Community foundations can help you achieve your philanthropic goals

By Cory Howat
Executive Director
Catholic Community Foundation

Gratitude and generosity are divinely interwoven in the souls of Catholics. Giving connects us, and we are called to gratefully receive God’s gifts and lovingly share them in service to one another. Your Catholic legacy is the mark you leave on the world and an example of God’s grace in your life.

If you are searching for ways to be philanthropic, you might find the options overwhelming. Not to mention that, in a year where so many different types of charities and causes need help, wanting to give back can feel more stressful than ever.

A foundation can help. Foundations are different than typical nonprofits in that they make your philanthropic wishes a reality by offering you opportunities to create funds and distribute grants to the organizations you care about. In turn, your generosity makes a significant difference to those organizations you choose to receive your gifts. Foundations allow you to share your generosity with either many different types of organizations at one time or to focus your giving on a specific charity or cause.

A community foundation makes it even easier to achieve your charitable giving goals while positively impacting the greater community. With a community foundation, there is no need to create a private foundation for your individual, familial or corporate charitable purposes. The most donor-friendly of public charities, community foundations work with donors to identify the causes important to them. This means that you can immediately begin giving to the organizations that mean the most to you.

By listening to their donors’ charitable goals, community foundation staff members are also able to help pinpoint the best giving vehicles through which to achieve these philanthropic desires. Community foundations typically maintain different funds, including donor-advised funds and endowment funds. Depending upon the donor’s goal, staff members can help donors set up charitable trusts and charitable gift annuities or can even provide language to help donors give through their wills.

This variety of philanthropic vehicles benefits both the donor and the community. Because giving back is easier, donors can make a bigger impact than if they tried to give on their own. And without having to start their own foundation, donors open a fund and start giving with the knowledge that their gifts are professionally managed. Finally, donations made through these types of funds are tax deductible.

The Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) is a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) organization that spiritually and financially enhances and sustains the charitable, educational and pastoral ministries of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. We offer our donors philanthropic expertise, faith-based priorities, and morally and socially responsible investing standards. Our donors receive not only tax benefits but also the assurance that their gifts are effectively managed by our professional staff. CCF donors sustain our Catholic heritage for future generations by fostering generosity in our community.

CCF is here to help you achieve your philanthropic goals. Interested in learning about our tools and resources? Please contact executive director Cory J. Howat at chowat@ccfnola.org for more information.