How to Give   Tax Benefits   Creating a Fund   Existing Funds   Affiliates   Donor Rights

It is important that you make an informed decision when you make a gift to charity – including a gift to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. We hope the following outline will help you in making the best decisions as you strive to help others and our community.

What are your interests and goals?

Let's face it: all of us live on budgets. Our resources may be more or less than the person next door, but there is always a degree of constraint on what we can afford. Therefore, know what you want to support. Then support the charitable activities that will ensure your generosity makes a difference.

• Are you interested in the arts? Children or the elderly? The environment?
• Do you want to support current programs? Or, do you want to support an endowment that will address your interests for generations to come?
• Do you want to use your gift to pass your charitable ideals on to other family members?
• Is your gift intended to create a lasting memory of a loved one, your family or your business?

The Community Foundation can help you identify your interests. We can also help you address multiple goals at once, due to our flexibility and range of services. Through our gift-planning expertise, we may be able to show you how you can make a bigger gift than you thought your resources would allow.

What is the credibility of the charity or program you are supporting?

Any nonprofit organization you wish to support should be able to provide you with evidence of its charitable status. A public charity can also share with you its tax return and other financial data if you are interested in reviewing those items. You can find some of this information by reviewing IRS Publication 78 (available at www.irs.gov) or the Guidestar Web site (www.guidestar.org).

The Community Foundation is recognized by the IRS as a public 501(c)(3) charity (Download Adobe PDF Document) and is registered in the state of Michigan. Our financial audit and other organizational information are available to you.

What do you want to give, how much and when?

Do you wish to make a gift of cash, appreciated securities or some other property? Each gift presents it own set of tax consequences - or opportunities! There may be questions about how to make the gift. In addition, many people are surprised to learn that their charitable deduction can be affected by what they decide to give and when they give it. For example, your gift of privately held stock may be valued at the price you paid for it or its current fair market value, depending on the type of charity that will receive it.

Sometimes gifts can be deferred until a future date while currently providing income for you and your loved ones. These "planned gifts" can be useful in retirement- and income-planning.

Be assured, the Community Foundation offers the most favorable income tax treatment for your gift due to our public charity status. We can also assist you and your professional advisors in determining what assets you should gift and how, in order to maximize the benefits to you and others.

What continuing involvement do you - or others close to you - want to have?

You and others may want to continue to be involved in how the assets you gift are put to use. You may also wish to have your family involved with you, so you can pass down a tradition of community involvement and your charitable ideals.

Historically, continuing involvement was reserved for those who could afford to create - and maintain – private foundations. With the Community Foundation, you can establish several types of funds that permit you to continue to be involved in your philanthropy.

What support will you get in making your gift - now and in the future?

Will the charity you are working with help you work through these details? Do you have professional advisors - attorneys, accountants and financial advisors - equipped to assist you in this process? How will you manage grants and administrative matters if you are contemplating creating a private foundation?

The Community Foundation can provide you with guidance in all of these areas. We can help you adjust your long-term goals and plans as situations and charitable needs change. We work daily with donors and their professional advisors to provide the support you deserve. You are doing something of great value, and we can help make that as enjoyable and productive as possible.