Leave a Legacy Leave a Legacy through the Community Foundation through the Community Foundation
with a Gift in Your Will or IRA with a Gift in Your Will or IRA
A quick guide to making a A quick guide to making a difference with a future gift. difference A quick guide to making a withdifference a future gift with a future gift
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 do. 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 Charlevoix County. Endowed funds managed by the Community Foundation grow over time while generating ever-increasing contributions to causes and organizations you care about most.
How To Leave A Legacy Through The Community Foundation 1. It’s easy to include the Charlevoix County Community Foundation in your will or as a beneficiary of your retirement plan. We recommend a gift directed to the Community Foundation without restrictions. 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 to the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, East Jordan, Michigan, a Michigan nonprofit corporation (Tax ID # 38-3033739), [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 c3f.org.
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.
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: • Financial 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 Charlevoix County 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 The Community Foundation can help you customize your future gift
Your Future Gift Can Enrich an Existing Fund The Community Foundation manages over 250 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 Charlevoix County, even as those needs and opportunities change over time.
“There are many different types of organizations doing different types of work to improve Charlevoix County. That’s why we felt it was important to give to the Community Endowment, which has the greatest flexibility to provide for whatever our community needs in the future.” - Danielle and Jack Poindexter
When they finalized their will, the Rudolphs included a gift that is a perfect match for them – a combination of their love of the environment and their vocations as educators. “We know our gift will be used wisely by the Community Foundation. We are very pleased that C3F provides this opportunity.” - Jim and JoEllen Rudolph
Approach to support the causes and organizations that are important to you.
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 Areas You Care About Most Donors can establish funds that do important charitable work on Beaver Island, or in Boyne City, Charlevoix, and East Jordan. If your interests are in the areas of 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 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. 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 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.
Martha and Dan Mishler’s future gift establishes a Fund for the Community, a Fund for the Environment, and a designated fund to benefit a local organization.
Ethel’s Will Said a Lot About Her For 42 years, Ethel Coeling served the United States military and government as a physical therapist. While serving nationally and internationally, she made many visits to her favorite spot, “The Back of the Moon,” her cottage in Norwood on the shore of Lake Michigan. When she retired with honors in 1984, Ethel enjoyed life at her cherished cottage in Charlevoix County. When Ethel passed away in 2003, her estate established two funds at the Community Foundation. The Ethel Coeling Environmental Fund provides significant resources for the restoration, preservation, and protection of this beautiful corner of northwest Michigan. The Ethel W. Coeling Fund provides grants each year to the Charlevoix Public Library, Ellsworth Community Schools, and the Charlevoix Area Community Pool. Ethel’s legacy lives on through funds that support the community she loved during her lifetime.
What does your will say about you?
TheThe Power PowerofofEndowment Endowment Ethel Coeling Fund Fund Ethel CoelingEnvironmental Environmental
Since established, the Ethel Coeling Environmental Fund has grown by 113%. Ethel’s Original Gift in 2003
Big Community Impact: Over $600,000 in grants have been awarded to nonprofit partners since 2003 This is just one example that demonstrates how the Community Foundation puts gifts ofthat all sizes to work. This is just onedonors’ example demonstrates how the
The power of endowment makes funds multiply in value gifts to do Community Foundation puts donors’ good work forever. of all sizes to work. The power of endowment makes funds multiply in value
GIVE A LITTLE, HELP A LOT
In the next 40 years, Charlevoix County residents are estimated to leave over $3.5 billion to the next generation.* If those friends and neighbors give 5% of their estates, our region could benefit from $175 million in charitable resources to make a difference.
Giving a little could mean a lot. Giving a little means helping to feed our neighbors. Giving a little means sustaining lakes and forests for future generations. Giving a little means caring for our youngest residents and providing for our eldest. Giving a little means offering access to arts and culture to all. Giving a little means bike trails, beaches, hiking paths, and playgrounds.
*Wealth Transfer in Michigan Report, Rural Policy Research Institute
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.
“Planning ahead for when we’re gone gave us tremendous peace-of-mind… Knowing that after we are long gone, we will still be a part of this community and still be making a positive impact through the Community Foundation is comforting to us.” – Amy and Tim Wieland
What Will Your Legacy Be? “A portion of our estate will go to the Community Foundation to continue supporting work that we care about after we’re gone, through the Bill and Maxine Aten Fund for the Community and the Challenge Mountain Fund. The thought that we can be a part of making the area we love a better place after we are gone gives us tremendous satisfaction.” - Maxine and Bill Aten
When Dr. Raymond H. Murray was creating his will, he included a future gift to benefit Beaver Island residents. Dr. Murray communicated with Community Foundation staff to share his wishes. When he passed away in 2009, Dr. Murray’s estate enriched several Community Foundation endowments that provide for organizations, programs, and projects on Beaver Island. Because those funds are endowed, Dr. Murray’s legacy gift continues to provide support each year in his memory.
The Community Foundation: The Community Foundation: Your Partnerin in Making Making aaDifference Your Partner Difference Who We Are The Charlevoix County Community Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to improving and enriching life for all who live here. Founded by a group of local citizens in 1992, the Community Foundation has grown to be a valuable resource for Charlevoix County.
What We Do The 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 communities. 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.
When asked to describe why they give through the Community Foundation, Jim says, “’For Good. For Ever.’ It’s a simple tagline, but encompasses our belief that it’s our chance to make a permanent difference in the future of Charlevoix County and Boyne City. The Charlevoix County Community Foundation is the conduit to make that happen.” - Evelyn and Jim Howell
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