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Donors / Stories

Thank you for investing in our community ― allowing us to be responsive to the ever-changing needs and promising opportunities for growth. Your philanthropic support and generosity multiplies when combined with gifts from others, so that together we are capable of doing so much more in providing for our community.

A New Way to Give

Being a part of the Women’s Philanthropy Circle or the Men’s Philanthropy Group is an incredible way to get involved in giving back for someone

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Donor-Advised Funds

Donor Advised Funds offer flexibility and impact. These funds allow you to actively participate in the grantmaking process. You can start your own fund and recommend charitable projects or organizations you wish to support.

With a donor-advised fund, you’re able to select the nonprofits and organizations you want to help, and Bay Area Community Foundation (BACF) does all the work of administering the grants. With diligent financial management by BACF, the fund will continue to gain interest each year and continue on … forever.

Benefits of establishing a donor-advised fund with BACF

  • Enjoy cost savings and tax advantages by giving through your fund as an alternative to direct giving or creating a private foundation
  • Have the flexibility to add to your fund at any time for immediate tax deduction but choose to distribute the funds over longer periods of time
  • Make giving a family activity and include family members as advisors to the fund after your death
  • Give anonymously, if desired
  • Gain access to the Foundation’s professional staff for expert financial management
  • Honor a family member with a named fund

Ready to get started?

Call us at 989-893-4438 to set up an appointment.

Plan for the future

Including Bay Area Community Foundation in your estate will leave a legacy of support so that your community advocacy is realized forever. When you make a charitable gift to your community foundation through values-based giving, your life’s work and what you care about most live on. You are creating your own legacy…your story that will be told for generations to come.

How would you tell your own story?

Your values. Your hopes. Your desires.

  1. Define your passion.
    What causes are close to your heart? Do you want to respond to a need in the community, support a charity, provide access to higher education, or honor the memory of a loved one?
  2. Create a fund or give to an existing one.
    We will work with you to create a fund that aligns your interests with your charitable and financial goals. Your fund can be either broad or benefit a specific impact area.
  3. Decide what and when to give.
    You can donate a wide variety of assets to build your fund or give to an existing one. You can give now with liquid assets or make plans to give into the future through planned giving.
  4. Entrust the details to BACF.
    We can easily start a fund for you and will keep track of all the administrative burden so that you can focus on your passions! You can coordinate gift planning with your professional advisors.
  5. Adjust when needed.
    If your situation or interests change, we can help adjust your giving strategy. If a nonprofit organization that you fund ever closes or changes its mission, you can rest assured that even after your lifetime, BACF will preserve your original intent.
  6. See impact, for good. Forever. 
    Your gifts are turned into grants to nonprofit organizations or scholarships to local students pursuing higher education. Establishing an endowed fund ensures that your work will continue forever.

Planning today to give tomorrow

One way of giving is including a charitable gift in your will or trust. When you combine your charitable goals with your estate planning, you can minimize your tax burden, provide for your family, honor loved ones, leave a legacy in your name, and reinforce your personal values. You can even make contributions to your favorite causes ― ones that you may not have the financial resources to accomplish during your lifetime.

Do you want to …

  • Give charitably from your estate while still leaving some for family? Distribute your estate into percentages, giving a share of it to Bay Area Community Foundation, which can be distributed to several causes.
  • Make a significant gift at little cost to you? Name Bay Area Community Foundation as a beneficiary of an existing life insurance policy.
  • Avoid tax on retirement plan assets? Retirement plan assets are the most heavily taxed. Make BACF a beneficiary and leave other assets to your family.
  • Wait to give until you know you will no longer need the resources? Consider a bequest in your will or trust.
  • Supplement income for life and make a charitable gift at the same time? Establish a charitable gift annuity or a charitable remainder trust.
  • Reduce gift and estate tax when passing assets on to family? Consider a charitable lead trust.

Distributing your estate’s charitable gifts

Bay Area Community Foundation offers you flexible options to make distributing the charitable portion of your estate simple for your estate executor and easy for nonprofit recipients. Leave your estate, or a portion of your estate, to BACF and specify the amount each organization’s endowment fund should receive. We handle the rest. By investing in their endowment funds, you help ensure the organizations will continue to thrive for years to come. Partnering with us saves you money now and time later when giving through your estate plan.

It’s easy to make a gift by insurance policy, IRA beneficiary designation, or another asset. The following wording in your will can get you started:

I devise to the Bay Area Community Foundation (Tax ID 38-2418086), a Michigan nonprofit corporation, the sum of [$____] (or a specific asset or percentage of estate), for the purpose of [_____].

For as many motivations as there are to give, there are ways of giving. 

View and download our guide to help you and your professional advisor determine the custom giving solution that’s right for you.

We’re here to help. Give us a call at 989-893-4438.

Giving circles

Interested in being a part of the grantmaking process at a lower financial level? Join with other philanthropists in the area and work together to recommend projects and programs, all while enjoying a fun social evening.

BACF has giving circles for both men and women

We know that some passionate people don’t want to simply give their money, but they want to be a part of the process of helping decide which organizations it is awarded to. Four times a year, the Women’s Philanthropy Circle and Men’s Philanthropy Group gather for food, fun, and friendship—with a side of philanthropy.

Each member contributes $1,000 a year. Half of this gift is granted out that year to local organizations, and half of it is placed in an endowment fund. This endowment fund grows the impact potential for many years to come.

Recently, the groups have granted to provide clothing for women and children in need, holiday food baskets, furniture for the local women’s shelter, support for the Youth Leadership Academy, and Coats for Kids, among other projects. Each member brings their own ideas on needs in the community, and the group votes on which projects to help fund.

“It’s a great way to get involved for someone who is community-minded and wants to go about giving in a slightly different way.”Lee Miller, MPG member

 

“The Women’s Philanthropy Circle is great for women who have a philanthropic heart but not a lot of time. When we combine our resources, we can make a bigger impact. It’s instant gratification. You know you’re helping someone immediately that could use your lift. It’s amazing to see all we have accomplished so far.”– Barb Engelhardt, original WPC member              

Both groups are always accepting new members.

Contact us to learn how to get involved.

Giving resources

We are happy to help guide you through your giving process. We’ll go through your options for giving and explain them in greater detail. You may also find these resources helpful as you’re getting started:

Call us at 989-893-4438. We’re happy to help.