Our Family Tree
Learn about the generous donors who have established charitable funds through Stark Community Foundation.
In addition to growing your charitable dollars through Stark Community Foundation’s strategic investments, here are six tips to help grow your fund.
If you are lucky enough to have nearly everything you need in life, consider suggesting to your generous family, friends and colleagues who have expressed an interest in purchasing you a gift for a special occasion (birthday, holiday, wedding anniversary, congratulations, etc.) that in lieu of gifts, you would proudly accept donations to your charitable fund at Stark Community Foundation. Share with them that your charitable fund allows you to make a difference in the world by awarding grants to charitable causes that matter most to you. If you have a charitable mission for your fund, now would be the opportune time to share it and your philanthropic passions with others.
When it comes to donating money to charity, it’s a personal choice and there is no right amount to give. Consider designating a percentage of your income you are comfortable with either monthly, quarterly or annually to your charitable fund. This way, you are continuously adding to your fund and ultimately increasing your level of impact within our community.
If you’re looking for an automatic and easy way to grow your fund, consider setting up a recurring donation to your charitable fund. Simply choose a pre-determined amount of money you want to give and decide if you want to make your recurring gift monthly, quarterly or annually. You can easily set this up on our website with your debit or credit card at www.starkcf.org, or consider setting this up through your financial institution.
Donating stock instead of cash to your charitable fund can be a tax-smart move. When you donate stock, or other appreciated securities you have owned for longer than one year, you are exempt from paying capital gains tax. Plus, you may be able to receive a tax deduction for the full fair market value of the donation up to the full amount allowed by the IRS.
If you’re driven by goals, consider setting a personal challenge to increase your fund by a specific percentage by a specific date, or perhaps set a goal to have your fund reach a target balance by a specific date. Either way, a personal challenge can drive you to grow your fund, so you can continue to give more to nonprofit organizations now and in the future.
Many employers offer a corporate matching program and will financially match employee contributions to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations, allowing you to double (or even triple) the impact of your gift to your charitable fund. For more information and to find out if your employer has a program, contact your human resources office directly.