IRA Charitable Rollover Extended:

Congress passed and President Obama has signed into law the "Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010" (H.R. 4853), which contains provisions for extending the IRA Charitable Rollover.

 
The provision will extend the IRA Charitable Rollover through December 2011. Due to the limited time left in 2010, the law allows individuals to elect to treat IRA rollover gifts made by January 31, 2011 as if they were made in the 2010 calendar year.  Individuals 70 ½ or older can take advantage of this opportunity to donate up to $100,000 of their IRA to a charity. Contact Courtenay Fain for more information. 

If you plan to make a year-end gift to Coastal Community Foundation using a check and the US Post Office, please have the envelope postmarked by December 31^st. 

For gifts of appreciated stock and mutual funds, please allow at least one week for the transaction.  Our recording date is the date our bank receives the asset, not the date you instruct your broker to make the transfer.  When working with a broker, please give us a call so we can be on the look-out for your gift. 

Year-end Philanthropy in the News:

The Wall Street Journal prepared a report on how to make good decisions at year end.  Read the December 13th WSJ article. 

The Post and Courier reported in the December 20th Business Review that the downturn in donations appears to be easing.  Read about the local charitable climate. 

Office Closures:

Lastly, the hardworking staff will be off on Friday, December 24^th.  Limited Staff will be in the office for year-end gifts on Friday, December 31st.  Please plan to contact us in advance if you anticipate that you will need assistance around these times.

Coastal Community Foundation Center
Opening January 2011!

Construction of the new Coastal Community Foundation Center is winding down to the final touches.  The walls are painted and the light fixtures are up.  We will move into the space at 635 Rutledge Avenue in January 2011.
 
Please note our new physical address and save the date for the Griffith/Reyburn Artist of the Year Art Reception on February 11th.

For progress on the construction of the Coastal Community Foundation Center, please check out our Blog videos.  Use keyword "CENTER."

Hampton County Schools Care

Submitted by

Regional Director Edna Crews

This is my favorite time of the year.  Not for the obvious reasons - not because it is filled with holiday cheer.  It's my favorite time because I do site visits with area non- profits for two grant programs.  It is exciting to witness first hand the work of the organizations, to meet first hand the dedicated staff and volunteers, and to hear first hand about the challenges and successes.  I leave the visits with a renewed sense that much is right with the world, or at least my corner of it.   

For example, I met with Rhonda Willis who directs an after-school program in Hampton School District One.  She told me there was a major change in their funding because under new federal guidelines, even successful existing after-school programs could not compete for funds this year.  It got even more confusing when she told me that they are one of only three programs in the state certified to provide technical assistance to new sites.  But they got busy and had fund raisers, wrote other grant applications, and are now able to serve 310 children this year.  They have a waiting list and hope to find additional funds to add more students.  But that wasn't enough, so key personnel who have worked in the program for several years offered to volunteer their time so services could continue.  They are also fortunate to have maintained many in-kind support partners. 

The funding was not the only thing we discussed.  The visit ended with Mrs. Willis explaining how carefully they monitor student and program impact.  The results are impressive. 

I walked to my car smiling with gratitude for the people I am blessed to meet and for the amazing work they do in our communities.

For more of Edna Crews' perspective on the nonprofit sector in Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper Counties, please visit The Digitel Beaufort where she posts a monthly column on the subject.