More Love for Your Endowment

February – and early in the year in general – is a good time to make sure your plans are in place to grow your endowment. As you and your team work together to reach out to donors this month, consider the ways your endowment fundraising communications help you build the long-term relationships with donors that ultimately result in both current and planned gifts to your endowment fund at the Community Foundation. 

Valentine’s Day itself is an opportunity to truly reflect on “long term” commitments. Endowments, of course, are intended to last in perpetuity... and the earliest valentines go back to the 1400s when an imprisoned medieval duke sent one to his wife. That brings new meaning to “standing the test of time!” 

Formalizing your organization’s endowment, especially through establishing an endowment fund at the Community Foundation, helps your organization attract donors’ investable gifts that can produce sustainable returns while the principal or endowed amount remains intact. 

This quarter, make it a priority to remind your donors about the various ways they can give to your endowment fund at the Community Foundation:

• Gifts of highly-appreciated stock
• Gifts of life insurance
• Retirement plan beneficiary designations
• Qualified Charitable Distributions from an IRA (for donors who are over the age of 70 ½) 
• Gifts of closely-held stock
• Gifts of real estate
• Bequest in a will or trust
• Charitable remainder trusts
• Charitable gift annuities

​As always, the Community Foundation is here to assist with any type of gift to your endowment fund, whether the gift is simple or complex. Like relationships in your life, endowments need nurturing, and not just during Valentine’s Day month! The team at the Community Foundation welcomes the opportunity to help your endowment thrive in perpetuity. 

This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal, accounting, or financial planning advice.​