DONOR OPPORTUNITY

Directing Your Donation

The Elk County Community Foundation makes it easy for donors to invest in their communities. People come to us with a vision of making our communities a better place to live. We work with you to help create a unique plan that fits your giving objectives

·        Anyone can be a philanthropist when they donate to the current funds held at the community foundation. Gifts of any size may be made to any established fund. To donate to an established fund by check, simply make the check out to the named fund and send your gift to the community foundation. To donate other than by check, call the Foundation for details.

When you donate to the Fund for the Future your gift will be used to meet the changing needs in Elk County.

·        A hassle free way to reap the benefits of a Private Foundation without the administrative burden is through a Donor Advised Fund. Grants are made from your fund, based on your advice, to organizations you identify. The power and flexibility are still yours-the overhead and administrative demands are ours. This is the perfect vehicle for donors who want to involve their children in charitable giving.   Donor Advised funds are also an attractive alternative to the national gifts funds. National funds claim to have knowledge and tax planning, but none of them have extensive knowledge of Elk County and your charitable goals.

·        When a donor has a specific organization they want to support, a Designated Fund is the perfect solution. You recommend the specific non-profits while we make sure the grants remain relevant over time and responsive to changing circumstances

·        By establishing a Field-of-Interest Fund you may specify a broad area of interest, such a health or education, or a particular community to receive grants from your fund.

·        Scholarship Funds (current scholarship funds) are also very popular at the Elk County Community Foundation.  You may endow scholarships and define the guidelines for candidacy, the advisory committee, a specific school, and the award.

·         Organizational Endowment Funds are established by non-profit organizations to provide income and ongoing support to the organizations in perpetuity. The Elk County Community Foundation handles all administrative and investment responsibilities, freeing the organization to pursue its charitable mission.

·        Some folks like to remember their alma mater or other charities outside of Elk County. Grant from a Geographic Fund benefit non-profits in a specific city or geographic area.

·        As a community service, funds can be established that allow donors to make a gift to the Foundation, which then “passes through” to a favorite charity. These Pass-Through Funds are appropriate when anonymity is important or many gifts are planned for a single asset. Our goal is to provide service to the donor.

·        In accepting a contribution to any fund, the Directors of the Community Foundation commit to the donor that the contribution will be protected for the charitable purpose originally intended. The variance power assures donors that if the charitable purpose of the contribution becomes impractical or impossible, the distributions will be directed to similar purposes in the community.

The future of our communities is determined by the decisions we make today. If you are interested in providing perpetual, simple and effective support for charities of your choice please contact us.

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