Better Together: Building Impact
It’s easy to feel like we don’t have control over the things that are happening around us. We’re seeing rising costs for common goods and budgets are stretched thin. Need for community resources increases. We hear about terrible things on the news. Don’t get me wrong: amazing, beautiful things are happening all around us, but those aren’t the stories that keep me up in the middle of the night wondering if the things I do make enough of an impact.
As an individual, it’s way too easy to defeat yourself before you even get started helping those around you. “One person can’t make an impact. It’s all too much to fix, and we’re too broke, too lost, or too far behind to get very far,” we tell ourselves. Then, if you are feeling compelled to give…how do you know that your donation will be used the way you intend that money to be used? It’s hard to trust and to know that your impact makes a true difference in the way you desire. That’s why I love working at the Fayette Community Foundation. I work with people who feel the way I do and help build a way to make a lasting difference that doesn’t change or drift from their original intentions. It’s the original DIY for transforming our community.
Our initial donors decided they could make a difference for generations to come by building an endowment. That same path is available to you now and it’s a unique way to ensure your wishes make the change you want to see. Endowments are completely designated by you and built with your intentions in mind. It’s the responsibility of the Fayette Community Foundation from here on out to ensure we meet your goals every year. It’s also pretty easy to get started meeting your philanthropic goals.
1) You can start an endowment with a lump sum. This is a great way to make a large impact. You choose the charitable recipient or topic to support and any specifications on how your donation is to be used. Each year, a disbursement will be made (grant or scholarship) and the remaining balance will continue to earn interest so that your funds will continue to be there for your intended purpose for generations to come.
Of course, donating a lump sum like that can seem unrealistic in this economy. Many of us are paying off student loans, trying to start saving for retirement or for a down payment on a house, or raising kids, all of which come with their own expenses. Still, there’s a way for you to get involved and make a positive change in Fayette County without having a lot of disposable cash.
2) You can commit to build an endowment. People who are interested in creating a fund that supports a specific cause can work with us to build the structure for an endowment and then commit to funding it fully within five years. If you break it down, that’s less than $100 per month. What makes this even more achievable is getting family to join in with you so you can divide that $100 up among more participants. You can set up an endowment in honor of someone – like your grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary or simply to celebrate your family and the legacy they’d like to leave for Fayette County.
3) Our next option for donors is to consider joining a fund they already truly believe in and adding their donation to it. Every dollar added to an existing fund helps it grow and disburse more in grants to the recipient organization. By joining a current fund, you’re able to immediately make an impact and join like-minded people who also support the initiatives you care about. It can be a little confusing to know what funds the Fayette Community Foundation has, so I’d recommend calling us and starting a conversation about what is important to you. We’ll make some suggestions based on your needs and you can examine how those funds operate. We have endowments supporting arts and cultural development, community improvement, economic development efforts, public safety, elderly services, children and youth programs, family services, community education, and more.
My goal is to make supporting your community accessible. Helping out shouldn’t be reserved for a select few. We can all make a difference right now and do it in a way that makes us confident that we’re supporting a cause in a way that has true meaning. If you have any questions or want to know more about getting started, let’s talk! Call the Foundation at (765) 827-9966 or email info@givetofcf.com.