most recently, he was the Administrator of the Emergency Food Pantry of Fargo-Moorhead.

To make a tax deductible donation to the FM Area Foundation, visit areafoundation.org and click “Give Online,” or contact us at 701.234.0756.

Prior to the Emergency Food Pantry, he was the Executive Director of the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center of Fargo-Moorhead since 2005. From 1988 to 2005, he served as the Sales and Marketing Manager of Red Flag Green Flag Resources, the publications component of the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center.

Diehl served on the United Way Cass Clay Campaign Cabinet from 2007 through 2013 and is a past board member of the North Dakota Alliance for Children’s Justice and Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota. He’s also the Founder of the Red River Men’s Action Network.

Greg can be reached at greg@areafoundation.org.

Black Friday. Cyber Monday.

The FM Area Foundation has joined more than 10,000 organizations around the world to encourage giving on December 2, 2014, better known as #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world.

When you donate to the FM Area Foundation’s General Community Fund, your dollars help support charitable organizations through our annual grant round. To make a donation, visit areafoundation.org and click #GivingTuesday.

Whether you donate money to your favorite charity, volunteer or buy a stranger a cup of coffee, make sure you give on December 2 to help make good go viral.

10 Tips

For Year-End

Giving

Now is a great time for giving.

When you make a donation by December 31 to the FM Area Foundation, you aren’t just giving money—you’re making a difference in our community. Here are 10 ways to make the most of your year-end giving.

1. Talk to your advisor.

Before making any significant gift to charity, consult with your CPA, attorney or other advisor to understand the impact on your taxes and estate.

2. Consider your income.

Take time to understand your tax liability for the year. Did your unearned income increase? Did you sell any appreciated assets?

The answers to these questions may determine how much you want to give by December 31.

3. Review your stocks.

If you’d like to make a year-end charitable gift, consider giving appreciated stock. If you gift stock, you will receive a charitable deduction for the current market value of the stock.

4. Give early and complete your gift by December 31.

A gift by check is complete when mailed (postmarked) to the charitable recipient, even if not cashed until the following year. Gifts by credit card are complete when your credit card account is charged. Gifts of stock and real estate are more complex; don’t wait until late December to make these gifts.

5. Know the organizations you support.

While there are many worthy causes, only donations to qualified

501(c)(3) organizations are tax-deductible. If you give through the FM Area Foundation, we will document the status of all nonprofits prior to making a gift on your behalf.

6. Do you have more than enough?

If you’re receiving taxable income from retirement plan assets or life insurance policies, there are a number of tax-advantaged ways to make these assets work for you and the causes you support.

The Charitable IRA Rollover Act, for example, allows donors age 70 ½ or older to donate up to $100,000 from their IRA without counting the distribution as income.

7. Explore employer gift matching programs.

Many companies offer gift matching programs that can increase— even double—the impact of your gift.

8. Give now—decide later.

If you are planning for a charitable tax deduction, but are undecided about which nonprofits to support, consider opening a donor-advised fund at the FM Area Foundation. You can claim a deduction for contributions to your fund now even though distributions from the fund might be made in future years.

A donor-advised fund can be set up in one meeting. Through the North Dakota Charitable Income Tax Credit, you can claim a credit of 40% on a donation to a qualified endowment of a qualified North Dakota charitable organization if that year’s gifts are equal to $5,000 or more.

9. Create a giving plan.

The FM Area Foundation can help you create a giving plan to ensure that your donations make the greatest impact on the causes you care about while maximizing tax advantages.

10. Let the FM Area Foundation do the legwork.

Working with the FM Area Foundation gives you access to our extensive knowledge of the local nonprofit community and the broad charitable needs of our region—so you can stay informed about the organizations you support and the effect your giving will have on the future of our community.