Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

Who's in charge here?

Even at three years of age, Eva does not hesitate to take charge! Last week she planted herself firmly at the head of the Thanksgiving table and helped herself to at least 25 homemade cinnamon rolls.

Who is in charge of your charitable giving? You are! When you organize your generosity through a personal, family, or corporate fund at the Community Foundation, you decide when and where to give. Need a tax deduction now, but unsure of exactly which charities you wish to support? No problem! Make a tax-deductible transfer of cash or stock to your fund this year to secure your 2009 tax deduction. Then relax and take your time deciding how you'd like to invest your charitable dollars. Get your family involved. Check out your options by researching the results your favorite organizations are achieving in the community. Build a plan for your charitable gifts in 2010 and beyond.

Remember, you're in charge! Now we just have to convince Eva that she is NOT in charge of bedtime.

As easy as pie?

Here is Lindy's recipe for turkey, which she dreamed up in kindergarten last week before the Thanksgiving holiday.

First you get a turkey from school.
Then you stuff it with turkey.
Before you cook it, you should shut the gate.
Put it in a bowl and cook it in the oven at 7 degrees.
While the turkey is cooking you can cook.
You know the turkey is done when it is summer.
Serve your turkey when it is Thanksgiving.

Fortunately, Gran stuck with her own recipe, as evidenced by the smiles on the faces of Ann and her cousins!

Also fortunate is the fact that the recipe for starting your own personal, family, or corporate fund at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation is even easier than cooking a turkey. Just contact your friends at the Community Foundation, who will provide you with the easy two-page form to complete in a matter of minutes. Transfer any amount of cash or stock to your new account (tax deductible at the time of transfer, and no amount is too large or small), and then immediately--or whenever you wish--begin making gifts out of your fund to the charities of your choice in Kansas City or anywhere in the country.

See? Easier than turkey . . . and much, much easier than pie.

A perfect 10

The Community Foundation of Johnson County is celebrating 10 years of helping donors with their charitable giving. Here are the top 10 reasons we love the Community Foundation of Johnson County.

1. We love the list of board members, past and present, because it is a who's who of leaders who believe in the power of philanthropy to make Johnson County a better place: David Adkins, Debby Ballard, Mary Birch, Anne Blessing, Dick Bond, Mack Bowen, Enrique Chaurand, Mindy Corporon, Faye Davis, David Fowler, SuEllen Fried, Gregory Glore, Pam Gradinger, Linda Graves, Reverend Adam Hamilton, Dalton Hermes, Jim Hubbard, Drue Jennings, Mike Kelley, Frank Kirk, Jennifer Krizek, Audrey Langworthy, Lynn Mitchelson, Mark Parkinson, Stacy Parkinson, Margi Pence, Lyle Pishny, Kevin Rauckman, Bob Regnier, Tom Rogge, Will Shields, Debbie Smith, Jon Stewart, Charlie Sunderland, and David Wysong.

2. We love the fact that the Community Foundation of Johnson County is an important part of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation's network of branch foundations across the metropolitan area offering giving options close to home.

3. We love it that through the Community Foundation of Johnson County, you can organize your charitable giving by establishing your own personal, family, or corporate fund for a fee of as little as $21 a month.

4. We love the way the Community Foundation of Johnson County offers Giving Cards, the perfect gift for the holiday season, in face amounts of $25, $50, and $100.

5. We love that donors have the option to rally friends and family around a favorite cause through a giving circle, as easy as 1-2-3 to get started through the Community Foundation of Johnson County.

6. We love the success of the Community Foundation of Johnson County, which after 10 years is now home to more than 200 charitable funds established by people like you and me to further our own favorite charitable causes.

7. We love it that the Community Foundation of Johnson County offers the Next Generation Fund, inspired by Dick and Sue Bond, role models for all of us!

8.   We love the fact that Corey Ziegler, executive director of the Community Foundation of Johnson County, decided that the best part of her job was working with donors and financial advisors and has committed to focus solely on donor relations and all of the legal work that goes with it. And we love being able to announce today that Jaclyn Steiner, head of marketing and communications for the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, will immediately also begin serving as the executive director of the Community Foundation of Johnson County to work with Corey and the rest of the team.

9. We love the gift of Lyle Pishny's leadership of the Community Foundation of Johnson County in his role as chairman of the board for three great years.

10. And we really love this great picture of Corey, Lyle, and Jaclyn!

Now that's innovative!

Here's your quiz for the day. Which of the following represents innovation in action?

(a) The work of Sean Stannard-Stockton and Tactical Philanthropy Advisors
(b) The core values of the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and its mission to offer donors a better way to give
(c) Eva and Lindy's hand-decorated cookies at the Halloween party
(d) All of the above

If you answered (d), you are correct! The team at the Community Foundation is excited about the launch of Tactical Philanthropy Advisors, whose mission is to bring innovation, effectiveness and joy to philanthropy. And the best news of all is that the services of Tactical Philanthropy go hand in hand with donor advised funds and the on-the-ground knowledge about local nonprofits offered by community foundations. Especially the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, featured in this month's innovative thinkers issue of 435 South magazine.

And as for the cookies, it is my biased opinion that the creative use of two flavors of frosting, coupled with sprinkles and a little bit of Elmer's glue, is pretty darn innovative!

The pictures don't lie

If you have a personal, corporate, or family fund at the Community Foundation, perhaps you've had the opportunity to meet with our team to review an analysis of your charitable giving. It is pretty interesting to see your grant making history laid out in full-color charts and graphs. Click here to view a generic example of a Charitable Investment Review. You can also request that our team prepare an analysis for your own fund. 

Whether your fund is modest or mighty, the Community Foundation knows that every dollar counts. If you are parting with your hard-earned cash to invest in the quality of life of others, you want to be sure you're making a difference, right?

Most often, donors tell us that the analysis confirms the impact they intend to make. Sometimes, though, the picture isn't as pretty as they'd like and the donors decide to adjust their grant making. Better to know the truth, I always say! Kind of like the other day when Lindy approached me with a serious look on her face. "We need to have a discussion," she said. "I colored on my dress. It's really bad."

P.S. Does this look like the face of a little girl capable of ruining an entire article of clothing??

These are a few of my favorite things

Who could ask for a better weekend? Arriving at work on Friday dressed exactly like Jaclyn Steiner, waking up on Saturday to two little girls playing zoo animals in the bed, whipping up a batch of the kids' favorite chicken enchiladas, and getting a nod in Joel Epstein's blog post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joel-epstein/hey-who-doesnt-want-to-be_b_314677.html.
 
Kansas City, be proud! Not only are we a generous bunch, with our rate of giving by high income households at nearly twice the national average, but we also developed philanthropy's first comprehensive donor education platform. DonorEdge and its online nonprofit profiles pair up kick-the-tires knowledge about organizations--which only community foundations truly can provide--with best-of-class tools for donors to organize their charitable giving. There's no doubt that everything really is up to date in Kansas City!

Top that!

One of the best things about having a fund at the Community Foundation is the opportunity to meet amazing people who are making a difference in our community and our nation. Scott Johnson, founder of the Myelin Repair Foundation, certainly is one of those people. Scott generously shared his story Friday evening over dinner with a handful of donors. We were all struck by Scott's message that, regardless of your favorite cause and regardless of whether your annual charitable giving totals a few hundred dollars or several hundred thousand dollars, a wise philanthropic investment can produce a huge improvement in quality of life.

Scott's remarks drew rave reviews, but perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of Scott's visit were the three little Barker girls, who got to spend the evening with Gran and Granddad. And that's a very tough perk to beat!

Take the cake...please!

After my last post, a few of my colleagues made the mistake of asking me about Eva’s birthday cake. I have never met a cake I didn’t like. Here it is, in all its glory! There were six flavors—vanilla, white, lemon, banana, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate, and four frostings—chocolate, almond, vanilla, and peanut butter. It’s what I’ve had for dinner every night for two weeks. The kids ask why I get to eat cake for dinner when they have to eat chicken and grapes. I tell them that one of the greatest privileges of being 40 is that if you want cake for dinner, you may have cake for dinner.

Speaking of cake, if you establish a fund at the Community Foundation, every year our team delivers, to your door, fresh baked cupcakes. 24/7 online access? Dedicated customer service? Fee as low as $21 a month? No minimum fund size? All of that is great, but the cupcakes might just be the best perk of all!

Good things come in threes

When Eva turned three last week, I was reminded just what a great number three really is. Three times is a charm, three is company, Goldilocks wouldn't have been the same without the three bears, and, of course, anyone can enjoy at least one of the three easy ways to start getting involved with the Community Foundation. At the Community Foundation, you can purchase a Giving Card for as little as $25, receive a tax deduction, and pass the card on to a friend or family member to celebrate a birthday, holiday, or any special occasion. Or, you can rally your friends and family around a favorite cause by starting a giving circle(PDF download). You can even establish your own personal, family, or business foundation fund for a tax-deductible cost as low as $21 a month.

Anyone want to guess what's in the bag? If you said "a fluffy tulle skirt, a flowery headband, and a magic wand," you were right. A triad of birthday gifts perfectly suited for a three-year-old who is convinced she's a princess, even on days when it's NOT her birthday!

Another better way to give

Where can you find the perfect gift for the person who has everything? Right at your fingertips at www.gkccf.org. Click the “Giving Cards” heading, select a design, and load the card with $25, $50 or even $100, tax deductible to you. We’ll send you the Giving Card for you to wrap up with a box of candy or flowers or even just a smile. The lucky recipient can give the face amount of the card to a charity of choice, anywhere in the United States.

Someone needs to tell five-year-old Lindy about the Giving Cards. As we were browsing the aisles of Lowe’s over the weekend, picking out paint colors, Lindy spotted the appliance section. She pointed to a snazzy looking washing machine and said “I want one of those for my birthday.”