Updates from Your Community Foundation Team for November 2026
Hello from the community foundation!
November is a wonderful time to celebrate generosity! With National Philanthropy Day, Community Foundation Week, and GivingTuesday all coming up, we're reminded of the many ways individuals, families, and businesses make a difference in our region. We're especially grateful for the opportunity to work with you to support the causes you care about and help bring your charitable goals to life.
As year-end approaches, we're sharing ideas to help you think about your giving from a few different perspectives, including opportunities to make an impact today, support future community needs, and take advantage of charitable planning strategies.
Expanding your impact: FAQs about unrestricted funds
What if you could make a charitable gift today that helps address community needs for years to come, including needs we can't yet anticipate? The community foundation is happy to answer frequently asked questions about unrestricted funds, including how they work, why they matter, and how you can establish one at the community foundation.
From billionaires to small business owners: Entrepreneurs are giving back
You don't have to be a billionaire to make philanthropy part of your personal or business success story! From the founders of a major artificial intelligence company to entrepreneurs building charitable giving into their businesses, the community foundation loves sharing inspiring examples of generosity at work, along with ideas for incorporating philanthropy into your financial plans.
If you're thinking that, consider this: Five charitable giving ideas for year-end
As December 31 approaches, you may be considering how to make the most of your charitable giving under the new 2026 tax rules. We're offering five practical examples of how the community foundation can help translate what you’re thinking into what you can be doing to accomplish even more for the causes you care about.
As always, thank you for the opportunity to work together to make our community a better place. Please reach out anytime, especially as year-end approaches. We'd love to hear what you're thinking about supporting favorite causes and explore how the community foundation can help!
—Your community foundation
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Expanding your impact: FAQs about unrestricted funds
Year-end is a busy and fun time for many reasons, including supporting causes you care about. This season, three occasions help celebrate the importance of charitable giving:
National Philanthropy Day, observed November 15, has been recognized in the U.S. since 1986.
Community Foundation Week, an annual observance recognizing the work of community foundations across the country, is set for November 12 - 18 this year.
GivingTuesday, a global generosity movement, occurs on December 1 this year. (Americans gave $4.0 billion on GivingTuesday 2025, up 13% from the year before!)
Philanthropy takes many forms, and the community foundation is honored every single day to work with so many individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to improve quality of life in our region. Whatever your favorite cause, the community foundation is here to help you achieve your charitable goals.
Take a moment to reflect on all the ways you give back, from volunteering and serving on nonprofit boards to establishing a donor-advised fund or another type of fund at the community foundation to organize your charitable giving. You’re making a difference!
As you contemplate your “philanthropy portfolio” during this year’s giving season, you might consider expanding your community impact by making an unrestricted gift to the community foundation, or even establishing an unrestricted fund. An unrestricted fund lets you entrust charitable dollars to the community foundation's board of directors and professional staff, who determine how best to use those resources to address the community's changing needs. Depending on how the fund is structured, it can support the community today and for generations to come.
Consider a few frequently asked questions about unrestricted funds:
Why invest in the community foundation through an unrestricted fund?
Major advantages of the community foundation include its perpetual structure, community-based governance, and commitment to addressing the community’s changing needs. An unrestricted fund allows you and your family to provide support that evolves over time as priorities in the region shift.
The community foundation’s mission is to thoroughly understand the community and improve lives within it.
The community foundation’s board and professional staff continually assess community needs and work with local organizations to identify opportunities for impact.
Establishing an unrestricted fund means you are investing in the community foundation’s ability to address today’s most pressing needs and those we can’t yet anticipate.
What are the steps to establish an unrestricted fund?
The community foundation’s professional staff will work with you to create documentation that establishes your unrestricted fund. Notably:
You may name the fund whatever you’d like.
You may add assets to the fund during your lifetime. In the alternative, or in addition, you may wish to make arrangements in your estate plan for the fund to receive a bequest from your will, trust, or beneficiary designation following your death.
As is the case with other contributions to community foundation funds, lifetime gifts to your unrestricted fund generally qualify for an income tax charitable deduction, subject to applicable tax rules and limitations. Qualifying charitable bequests to the fund may also be eligible for a federal estate tax charitable deduction.
How is an unrestricted fund administered?
When you establish an unrestricted fund at the community foundation, you are engaging the foundation’s board of directors and professional staff to use the money in the fund to achieve the greatest impact for the community for the long term.
Every day, the team at the community foundation works with members of our board of directors, civic leaders, and nonprofit organizations to deeply understand where people need help.
Today, the most pressing needs might be for emergency assistance in response to a disaster. Tomorrow, the need could be for education, youth services, research to improve access to healthcare, or something else entirely.
Your community foundation has its finger on the pulse of the community’s top priorities and works with local partners to identify the best ways to address them.
Ways to make an unrestricted gift
You can certainly give cash to establish your unrestricted fund or make an unrestricted gift to the community foundation. Here are other options that may be more tax-advantageous:
Giving stock or other long-term appreciated assets directly to the community foundation can be more tax-efficient than selling them, incurring capital gains tax, and giving the proceeds.
If you’re 70½ or older, you may be able to make an unrestricted gift to the community foundation or an eligible unrestricted fund through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) made directly from your IRA.
Naming the community foundation as a beneficiary in your will, trust, or IRA, and directing the gift to an unrestricted fund, is another way to create a lasting legacy.
As always, please consult your estate planning and tax advisors to learn how each type of gift may or may not apply in your own situation.
Whether you would like to move forward with an unrestricted gift in the near future, or simply would like to learn more, please reach out! Our team is always here for you. Most of all, thank you for all you do on National Philanthropy Day, during Community Foundation Week, on GivingTuesday, and every day to make our community a better place!
From billionaires to small business owners: Entrepreneurs are giving back
Entrepreneurs are known for turning big ideas into successful businesses. Increasingly, some are also finding creative ways to turn their financial success into charitable impact. And while the headlines often focus on extraordinary fortunes, business owners of all sizes are demonstrating that philanthropy doesn’t require billions of dollars to make a meaningful difference.
Consider the founders of Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company. In an essay earlier this year, CEO Dario Amodei confirmed that the company’s co-founders have pledged to donate 80% of their personal wealth from the company to charitable causes. As Inc. reported, that pledge covers all seven co-founders. With the company’s potential valuation reaching extraordinary heights, the commitment could eventually translate into substantial charitable resources. The founders’ approach reflects a desire to use business success to address significant societal challenges.
But this spirit of generosity isn’t limited to the founders of multibillion-dollar companies.
Another recent Inc. article on a new generation of founders highlights entrepreneurs who are building charitable giving into their businesses from the start, following the example of Newman’s Own. Actor Paul Newman co-founded the company with author A.E. Hotchner, and 100% of its after-tax profits go to charitable purposes through nonprofit ownership.
One example is WellWithAll, a health and wellness company that commits 20% of its profits to initiatives addressing health equity. Another is Two Blind Brothers, an apparel company founded by brothers Bradford and Bryan Manning. For years, the company directed its profits to organizations supporting people affected by blindness, and this year, according to Inc., it became a 501(c)(3) public charity modeled on Newman’s Own. These businesses illustrate how entrepreneurs can make charitable giving a defining part of their companies’ missions, even without the financial resources of a technology giant.
Of course, you don’t have to own a business to make a difference. Nor do you need to commit a particular percentage of your wealth to charity. Whether your charitable resources come from a successful business, retirement savings, an inheritance, appreciated investments, or simply money set aside from your annual budget, there are opportunities to make an impact.
That’s where the community foundation can help.
For example, a business owner preparing to sell a company might explore contributing a portion of the business interest to a charitable fund well before a sale is agreed, subject to appropriate legal and tax planning. Business owners may also want to explore ways to build giving into the company itself, not just their personal finances. A donor-advised fund can provide a flexible way to support favorite charitable organizations over time while involving family members in giving decisions.
Meanwhile, a donor with more modest resources might establish a fund to support a favorite local cause, contribute to an existing community foundation fund, or make gifts over several years to help build lasting support for an organization or community need. Donors can also explore gifts through their estate plans, allowing them to make a meaningful charitable commitment while preserving financial resources during their lifetimes.
The common thread is that philanthropy is not defined by the size of a gift. What matters is the intention behind it and the difference it can make.
The community foundation works with individuals, families, and businesses with a wide range of charitable goals and financial circumstances. Whether you’re considering a significant gift following a business transaction or simply looking for a more intentional way to support the causes you care about, we’re here to help you explore the possibilities.
You don’t have to build a billion-dollar company to leave a lasting charitable legacy. The community foundation is honored to be your home for charitable giving, whether you are investing $250, $25,000, or $25 million to improve our region’s quality of life.
If you're thinking that, consider this: Five charitable giving ideas for year-end
As the end of the year approaches, you may be thinking about your charitable giving plans alongside other financial and tax planning decisions. And with several new charitable tax provisions taking effect in 2026, it's especially important to consider not just how much you want to give, but also when and how you make your gifts.
A recent CNBC article about year-end tax strategies offers a timely reminder to review your financial picture before December 31. Charitable giving can be an important part of that process, particularly when you match your philanthropic goals with the right assets and giving strategies.
Here are five examples of how a simple change in approach might help you accomplish more with your charitable dollars.
If you're thinking, "I want to give to charity, but I usually take the standard deduction," consider making a qualifying cash gift.
Beginning in 2026, taxpayers who don't itemize deductions may be eligible to deduct up to $1,000 in qualifying cash contributions, or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly. This creates a new opportunity to receive a federal income tax benefit for gifts to eligible charities, even without itemizing. Contributions to donor-advised funds do not qualify for this particular deduction, but the community foundation can help you identify eligible charitable organizations and giving opportunities that align with your interests.
If you're thinking, "I'd like to make a significant charitable gift, but I'm not sure which organizations to support yet," consider a donor-advised fund.
Perhaps you've experienced an unusually high-income year or simply want to set aside a meaningful amount for charity. A donor-advised fund at the community foundation lets you make an irrevocable charitable contribution now, potentially receive a tax deduction in the year of the gift, and recommend grants to qualified charities over time. This approach can be especially useful if you're considering combining several years of charitable giving into one year for tax planning purposes, particularly in light of the new rule limiting itemized charitable deductions to contributions exceeding 0.5% of adjusted gross income. Meanwhile, you can take more time to decide which causes to support.
If you're thinking, "I want to make a gift, but I don't want to sell my investments," consider giving appreciated stock.
Suppose you've owned shares of a publicly traded company for several years and they've increased substantially in value. Rather than selling the shares and donating the proceeds, you might consider transferring the stock directly to a charitable fund at the community foundation. Depending on your circumstances, donating long-term appreciated securities directly to charity may allow you to avoid recognizing capital gains on the appreciation, potentially avoid other tax consequences associated with selling the securities, and qualify for a charitable income tax deduction. The community foundation can work with you and your advisors to coordinate the transfer and help you support your favorite charitable causes.
If you're thinking, "I have to take money out of my IRA anyway," consider a qualified charitable distribution.
If you're age 70½ or older, you may be eligible to make a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD, directly from your IRA to an eligible charity. A QCD is generally excluded from taxable income and can count toward your required minimum distribution if you have one. Although QCDs cannot be made to donor-advised funds, the community foundation can help you explore other eligible funds and charitable giving options. This strategy may be particularly attractive if you want to support charity without increasing your adjusted gross income through an IRA withdrawal.
If you're thinking, "I want my charitable giving to continue long after I'm gone," consider a gift through your estate plan.
You don't necessarily have to make a substantial gift during your lifetime to establish a lasting charitable legacy. For example, you might name the community foundation as a beneficiary of a retirement account and direct the gift to a particular charitable fund, include a charitable bequest in your will or trust, or establish an endowment to support a favorite cause over time. The community foundation can help you explore arrangements that reflect your charitable priorities while working with your legal and financial advisors to ensure your plans are properly documented.
Of course, these are just a few examples. Your personal financial circumstances, charitable interests, and long-term goals will determine which approaches make the most sense.
The important thing is to recognize that charitable giving doesn't have to follow a one-size-fits-all formula. Whether you're making a modest annual contribution, considering a gift of appreciated assets, or planning a charitable legacy, there may be opportunities to structure your giving in ways that support both your financial goals and the causes you care about.
The community foundation is always happy to help you explore the possibilities. Before the year comes to a close, consider reaching out to discuss what you're thinking about accomplishing through charitable giving. Together with your tax, legal, and financial advisors, we can help you turn those intentions into a thoughtful plan.
The team at the community foundation is honored to serve as a resource and sounding board as you build your charitable plans and pursue your philanthropic objectives for making a difference in the community. This newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal, accounting, or financial planning advice. Please consult your tax or legal advisor to learn how this information might apply to your own situation.