Community Concerns: Holidays mark time of planned giving

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The giving season is here! |ret||ret||tab|

The giving season began on Thanksgiving and will officially end midnight Dec. 31. |ret||ret||tab|

Until then, we will find ourselves surrounded by news stories and pictures and solicitation letters, and we will be faced with the annual task of finding that just-right Christmas present for everyone on our lists.|ret||ret||tab|

For in this season, many charities will receive the contributed funds necessary to offer their services to the community for yet another year. |ret||ret||tab|

My recommendation is to give proactively in other words, to whom you wish and whether or not you are asked. |ret||ret||tab|

And we are seeing some of that type of giving here at Community Foundation, as some of our loyal supporters are sending in Sustaining Membership checks and others are calling about transferring stock to our account before the end of the year. |ret||ret||tab|

Good luck to you, gentle reader, as you make your giving decisions this year.|ret||ret||tab|

To put this giving thing in perspective, here are some interesting statistics:|ret||ret||tab|

gave $190 billion to charity in 1999. That's an increase of 15 billion dollars over 1998. These and other figures are gathered by the AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy and published annually in Giving USA. |ret||ret||tab|

out of 10 American households give something to charity each year but less than 2 percent have made a planned gift through a trust or bequest.|ret||ret||tab|

In Springfield, the local chapter of the National Society of Fundraising Executives soon to become the Association of Fundraising Professionals conducted an informal survey of philanthropy in connection with the recent Philanthropy Day. |ret||ret||tab|

Approximately 19 local nonprofits reported a total of $29,999,740 in charitable gifts, 7 million individuals served and 556,000 volunteer hours donated.|ret||ret||tab|

Just think of what the statistics might have been if all 45 of the nonprofits represented within the NSFRE membership had responded!|ret||ret||tab|

Within the community foundation world, the annual survey conducted by the Columbus Foundation has just been released, giving among other things the top 100 in gifts received, total assets and grants. The 1999 results that caught our eye around the office are:|ret||ret||tab|

largest community foundation was the New York Community Trust at $2 billion in charitable assets.|ret||ret||tab|

10 on the list is our neighbor, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation at $500 million. |ret||ret||tab|

St. Louis Community Foundation is No. 89 with $63 million. |ret||ret||tab|

We got excited when we read that the No. 100 community foundation in this category had charitable assets of $51 million. With $35 million as of Sept. 30, we could see ourselves showing up on this list before too long.|ret||ret||tab|

grants paid, the New York Community Foundation also was first, with $128 million, and Kansas City was No. 3 at $79 million. |ret||ret||tab|

In gifts received the Omaha, Neb., Community Foundation was No. 1 with $196 million. |ret||ret||tab|

This is the home of Warren Buffet, who uses OCF for his charitable giving. |ret||ret||tab|

City ranked No. 4 in gifts received with $142 million, and a revitalizing Tulsa, Okla. Community Foundation received $28 million, to rank No. 31. |ret||ret||tab|

Hutchinson, Kan. Community Foundation was No. 100 on the gifts received list with $6.8 million, not too far off from our $4.5 million, once again elevating the pulse rate around our office with the expectation of making this prestigious list.|ret||ret||tab|

|bold_on|(Jan Horton is president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. She is proud to be a lifelong volunteer, devotee of the arts, nature lover and environmentalist.)[[In-content Ad]]