Gift plans create opportunities for both the Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Donors. Determining what gift is right for you is just as important as making the gift. Consider what you wish to accomplish for yourself and your family; your charitable interests; and your overall estate and financial plans.
- Define your philanthropic goals and financial objectives.
- What issues or causes do you find most compelling or meaningful?
- Are there tax or estate planning issues you are interested in addressing?
- Select a fund that matches your goals and objectives.
- Donor Advised: Offers great flexibility and allows the Donor to play an on-going role by recommending grants to charitable projects or organizations.
- Field of Interest: Supports specific areas of interest as determined by the Donor. This type of fund allows for flexibility to respond to changing community needs.
- Designated: Supports a specific charitable organization, program or event for a set period-of-time or in perpetuity, depending on your preference and level of investment.
- Scholarship: Provides financial assistance for students at any educational level or program of study.
- Agency: Allows a non-profit organization to use the Foundation as its fiscal agent, protect its endowed monies for future needs, ensure a consistent source of annual income, provide additional investment opportunities and fulfill its mission into perpetuity.
- Employee Assistance: Enables companies/ groups of employees to set up a charitable fund to assist employees during times of disaster or financial hardships. Anyone can donate to an employee assistance fund, including employees helping employees and vendors that want to make a contribution.
- Unrestricted: Allows the Community Foundation Board of Directors to make grants to respond to the ever-changing needs of your community.
- Which type of fund would best meet your philanthropic objectives?
- Will your fund be endowed or non-endowed or a combination of both?
- How involved will you like to be in the grant making process?
- Decide how much to contribute to your fund.
- Calculate your planned donations for this year and future years.
- Consider inviting others to join your fund. (Additions can be made at any time.)
- Determine whether you would like to designate advisors to your fund.
- Complete a Gift Instrument, and official document that establishes your fund and activate the fund by making an establishing gift.