Joyce, Brian & David Gomer
Leave A Legacy A quick guide to making a difference with a future gift through the community foundation. Cape Coral Community Foundation’s Legacy Society 239.542.5594 | capecoralcf.org
Adding a charitable gift to your will or retirement plan is simple — the results are remarkable. A future gift is meaningful philanthropy almost anyone can achieve. A gift through your will or IRA allows you to support causes that are important to you, in the future, without impacting your current finances.
For Good. For Ever.™ Because of endowment, your impact on the community will never end. The Community Foundation is a permanent charitable organization established to make a difference in Southwest Florida. Endowed funds managed by the Community Foundation grow over time while generating ever-increasing contributions to causes and organizations you care about most.
Carol Rae Culliton and Julie Ferguson
Chris Spiro
Chris Spiro, Chief Marketing Officer at Spiro & Associates loves his community. For over 30 years, his ideas have brought in millions of dollars in new business for his marketing clients. As an entrepreneur and philanthropist, he has created an enduring legacy. Chris Spiro learned from his parents to care, and to be generous in the ways that you can. He, and his marketing team, helped to raise over $50,000 to benefit Youth Philanthropy in Southwest Florida, an initiative for high school students interested in becoming future philanthropists, business, and community leaders. Chris supports many charitable causes – but his real passion is supporting the arts and culture. Chris opened the Spiro & Associates Fund for the Arts at the Cape Coral Community Foundation. The purpose of the fund is to build a dynamic, vibrant, and spirited arts and culture sector in Southwest Florida. As part of Chris Spiro’s legacy, causes he is passionate about will continue to be supported in his name, forever.
WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE?
Including a gift in your estate plan may be easier than you think! To create a community legacy fund similar to Chris Spiro, contact one of our philanthropic fund advisors at: www.capecoralcf.org.
Juan and Eva Gonzalez
How To Leave A Legacy Through the Community Foundation 1. I t is easy to include the Cape Coral Community Foundation in your will or as a beneficiary of your retirement plan. We recommend a gift directed to the Community Foundation without restrictions, so that the Foundation may answer to the community’s ever-changing needs. 2. Meet with Community Foundation staff so we may learn about what issues are important to you and how you hope to make a difference with your future gift. 3. Complete a simple form that outlines how your gift will be applied to meet your charitable goals. These instructions can be revised, if desired, without the need for updating your will. 4. Consider whether you would like to be listed in the Legacy Society, which recognizes and thanks individuals and couples who have named the Community Foundation as a recipient of a future gift.
I give the Cape Coral Community Foundation, Cape Coral, Florida, a Florida nonprofit corporation (Tax ID# 23-7410312), [here you’d insert a specific dollar amount, a percentage, or the rest or residue of your estate] to be held, administered and used by its Board of Trustees for support of its grant-making and programming in the areas of greatest need and opportunity. Find more Legacy language examples at capecoralcf.org
Bob and Rhoda Knight
Ingrid and Darryll Green
Commonly Asked Questions Why would I leave a future gift to the Community Foundation?
Your future gift lets you support multiple causes or organizations over time with one rewarding act of generosity. The power of endowment extends your gift to grow and grant forever.
If I choose to leave a future gift, do I have to reveal the amount of my gift?
Absolutely not. We appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to learn about your charitable goals so we can help shape your future gift, but the choice to share the amount of your gift is up to you.
Joanne and Tom Hayden
Do I have to leave a specific dollar amount?
While you can name a specific dollar amount for the Community Foundation in your will, you can also arrange to leave a percentage of your estate’s value or what is left of your estate after other gifts are made. We welcome gifts of any size.
Does my future gift have to be cash?
No. You have several options in addition to cash: •F inancial investments like stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or certificates of deposit. •A life insurance policy or retirement plan. You can arrange for this type of gift by making the Cape Coral Community Foundation a beneficiary. • Physical assets, like a house, condominium, or property.
What if I leave a gift to support a specific charity and then that charity goes away?
If an organization you name is no longer working to meet its mission, we will honor your intent by granting to a similar organization doing great work in the field you preferred. Because the Community Foundation is permanent, your good intentions will continue forever.
A PERSONAL APPROACH The Community Foundation can help you customize your future gift to support the causes and organizations that are important to you.
Your Future Gift Can Enrich an Existing Fund
The Community Foundation manages over 100 funds set up by individuals like you who have chosen to give back to this place they love. Gifts to community grant-making funds will be used to meet needs and advance opportunities in Lee County and Southwest Florida, even as those needs and opportunities change over time.
There are many different types of organizations doing different types of work to improve Cape Coral, Lee County, and the Southwest Florida community. The Cape Coral Community Foundation is an excellent charitable vehicle for donors to give to the Community Endowment Fund, which has the greatest flexibility to provide for whatever our community needs in the future.” Michael and Verena Schneider Christians
- Michael and Verena Schneider Christians
When they finalized their will, the Gomers included gift that is a perfect The famous poetaMaya Angelou said, match for them – a combination of if you going to environment live, leave a legacy. theirare love of the and Maketheir a mark on the world that cannot vocations as educators.
be erased. When donors make a legacy gift through the Cape Coral Community by the Community Foundation, they willFoundation. manage and steward the funds wisely. We Cape are We are very pleased that the pleased with the services provided Coral Community Foundation by the Community Foundation.”
“We know our gift will be used wisely
provides this opportunity.”
- Dennis and Linda Gingerich
- The Gomers
Dennis and Linda Gingerich
Your Future Gift Can Establish a New Fund Funds for the Community
These unrestricted grant-making funds offer donors the greatest possible impact by providing grants where they’re needed most - even as needs and opportunities in our communities change over time. These funds can be established in the name of an individual, couple, family, or business.
Funds that Support Student Success and Scholarships
Whether you care about helping students achieve in our local schools or wish to support them as they continue their education after high school, the Community Foundation offers options for impact.
Donor Advised Funds
Funds that Support Areas You Care About Most
Donors can establish funds that do important charitable work in Cape Coral, or in Lee County, and Southwest Florida. Whether your interests are in the arts and culture, the environment, health, neighbors in need, or youth, funds can be established to make a difference in those areas.
Funds that Support Organizations You Love
This tool allows donors to make grant recommendations to support charitable programs and projects. Donor advised funds can be an advantageous alternative to a private or family foundation.
A Blended Gift
Many donors choose to give to existing funds and establish new funds to accomplish their goals with a future gift.
Donors can grow long-term resources for their favorite organizations by giving to funds established to support the organization’s mission. Donors may also name a fund to provide annual support to one or more organizations, forever.
Jon and Ana Stevenson, residents of Naples, Florida, have witnessed firsthand the impact of the Cape Coral Community Foundation. Jon and Ana support the foundation’s efforts to help donors and nonprofit organizations establish endowment funds Jon and Ana Stevenson
to improve the quality of life for residents living and working in Southwest Florida.
The Gomers’ Heart of Generosity “Cape Coral is a wonderful place to raise a family,” Brian says. “It’s where we have chosen to live our lives.”
Brian and Paula Gomer
Long-time friends of the Cape Coral Community Foundation, Brian and Paula Gomer embody the heart of generosity that the Southwest Florida region has embraced for decades. Brian, co-owner of Premier Cape Construction, along with his business partner and longtime friend George Diggs, are long-time residents of Cape Coral. The goal of Premier Cape Construction is to build quality homes with features that allow families to enjoy the Florida Lifestyle. Since the 1990s, Brian has built hundreds of homes in Cape Coral, and has also built strong community ties as a member, participant, and volunteer in several civic-minded organizations. To them, generosity reflects their passion for Southwest Florida’s largest city, Cape Coral.
There are several interesting facts about Cape Coral. The city features more navigable waterways than any other city across the globe, has a large population of international visitors, and is rated by Forbes Magazine as one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. The couple chooses to support the Cape Coral Community Foundation because it provides permanent support for the city they love. “The Cape Coral Community Foundation plays a central role in improving quality of life. It provides funding to support so many facets of our community, helping it remain whole and vital,” Paula explains. “The Foundation is making a profound difference in our community. We couldn’t ask for more.” To keep this on-going momentum alive in the Gomer household, they took time to teach their children about why generosity matters. To Brian and Paula, volunteering and giving back to the community is a tradition that goes back generations.
A proud father and successful businessman, Brian knows these values will continue in his family long after he is gone. Paula could not agree more, “We’ve encouraged it in our children from an early age, and we’re proud they have been involved and supportive of a variety of organizations.” By setting a strong example, the couple hopes others in the community will continue to follow suit. “Without generosity, we lose our sense of community, of everyone coming together to make this an even better place.” Brian goes on to say, “If you look at any successful business, organization or team it takes more than the efforts of just one person. It takes many people to come together with a common goal who will bring something to the table. It’s that way with a community too; when everyone participates and has a heart for generosity, the community comes alive and well – everyone is a winner.” Brian and Paula love their community. If you love your community like Brian and Paula, leave a legacy and start living the way you want to be remembered.
Case Study How Rotary Club of Cape Coral Goldcoast Received $42,000 to Support Scholarship Fund
Summary
Fundraising is very competitive in Southwest Florida. Looking for more innovative ways to raise money for their scholarship, Rotary Club of Cape Coral Goldcoast turned to the Cape Coral Community Foundation for expertise in leveraging relationships with financial advisors and private donors to market their scholarship fund and increase charitable donors through non-traditional fundraising methods.
Challenge
Rotary Club of Cape Coral Goldcoast has raised smaller amounts of money through fundraising events and private donations. When it came to their ability to raise major gift donations ($10,000 or more), they requested help. Rotary Club had tremendous success with providing scholarship grants to students but needed to expand their fundraising reach to attract new donors.
to host a Lunch and Learn session with members to explore various non-cash asset gift options: real estate, stock donations, grains, art, jewelry, and other appreciated assets.
Impact
Today, financial advisors and their clients are learning more about the Rotary Club’s impact through scholarship grants. This generates more donations through often overlooked fundraising opportunities. Rotary Club of Cape Coral Goldcoast credits the Cape Coral Community Foundation with dramatically increasing awareness and helping them to raise money through non-cash assets.
Solution
Rotary Club chose to work with the Cape Coral Community Foundation to make their vision a reality. The Foundation developed a non-cash asset development program for the Rotary Club, allowing financial advisors to share the program with their clients. The Foundation also worked closely with the Rotary Club
2020 Rotary Scholarship Winner
The partnership resulted in recent contributions of $42,000. The first $12,000 gift through a client of a financial advisor and a second gift of $30,000 through an anonymous donor to support their scholarship fund. Since the Rotary Club of Cape Coral Goldcoast opened their fund at the Cape Coral Community Foundation in 2007, the fund has grown by 20%. Big Community Impact: Over $60,000 in scholarships have been awarded to deserving students since the inception of the fund. To support the Rotary Club of Cape Coral Scholarship Fund, contact cccf@capecoralcf.org.
Brian and Kim Rist
Give A Little, Help A Lot Giving a little could mean a lot. Giving a little means helping to feed our neighbors. Giving a little means sustaining our water and land for future generations. Giving a little means caring for our youngest residents and providing for our eldest. Giving a little means bike trails, beaches, hiking paths, and playgrounds. Giving a little means offering access to arts and culture to all.
Steve and Vicki Pohlman
“Planning ahead for your charitable estate plan gives you peace-of-mind. Knowing that your family’s good name will be remembered after you are gone, leaves behind a powerful legacy, and will have a lasting impact on future generations. The Cape Coral Community Foundation is the perfect giving partner to help preserve your family’s legacy.” - Steve and Vicki Pohlman
WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE? An endowment fund is like a spring filling a pond. It continues to fill over, and over again, and does not disappear. Donors have a variety of giving preferences. That is why donors should consider opening unrestricted funds to appeal to a broader range of community needs. Many different types of grants can be made from an unrestricted fund established at the Cape Coral Community Foundation. Donors will be happy with working with their team. - Donna Caruso
When they finalized will, the I have a personal passiontheir for organizations Gomers included a gift that is a perfect such as Hope Hospice. It is a great organization match for them – a combination of because it provides, care, hope and dignity as their love of the environment and one completes life’s journey, taking care of the their vocations as educators. patient as well as the entire family. I encourage “We know our gift will be used wisely donors who share my passion to create a by the Foundation. legacy fundCommunity at the Cape Coral Community Foundation to benefit organizations who We are very pleased that the Cape are providing patients with pain relief Coral Community Foundation and nursing care, as well as emotional provides thiswith opportunity.” support and help everyday tasks.
- The Gomers - Darlene Grossman
Legacy Society The Legacy Society is a group of individuals and couples who have included the Community Foundation as a beneficiary of a future gift. They may be named and recognized by the Community Foundation or they may choose to be anonymous members. Most of the individuals and couples who have joined the Legacy Society haven’t done so for the recognition, but many have graciously allowed the Community Foundation to tell their stories to inspire others to make a future gift. Each year, Legacy Society members gather to celebrate the difference they will make for generations to come.
The Community Foundation: Your Partner in Making a Difference Who We Are Founded by a group of local citizens in 1973, the Community Foundation has grown to be a valuable resource for Southwest Florida. Our mission states, “As stewards, we stimulate philanthropy that enriches our community and region’s quality of life, through lasting and meaningful giving.
What We Do The Cape Coral Community Foundation helps people make a difference close to home by accepting contributions of any size, investing them for the long-term gain of our community, and making grants to local nonprofit organizations, schools, and civic organizations. Each year our grants encourage environmental stewardship, appreciation of the arts, improved health and wellness, initiatives to benefit youth, access to recreation, and educational opportunity.
Your giving, your way. We are here to help you achieve your charitable goals. Start giving your way today. The Cape Coral Community Foundation makes it easy to establish a fund. We offer many types of funds to meet a variety of charitable goals. We can work with your trusted advisor to fulfill any charitable intentions within your long-term financial planning. By establishing donor-advised funds, donors can use the benefit of a charitable gift right away while taking time to reflect on their future grantmaking.
When asked to describe why he gives through the Community Foundation, Elmer says, “For Good. For Ever.’ It is a simple tagline but encompasses my belief that it is my chance to make a permanent difference in the future of Cape Coral, Lee County and throughout Southwest Florida. The Cape Coral Community Foundation is the conduit to make that happen.” - Elmer Tabor
cccf@capecoralcf.org | 239.542.5594 | www.capecoralcf.org