Celebrate variety: Many assets make great gifts to charity
When your client is getting ready to contribute to a fund at the FM Area Foundation or other charity, remind them not to reach for the checkbook automatically! Here are different (and typically more tax-savvy) options to consider. Marketable securities Gifts of long-term appreciated stock to a donor-advised or other type of fund at the […]
Legal developments: We’re watching!
As your go-to resource for charitable giving techniques, the FM Area Foundation’s team pays close attention to best practices in addressing the broad range of your client’s charitable intentions to support both near-term and long-term community needs. This includes tracking legal developments that may broadly impact philanthropy, specific giving vehicles, and everything in between. For […]
Left behind? Why companies need philanthropy advice, too
It’s relatively straightforward to see how philanthropy figures into the financial and estate plans you build for individuals and families. After all, many of these clients are already supporting their favorite community causes, and it’s your job to make sure they know about all the options for structuring their near-term and long-term plans to give […]
Five FAQs to help you establish an endowment
Many community-minded individuals have served on the boards of directors of charitable organizations in our region. If you’ve served on a charity’s board (or several!), you are no doubt familiar with the concept of an endowment. Many charities establish endowment funds and reserve funds at the FM Area Foundation to help ensure that their missions […]
Donor-advised fund do’s and don’ts
A donor-advised fund is one of many types of funds you can establish at the FM Area Foundation. Field-of-interest funds, designated funds, unrestricted funds, and scholarship funds are also popular and can make a big difference in the community while also fulfilling your goals for tax and charitable planning. If you’ve established a donor-advised fund […]
“Shell funds” and other handy tools for charitable clients who are planning ahead
Getting a jump on a future “to do” list is always such a good feeling. The team at the FM Area Foundation can help you with your clients’ long-term charitable giving plans by putting in place the structures to receive bequests decades from now. Consider a case where you’re finalizing an estate plan for a […]
Fund types tailored to your client’s charitable goals
Just as each of your clients has a unique estate plan and financial plan to meet the client’s particular situation and goals, each of your philanthropic clients needs a unique charitable giving plan. For example, for some clients, giving shares of highly-appreciated stock consistently yearly to their fund at the FM Area Foundation makes the […]
What happens when I leave a bequest to my fund at the community foundation?
Many donors and fund holders at the FM Area Foundation have updated their estate plans to leave a bequest to their donor-advised or other type of fund. Some bequests take the form of a “specific bequest,” meaning that the FM Area Foundation fund receives a specific amount of money from the donor’s probate estate or […]
Our door is open: What happens when you meet with the team
At the FM Area Foundation, we are honored to work with generous individuals and families like so many of you who’ve established funds to support the causes you care about and the needs of our community both now and in the future. We’re also inspired by those of you who are getting to know the […]
Tips for serving clients who love local
Your charitably-minded clients certainly have no shortage of options for their philanthropic dollars. Many clients use their donor-advised funds, for example, at the FM Area Foundation, to support favorite charities across the country, including alma maters, organizations in the communities where they’ve lived in the past or have a second home, or charities in communities […]