Why Effingham County Community Foundation?
ECCF carries out its mission by building permanent endowments as charitable capital for our local community. We maintain the highest professional standards for the investment and management of the funds entrusted to the Foundation. ECCF also promotes effective grant making to serve both the current and future needs of the greater Effingham area.
ECCF offers many advantages to donors and their professional advisors. We constantly strive to ensure that the giving process is as streamlined and safe as possible so our donors can focus on the most important aspect of philanthropy - helping others. Some of the rewards of choosing to work with us include:
Permanence. As living memorials, funds held by the Effingham County Community Foundation carry out the desired charitable interests in perpetuity. If a fund's purpose becomes outdated over time, we'll redirect it to similar purposes.
Tax Advantages. Because we're a public charity and not a private foundation, all donations qualify for the maximum available deduction for charitable contributions. Our funds also avoid the excise taxes and other restrictions placed on private foundations.
Charitable Impact. ECCF understands the needs and roles of nonprofit organizations in the Effingham County area, so we can target grants where they do the most good. By pooling contributions for administration and investment purposes, we incur lower management costs than a separate private foundation. This means more money goes to the desired charities than in other arrangements where overhead costs are higher.
Flexibility. Each donor can name a fund or remain anonymous, choose general charitable purposes or very specific ones, make modest gifts or large ones, and donate assets ranging from cash to real estate to artwork.
Convenience. Most funds can be created in one brief meeting. Afterward, the donor retains the satisfaction of giving while we take care of management and paperwork.
Advantages for Individual Donors
The Effingham County Community Foundation is flexible by nature and works with donors on a one-on-one basis to fulfill their philanthropic wishes. There are many advantages to an individual setting up a fund at ECCF, including:
- All gifts to ECCF are fully tax deductible
- ECCF's Unrestricted Funds work to support the entire community - donors can be part of something "larger"
- Setting up a Donor-Advised Fund at ECCF removes the legal, management, and accounting hassles associated with private family foundations established for the same purpose
- A person can memorialize a loved one through an Organization Endowment Fund at the community foundation
- Donors can put restrictions on a Field of Interest Fund that will help support issues they care about in perpetuity
- The ECCF makes setting up an endowed Scholarship Fund easy
- The donor has many choices between fund types, funding methods, and fund recipients, and ECCF is able to accommodate virtually any mix of these variables
Advantages for Organizational Donors
Non-profit organizations may receive tremendous benefits from setting up an Organization Endowment Fund at the Effingham County Community Foundation. Here are just a few of the advantages for a charity that chooses to establish a fund with ECCF:
- Unburdens non-profits of administrative responsibilities, freeing up the charity to pursue its core mission
- ECCF offers professional management of large gifts - it's our business
- ECCF's staff can help explain benefits of endowment to the charities' potential donors & board members
- Pooled income from a variety of funds maximizes returns
- Endowments can create a new income stream by offering regular interest payments
- An endowed fund at the ECCF can bring credibility to an organization
Inclusion on the Foundation's printed materials that are distributed to attorneys and advisors can create new awareness among potential donors to the specific organization
Advantages for Professional Advisors
Professional advisors are in a unique position to help increase the philanthropic resources of the community by working with the Effingham County Community Foundation. Whether your clients are interested in tax advantages, building a family tradition of giving, or finding an effective alternative to a private foundation, we can help.
Through a variety of gift planning options, we can be a resource for you and your clients when developing bequests, Donor-Advised Funds, and Charitable Remainder Trusts. ECCF makes good financial sense for your clients. Some of our advantages include:
- Substantial Tax Savings. Because our community foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization, all gifts to it are tax deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law.
- Low Administrative Costs. As a public charity, ECCF is exempt from excise tax and is free of many of the administrative costs and restrictions placed on private foundations. Therefore, more of your clients' dollars can be used to address charitable needs in the community.
- Professional Stewardship of Assets. Preserving and growing charitable dollars to meet the ever-changing needs of communities is our goal. Regular performance monitors, a diversified investment portfolio that minimizes market risk, internal and external audits, independent counsel, and utilizing the latest accounting software systems are just some of the ways ECCF demonstrates the highest levels of professional financial stewardship.
- Permanent Support of Charitable Interests. ECCF provides a variety of fund options for donors. This is particularly appealing to donors who have many charitable interests, as well as those who wish to have varying degrees of involvement in making decisions about charitable contributions. Grants from funds at the Community Foundation can be made in the donor's name, and multiple generations can be involved in the grant making process.
Consider ECCF an important resource that will work with you to develop recommendations for your clients. For more information, contact us at (217) 342-4988.
Plan Ahead
Once you've discovered how affordable and financially advantageous charitable giving can be, you may be surprised. Before making any large decision about your financial or charitable wishes, ECCF suggests you consult with your financial advisor, accountant or attorney. These professionals can help you better understand how your personal situation may improve and your charitable dreams can be realized by setting up a fund at our community foundation.
