Professional Advisors Seminar Addressing Charitable Planning Strategies and Ethics

Professional advisors including attorneys, accountants and financial planners are invited to attend a seminar on “Effective Charitable Planning Strategies and Ethics,” presented by The Stelter Company and sponsored by Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s Community Foundation.

The seminar will be offered from 7:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Dec. 2, at Avalon Manor, 3550 E. U.S. 30 in Merrillville. Registration is required by Nov. 30 by contacting Legacy Foundation at (219) 736-1880 or maerts@legacyfoundationlakeco.org. The fee is $20 per attendee.

The seminar will be presented by Johni Hays, J.D., the senior planned giving consultant for The Stelter Company, a leader in planned giving marketing communications for nonprofit organizations across the United States. Hays is an experienced consultant, published author, attorney and member of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning.

Hays will be accompanied by a panel of local practitioners, including: Ben Ballou of Hodges & Davis, PC; Jack O’Drobinak of John M. O’Drobinak, PC; and Tory Prasco of Burke, Costanza & Cuppy, LLP.

This seminar has been approved for attorneys, certified public accountants and financial planners to earn 3.5 hours of continuing education units, including one hour of ethics.

Read Full Post »

Legacy Foundation’s new Annual Report serves as philanthropic resource for Lake County community

Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s Community Foundation, offers a new philanthropic resource to serve nonprofit organizations’ staff and volunteers, individual donors, professional advisors, community leaders and anyone who works to advance charitable giving.

Legacy Foundation produced its 2009-10 Annual Report as a colorful binder full of useful information that goes beyond a financial report to provide users a tool to use in their philanthropic pursuits. The entire resource is available on the Legacy Foundation Web site at http://www.legacyfoundationlakeco.org.

“We designed this binder with you, the user, in mind,” Harry J. Vande Velde III, president and chief executive officer, told nearly 200 guests at Legacy Foundation’s recent community reception, where the binder was introduced and distributed. “I encourage you to refer to it frequently and to add information throughout the year relevant to fundraising and grant making.”

Vande Velde noted that the binder is a tangible example of how Legacy Foundation serves the Lake County community.

Harry J. Vande Velde III, President and CEO of Legacy Foundation speaking at the annual reception

“We are mission oriented, constituency sensitive and fiscally responsible,” he stated. “Legacy Foundation is focused on facilitating philanthropy throughout the community, supporting the nonprofit organizations that do important work to enhance the quality of life, and being good stewards of donors’ gifts.”

The Legacy Foundation report is titled, “What’s Your Legacy?” In addition to audited financial statements for the foundation’s most recent fiscal year and rosters of current staff, volunteer board members and committees, the binder includes:

• Highlights of programs and scholarships funded through Legacy Foundation.
• An honor roll of donors, partners and friends who support the Foundation.
• Grant guidelines, tips and forms to make the process of applying for grants simpler and more productive.
• Information about opportunities to participate in Legacy Foundation initiatives.
• A useful glossary of philanthropic terminology.
• An update on Project 100%, Legacy Foundation’s strategic initiative to address educational attainment in Lake County.

Lake County’s Community Foundation honors Ed Radigan at annual reception

Legacy Foundation’s annual community reception featured a tribute to the late Edward J. Radigan, longtime community leader, businessman, philanthropist and the first president of Legacy Foundation. Radigan passed away Sept. 21 at the age of 85.

Dr. John T. Scully offered touching reflections about his lifelong friend. Nancy K. Johnson, who succeeded Radigan as president of Legacy Foundation, shared fond and sometimes humorous memories of learning from him.

Also during the reception, Legacy Foundation recognized the 2010 Great Lake Award Initiative participants and their mentors.

Great Lake Award Initiative Participants talk with guests.

To request a hard copy of the Legacy Foundation philanthropic resource binder, call (219) 736-1880 or e-mail maerts@legacyfoundationlakeco.org.

Read Full Post »

Grants to advance an “informed, engaged” Gary

Nonprofit organizations benefiting the people of Gary are encouraged to review requirements of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant application,now available via the Web site of Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s Community Foundation.

As a part of Knight Foundation’s $70 million Community Foundation Initiative, over the next seven years Knight Foundation will invest up to $2.5 million in an endowed fund at Legacy Foundation to foster an “informed, engaged” Gary area.

This investment is Knight Foundation’s commitment to ensuring that communities are informed about and engaged in the issues and opportunities that face them.

The new approach will modify how Knight Foundation works in the Gary area and other Knight communities. A Community Advisory Committee has been appointed to work with Legacy Foundation to review proposals and make funding recommendations to the board. Grant seekers will apply for funding through Legacy Foundation. The first deadline for applications under the new initiative is March 1, 2011.

Knight Foundation’s overall contribution during this initiative will be up to $2.5 million, pooled in a permanent endowment fund intended to serve the Gary community indefinitely.

Nonprofits seeking funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Fund at Legacy Foundation should contact Cara Spicer, program officer at Legacy Foundation, and ask about Knight Foundation’s donor-advised fund. Spicer can be reached at (219) 736-1880 or cspicer@legacyfoundationlakeco.org. The grant application is available at www.legacyfoundationlakeco.org/grantknight2010.pdf.

From 2000 to 2007, Knight contributed a total of $69 million to create donor-advised funds at 25 community foundations. At $70 million, this new initiative doubles Knight’s current investment in community foundations across the country.

About Legacy Foundation
Legacy Foundation is Lake County’s Community Foundation, a permanent philanthropic endowment for Lake County, Ind., founded in 1992 by a group of community leaders. The mission of Legacy Foundation is to encourage philanthropy, support good works and inspire leadership. The foundation manages assets of nearly $33 million and is governed by a volunteer board of directors representing a diverse spectrum of business, education, and the nonprofit and public sectors from throughout Lake County. During its 2009-2010 fiscal year, Legacy Foundation distributed more than $2 million in grants and scholarships to nearly 200 organizations and individuals. Legacy Foundation’s strategic initiative, Project 100%, champions educational attainment for students in Lake County. Learn more at www.legacyfoundationlakeco.org.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed and engaged communities and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.

Read Full Post »