WAYS YOU CAN GIVE
We work with donors from all walks of life who want to create unique funds to improve the communities they care about. Whatever your passion is -- art, education, serving the poor, improving our neighborhoods, preserving our history -- we can offer you a simple and effective way to give back to The Mead Area.
FIRST STEPS
1. CLARIFY YOUR CHARITABLE GOALS
The first step is to define and clarify what you want to do. Do you want to...
- Help support the broad needs of our community?
- Create a fund to meet a specific need or benefit a specific charity?
- Become more involved with philanthropy?
- Establish a scholarship?
Your ideas don't have to match what others have already done. If your long-term charitable goals are primarily centered in the local community, there's a good chance that using our community foundation will help simplify your plans.
2. REVIEW THE BASIC FUND TYPES
The Mead Area Community Foundation offers four basic types of charitable gift funds.
- BUILDER AND DEVELOPER'S FUND Coming Soon!
- UNRESTRICTED FUNDS allow our community foundation's board of directors to support the broad needs of local communities. A gift to The Mead Area Community Foundation will support our core mission.
- DESIGNATED FUND enable interested donors to support a specific need, provide endowment support to one or more specific local nonprofit organizations, or create a new program to support a specific local cause.
- DONOR ADVISED FUNDS allow donors who want to get and stay involved in local philanthropy to do so in an easy, efficient, and affordable way. We keep our donor advisors informed of local giving opportunities while allowing them to recommend grants to specific organizations.
- If none of these fund types seems to fit what you have in mind, you can custom design a fund to meet your individual interests. In fact, some donors may establish multiple funds to meet multiple goals.
3. CHOOSE HOW YOU WANT TO GIVE
If you plan to make a major gift, we recommend you work with your accountant, attorney, or other financial advisor to determine what assets make the most sense for you to give. Few people are motivated to give because of the tax deduction, but the simplicity of giving through a community foundation affords an excellent opportunity to maximize your charitable tax benefits.
We accept a wide variety of charitable assets, from gifts of cash or stocks to gifts of real property and land.
4. CONTACT US
Whether it's your first step or your last, we'd like to meet with you to discuss your plans and learn about your dreams for the Mead community. Even if you simply plan to name the community foundation in your will, we'd like to hear what your hopes and wishes are. We would also enjoy the opportunity to meet you. Please feel free to contact us at any time.