Ensure your philanthropy, large or small, becomes a reality

“While the ultra-wealthy may be the best-known philanthropists, they are by no means the only ones engaging in charitable giving. In fact, people all across the economic spectrum help others in significant ways. ”

The first example is a story about an unassuming woman who left a bequest of more than $450,000 to a healthcare organization where she had once been a patient. While this story isn’t unique, it does illustrate how someone with very modest means can ensure support to a cause that’s personally important. This donor was not wealthy, nor was she engaged in the ongoing work of the organization. During her life, she was a school teacher who never married nor had children. After her lifetime, her bequest (comprised of her home in south Denver and her retirement account) added to an endowment used by the organization to ensure healthcare was available for patients unable to pay for care.

Another story of generosity is about a woman who created a Donor Advised Fund using her annual royalty payments from mineral rights on land that had long been sold. The donor was a widow with one adult daughter who was married with children. This donor felt she had more than enough income to last her lifetime, and so for at least seven years, the annual $90,000 in royalty payments were directed to the DAF. This allowed the donor, her daughter and family to make grants to causes they supported, and even make grants larger than they could from their usual income. Through the DAF, this family was compelled to give “deeper” and selected a couple of favorite causes to make annual grants of more than $15,000 and $20,000. Then, a couple of years ago the daughter needed to use some of the money from the annual royalty payment to provide specialized memory care for her mother at the end of her life. Many of us can relate to the desire to give back over time, as well as the need for specialized endof-life care for a loved one. In this case, excellent planning and use of the assets helped this family accomplish both goals. The DAF will continue to provide the surviving daughter and her family the opportunity to make grants to favorite causes and that honor her mother’s legacy.