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February 2013

New Members
of the Community Foundation Fund Family
Donor Advised Funds

 Carlton & Kelly Brewer
John & Gina Zierdt
Gumby
Bruce/Amelia Summerville
S. Gibson
Johnson Family Trust
Dan & Jeni Kratohvil
Randy & Becky Word
Randy & Libby Blackwood

In God We Trust
BAMITY
Anjana & Mulk Arora
John & Judith Houser
Cairn 
Caprio Family

 
Corporate Giving Funds

WaveLink Gives Back

 

Organizational 
Giving Funds

ACME Club/Charles Shaver Legacy Fund

Nonprofit Funds
Randolph School 
Community Learning Initiative
  
Land Trust-new 
Food Bank
Food Bank of North Alabama
Professional Advisors

Lunch & Learn

for

Professional Advisors

 

Friday, March 1

11:30 am - 12:30 pm

 

Sirote Permutt

305 Church Street, Suite 800

 

Hosted by John Baggette

 

The event is free, but pre-registration is required.  To register, please contact Lynne Berry at 256.535.2065 or at
  
Free community event
Lynne Berry, Executive Director of the Community Foundation, will be the featured speaker at the Friends of the Library's Hertha Heller Forum on February 24 at 2 p.m.  Ms. Berry will present "Charitable Giving with Impact and Tax Advantage."  This free community event will be held in the auditorium of the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, located at 915 Monroe Street.
Recent Statistics
Since obtaining our nonprofit status in September 2009, the Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County has established 94 donor advised funds, 
2 corporate giving funds, 19 nonprofit funds, 3 fiscal sponsorships, and
1 designated fund together totaling over $11,000,000.

The Foundation has distributed nearly $1,900,000 to nonprofits and churches on behalf of donors.
Nonprofit

lunch and learn

Friday, March 8

11:30 am - 12:30 pm

225 Church Street

 

This is a great opportunity for nonprofit organizations in the Huntsville/ Madison County area to learn more about the Community Foundation and about how we work to increase giving in our community

 

to register 
In the News

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has donated $500 million in stock to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to fund health and education issues.  Read this ARTICLE for more information about his donation. 

If you would like to learn more about how you too can establish a fund to benefit critical needs in our community, please contact the Community Foundation.

Board of Directors and Staff

  

James Gilbert, M.D, Chair

Bob Ludwig, Vice Chair
Liz Abel, Secretary
Rusty Stephenson, Treasurer
Chris Russell, Past Chair
John Baggette

Ken Barnett
Bill Fleming

Elizabeth Fleming

Jeremiah Knight
Sandra Moon

Anne Marie Reidy, M.D.
Dianne Reynolds
Gary Saliba
Sarah Savage

 

Margaret Anne Goldsmith

Emeritus Board Member


 Staff

 The Community Foundation employs three part-time employees. 


Lynne Berry

Executive Director
 
 

 Melissa Thompson

Director of Community Relations
 

Joyce Rinaldi

Financial Administrator

 
Leaving a Legacy

 

You can make a positive difference in the lives of people in your community.

 

Gifts of endowment keep on giving and supporting the causes you care about most. Turn your gift into a lasting legacy.
  
Anyone can be a philanthropist; let us show you how.


 
Happy Valentines' Day

Celebrating the generous heart of our community

 

The Community Foundation will be getting a fully-integrated, customized community foundation management system, thanks to generous donors who stepped forward to match a $30,000 challenge donation.  An anonymous donor promised in late November to give $30,000 toward a new system for the rapidly-growing foundation if the amount could be matched by December 31. 

 

"Several donors stepped forward," Community Foundation board chairman Dr. James Gilbert said on December 18.  "We want to especially thank our lead donors, Hank and Beth Pearce."

 

"Beth and I are happy to help the Community Foundation in this way," Hank Pearce said in a statement.  "They provide wonderful services for donors, nonprofits, and churches.  They are a young foundation.  We agree with the anonymous donor who made the match that they need this support so they can grow into a major force for the good of this community, and we are happy to help."

 

Other donors included Bill Fleming, Vulcan Materials Company Foundation, Scott Parker, Torch Helps, Richard and Vicky Scherberger, Wendy Yang and Rick Myers, Sandra Moon, and Lyle and Ruth Taylor.

ACME Club creates legacy fund to honor
Charles Shaver III

The Acme Club of Huntsville has established the Charles Shaver III Acme Fund, the Community Foundation's first Organizational Giving Fund.
Charles Shaver III

According to Paul Lindgren, Acme
Club Treasurer, "This fund, named in honor of the late Charles Shaver III, an Acme Club member, will provide a dedicated charitable arm for the club.  It will enable us to provide scholarships and other support for the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Alabama.  We plan to raise $25,000 this year as we partner with the Boys and Girls Clubs to create a safe environment for future leaders and build relationships that bond our community together across generations and neighborhoods."

An Organizational Giving Fund enables those who donate to a club's project to get a tax deduction, even if the club is not a 501(c)(3) organization.  The minimum balace to set up an Organizational Giving Fund is $10,000.  There is a $250 set-up fee, as well as a 2% fee on all contributions.  The Community Foundation will issue all needed tax receipts, do the accounting for the fund, and make the distributions to charity.
  
For more information about how your club can set up an Organizational Giving Fund at the Community Foundation, please contact Lynne Berry at 256.535.2065 or at [email protected].

Professional advisors on the front line to facilitate charitable giving

Huntsville is fortunate to have many competent professional advisors who actively work to accomplish their clients' estate planning, financial, and charitable objectives.  Many of these advisors have found that the Community Foundation can be a great partner.

 

Paul Frederick of Maynard Cooper & Gale, PC shares his experiences working with the Foundation.  

Paul Frederick
Paul Frederick talks about estate planning

 

If you are a professional advisor who would like to learn more about how to use the Community Foundation as a part of your client's financial or estate planning, please attend the Lunch & Learn for Professional Advisors on March 1.  For more information, please contact Lynne Berry at 256.535.2065 or at [email protected].

How to make a charitable gift for cents on the dollar

Did you know that if you couple your intent to benefit your favorite charity with some smart tax planning, you can make your gift for cents on the dollar? 

With the changes in the tax brackets for top income earners, now more than ever there are some great opportunities for making gifts to charity.  Top earners should consult with their financial advisors to determine whether to include charitable gifts of appreciated assets within their overall tax strategy.
  
By way of example, here is a comparison of a gift of $10,000 of cash with a gift of $10,000 of a highly-appreciated asset for a donor in the top income brackets:
  
 
Under the new tax rules, deductions may be limited for certain taxpayers with adjusted gross income at or above the following thresholds:
  • $300,000 joint filers
  • $250,000 single filers
Please consult your Financial Advisor for additional information about how the new tax rules apply to you and about how you can maximize your giving by donating appreciated assets to your favorite charity.
 
Nonprofit Spotlight
Many of our Huntsville-area nonprofit organizations are  discovering the benefits of managing their "rainy day funds" or strategic reserve funds through the Community Foundation of Huntsville/ Madison County.  Some of the benefits for the nonprofit organization are as follows:
  • Professional money management at a reasonable fee
  • Board is able to focus on its mission
  • Proven protection for financial assets
  • Liquidity without penalties
  • Increased visibility - your nonprofit is listed on our promotional information and on our website, which allows you to leverage our growing reach into the community
  • Beneficial partnership - your donors will be exposed to our services, which may benefit both them and your nonprofit
Since 2011, Still Serving Veterans (SSV) has been one of our nonprofit fundholders.  Still Serving Veterans empowers Veterans, including wounded warriors and their families, to transition into post-military careers and receive the maximum benefits they earned. Still Serving Veterans provides workforce development, career counseling, VA benefits advocacy and referral services for Veterans and their families.  We are proud to partner with SSV to manage their investment funds so that they can focus on this important mission.  Since 2007, SSV has secured over $78 million in new benefits and salaries for their Veteran clients.  In 2012 alone, they conducted 3,499 one-on-one counseling sessions, helped 164 Veterans secure meaningful new careers, and helped their clients receive over $7.7 million in new salaries and benefits.  Watch the video segment below to learn more about their work. 
Still Serving Veterans Helping Veterans Home From War
Still Serving Veterans Helping
Veterans Home From War
 
 
If you want to learn more about how your nonprofit organization can benefit by having the Community Foundation manage your funds, please contact Melissa Thompson at [email protected] or at 256.535.2065.

 Need a speaker for your next meeting?

The staff at the Community Foundation is available to speak to professional and civic groups on topics related to maximizing the impact of your charitable giving, involving your children in your philanthropy decisions, and strengthening your nonprofit through effective investment management.   For more information or to schedule a presentation, please contact Lynne Berry or Melissa Thompson at 256.535.2065 or at [email protected].

The Community Foundation of Huntsville/Madison County
Mailing Address:  P.O. Box 332, Huntsville, AL 35804

Physical Address:  225 Church Street, Huntsville, AL  35801
256.535.2065

[email protected]