Corporate Giving
Corporate Charitable Fund Program
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to promote and facilitate charitable giving in the 40 counties of Middle Tennessee. We began the Corporate Charitable Fund Program to do just that: make sure that more money gets to more non-profits — and the people they serve — at the least cost possible, through the creation of Advised Funds. In each of the past five years, The Community Foundation’s overhead has run at eight-tenths of one percent or less.
As a Corporate Leader, here is how you can benefit from a Corporate Charitable Fund:
Charitable Giving becomes comfortable, convenient, and cost-effective once again.
In an era of ever-lengthening lines of charitable solicitors,
corporate charity has become an expensive proposition. It
takes time to hear requests, it takes time to review these
requests and evaluate the organizations, and after the decisions
are made, it takes time to write the checks and do the bookkeeping.
With an Advised Fund at The Community Foundation, the corporate treasurer writes only one check — or makes only one gift of stock — to The Foundation, not many to multiple charities. One gift takes care of the corporate tax deduction and establishes or increases a Fund from which grants may be made for years to come.
In our community, corporations are called upon to give every year — not just in the profitable ones.
Wouldn’t it be nice to set aside charitable funds in
the “good” years and be able to use them to continue
giving in years which may be less profitable? With an Advised
Fund for your firm or company, you can set aside money when
it makes sense for tax planning purposes and spread out the
grants over time. The Foundation owns and invests the funds
in a diversified portfolio from which grants are made based
on your written recommendations.
Using The Community Foundation can increase profits. You can “Do Well By Doing Good.”
Using The Foundation’s Corporate Charitable Fund program
can cut costs and increase the scope and effectiveness of
your giving. Instead of highly-compensated, busy corporate
officers fielding and evaluating requests, you can “outsource”
the administrative aspects to The Foundation. "We do
all our giving through The Community Foundation" is becoming
an increasingly common response. The message signals that
the non-profits will be courteously received, be given information
on the corporation’s charitable priorities, experience
fair and full evaluation of proposals, and be clearly informed
about grant decisions. Corporate officers recommend projects
for grants, receive summary reviews of proposals, and, if
desired, solicit advice from The Foundation’s knowledgeable
staff.
The bottom line.
The Corporate Charitable Fund Program is a win-win-win opportunity:
you are freed up to earn the most you can, The Foundation
fulfills its mission of promoting and facilitating philanthropy,
and, through cost-effective administration, more money than
ever gets to the charities and individuals who need it.
To learn more, please call (615)321-4939,
or toll-free (888)540-5200.