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| August 2013 | Vol 6, Issue 8
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Give Door County
Door County
Community Foundation
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| Greetings! | 
The Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting recently published a list of "America's 50 Worst Charities." Collectively these 50 organizations raised $1.3 billion during the last decade but they handed more than $1 billion of that to paid for-profit fundraising corporations. That means on average, less than 25 cents out of every dollar donated actually was used by these charities to fulfill their mission.
Quite frankly, that's shameful. There is general agreement among charity watchdogs that at the very most, fundraising expenses should never exceed 35 percent. In practice, it's far lower than that for most reputable organizations. With these 50 worst charities, however, 77 percent of the money raised is being sent to private for-profit fundraising firms. Add to that the organization's administrative salaries and in some cases, almost nothing is left to help those in need.
While I'm not familiar with all of these organizations, I wouldn't be surprised if more than a few of them exist solely to generate money for the administrators and fundraisers themselves. The money generated to serve the community is almost incidental to their primary motive of making money under the guise of charity. That got me wondering. How do these organizations do it? How do they convince Americans to give their hard-earned money away when so little of it is actually being used for a charitable purpose?
The problem is two-fold. First, there are too many for-profit fundraising corporations that don't hesitate to con you out of your hard-earned dollar so long as they get paid. Second, criminals don't hesitate to play on your compassion in an effort to steal your money. Here are some tips to ensure that your charitable gifts actually are being used in a charitable way.
Read the rest of this story in the Peninsula Pulse.
Hope you're enjoying this wonderful (and cool) summer in Door County!
Bret N. Bicoy, President & CEO
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Our Board of Directors
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John Herlache, Chairman
David Eliot, Vice Chairman
Polly Alberts, Secretary
Mike Felhofer, Treasurer
Dick Egan, Past Chairman
Bill Boettcher
Michael Brecke
Jacinda Duffin
Richard Hauser
Mark Jinkins
Arvid Munson
Kaaren Northrop
Marcia Peterson
Nancy Sargent
Jane Stevenson
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Donate Today!
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Make an instant donation using a credit card to any of the Funds of the Door County Community Foundation. Give back online today!
Or contact us to talk about creating a Fund in your family's name - either today or in your estate plans.
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Follow Us Online
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For the latest news on charity in Door County, read our publications and previous issues of our Newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter. |
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| Inaugural Bill Boettcher Dinner & Golf Event Raises $17,000 |
The Door County Community Foundation and Horseshoe Bay Golf Club are pleased to announce that the inaugural Bill Boettcher Dinner and Golf Event took place on July 21st and 22nd, raising approximately $17,000 for the charities of Door County. 
"Charity is more important to Door County than any other community in Wisconsin," said Community Foundation President & CEO Bret Bicoy at the sold out dinner on Sunday night. "Our arts and environmental charities are the major reason 2 million people visit here and come back year after year. And our human service and healthcare charities alleviate the stresses on families that result from the seasonal nature of our economy."
The Bill Boettcher Dinner and Golf Event originally was the idea of the Horseshoe Bay Golf Club whose members wanted to give back to the Door County Community. The Chairman of the Club's Executive Committee, Glenn Timmerman, approached the Community Foundation with the idea of hosting an event.
"This event is a real partnership between Horseshoe Bay and the Community Foundation," says Bill Boettcher, a charter member of the Golf Club and a founding director of the Community Foundation. "It's a way for us to give back to the community we love."
"The Community Foundation wants to minimize administrative expenses so we can maximize the amount of money given out to charity," said Bicoy at the dinner. "In that spirit, 100% of the $17,000  that was raised will be granted out to the charities of Door County through the Community Foundation's Sustainability and Advancement Grant programs."
The winners of the first annual Bill Boettcher Golf Event were Ted Balistreri, John Landwehr, Bill Mueller and Dick Heinemann with a score of 115.
The second place team was John Hauser, Dick Hauser, Larry Burnett and Dan Nesbitt with a score of 117.
The winning team's prize was the right to distribute $1,000 to their favorite Door County charity or charities. The second place prize was the right to give away $600.
The perpetual trophy is a model of the Lower Range Light at the Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor - Bill Boettcher's hometown. The winner's names will be engraved on the trophy and it will be on display at the Horseshoe Bay Golf Club.
For more photographs from the event, visit the Community Foundation's website.
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| Fall Sustainability Grant Application Posted Online |
The Community Foundation announced that the Fall Sustainability Grant Application is now available online. Completed applications must be received by Thursday, October 3.
Sustainability Grants provide the critical operational support for the charities that sustain our quality of life in Door County. They help pay the salary of a case manager working with troubled teens,  buy music stands for a local performing arts group, install piping to bring water to a community garden, and pay teachers to help with math and reading instruction during the summer.
Sustainability Grants are rarely glamorous and are usually not the big ideas that stir one's soul. But this operational support is essential to the programs that sustain the parts of Door County that we love - and alleviate the challenges faced by working families because of the seasonal nature of our economy.
The Community Foundation offers Sustainability Grants because it has a fundamental belief that charities are essential part of our quality of life. Helping to support their operations is key to maintaining the parts of Door County that we love - and to alleviating the social issues arising from our unique seasonal economy.
Through the application for a Sustainability Grant, a non-profit organization might receive assistance from the Arts Fund, the Children & Youth Fund, the Education Fund, the Green Fund, the Health & Human Needs Fund, and/or the Historic Preservation Fund.
For more information, or to informally discuss your ideas, call (920) 746-1786, or email Christine Henkel. You can also create a charitable fund in your estate plans to support the charities or causes you care about the most. Contact Bret Bicoy for more information.
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Women's Fund Fall Grant Cycle Begins
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The Women's Fund has posted the Grant Application for Fall 2013 Sustainability Grants. Priority will be given to applications that provide education and information, build self-esteem and dignity, support solutions for critical issues, and are research-based and data-driven with a focus on solutions. 
The deadline for applications is Thursday, September 26th. Applications materials can be downloaded from the Women's Fund website.
The Women's Fund hopes to promote certain best practices in the charitable community.Special Consideration will be given to applications that (1) are collaborative and bring organizations together to accomplish a goal; (2) are innovative and offer a new or unique approach to addressing women's issues; (3) are inclusive and consider the community's diversity by engaging diverse populations; and/or (4) demonstrate that women and/or girls are involved in its planning and implementation.
For more information about the granting programs of the Women's Fund email Christine Henkel.
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Endowments in Action: The Hardy Gallery
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The Community Foundation is honored to administer Francis Hardy Center for the Arts Fund.
Established in 1962 in honor of Francis Howe Hardy, Ephraim's historic Hardy Gallery is solely dedicated to supporting Door County's extensive and vibrant visual art community.
Although a businessman by trade, Francis Hardy was an artist of recognized ability and was a tireless advocate of Door County artists. Francis envisioned the existence of a gallery that would support the development of a growing Door County art community, fostering its growth, and furthering the understanding and appreciation of the visual arts and most importantly, the artists of the Door Peninsula.
Upon his passing in 1960, Hardy's vision became a reality thanks to his wife Helen's energy and financial contributions.Today, the Hardy Gallery, as it is still affectionately known, has programs and initiatives that address the needs of the local artist community, creative enrichment of local youth, and is focused more than ever on Hardy's original vision of educating the public and promoting the visual arts and artists of the Door County Peninsula.
Please consider incorporating gift to the Francis Hardy Center for the Arts Fund in your estate plans. Speak with your attorney, accountant or other estate planning professional. Or contact the Community Foundation and we'd be glad to help facilitate your generosity.
Many charities entrust the administration of their endowment funds to the Community Foundation.
It's a safe and responsible way to manage endowed gifts, long-term assets or operational reserves. The non-profit community also counts on the Community Foundation's planned giving expertise to facilitate gifts into their endowments. By aggregating these assets under the umbrella of the Community Foundation, economies of scale allow for a far more diversified investment portfolio and lower investment fees than any of the charities could achieve on their own.
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| Give Door County Publications Available for Download |
The Community Foundation produces several publications and information sheets to help you craft a strategy to give back in the most effective - and tax efficient - way possible. Those documents are now available for anyone to download from the Community Foundation's website. 
You'll find publications like our our Guide to Endowments which highlights different charities so families have options to consider when giving back - either today or through their estate plans.
You can download an Introductory Brochure that explains the most popular charitable Funds at the Community Foundation - along with information sheets for Donor Advised Funds, Discretionary Funds, Scholarship Funds and more.
If you'd like a hard copy of any of these documents, just contact us and and we'd be glad to send them to you. And if you're an attorney, accountant, investment adviser, or trust officer, we'll send a supply of Guides, Introductory Brochures, or other materials (and display holders) for use in your office. Just contact us at the Community Foundation.
This is just another way the Community Foundation is encouraging people to give back to sustain the community we love!
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The Door County Community Foundation, Inc. is a collection of separate charitable funds set up by individuals, families, non-profit organizations, private foundations and businesses that are managed, invested and disbursed for the current and future good of Door County.
Inspiring People to Give Back to Sustain and Advance the Community We Love.
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