What to Give

Community Foundation specializes in helping donors develop customized philanthropic action plans for a broad range of assets, using a variety of giving tools.

Please contact us to explore the many possible ways of structuring a gift for maximum benefit.

Types of Gifts

Stocks and Mutual Funds Instructions

We ask donors to inform us before making a stock gift (so we give you proper credit) by emailing the Stock or Mutual Fund Gift Form to Amy LeViere at aleviere@cftompkins.org

Delivering your shares to the Community Foundation’s broker as follows:

TRANSFER OF STOCK (AND OTHER MARKETABLE SECURITIES)

Community Foundation of Tompkins County transfer instructions

Charles Schwab & Co

DTC #: 0164 Code: 40

For account of: Community Foundation of Tompkins County

Acct# 9817-4092

Mutual Funds:

Send to us the following information: name of the mutual fund, number of shares and designation of the gift. Please let us know ahead of the gift being delivered because we will need to obtain a bin number to ensure proper receipt of your gift. Typically the firm sending the donor’s mutual funds requests a bin number from our receiving firm. Advise your sending firm to contact John Sharkey, our customer service representative, at Brown Advisory at 410-537-5364 or jsharkey@brownadvisory.com to obtain a bin number for our Schwab account.

Gifts, Transfers and Remainder Balances from commercially sponsored DAFs (donor advised funds)

If you have a donor advised fund (DAF) at one of the commercial sponsors such as at Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, Schwab Charitable Gift Fund, Vanguard Charitable Gift Fund or Tompkins Charitable Gift Fund you can make a grant from these funds to Community Foundation. You can also transfer your entire fund to Community Foundation to benefit from our local non-profit sector knowledge and philanthropic know-how as well as to have your fees benefit local philanthropy. Lastly you can also instruct that commercial sponsor to grant the remainder balance to Community Foundation upon your death which would qualify you as a member of our Legacy Society.

To take any of these steps or to ask questions and further explore these options please contact us for assistance at 272-9333 or email Philanthropic Services Officer, Amy LeViere.

If you making a gift to us from your DAF, please email Philanthropic Services Officer, Amy LeViere to inform us of this gift and your specific designation to indicate which Community Foundation fund you would like to receive this gift.  Often the documentation coming from your DAF sponsor does not provide your name and/or your fund designation. We want to be able to properly thank you for your DAF gifts.

Making a Gift in your Will or other Planned Gifts

Everyday people just like you make gifts in their will through their estate to make their mark or leave a legacy. Community Foundation appreciates these ultimate expressions of confidence in our work. Please consult with your professional advisor (accountant, insurance agent, broker, wealth advisor, or attorney) to get started. We would gladly assist you and your advisor. Your advisor can call us on a confidential basis (no names to be mentioned) and without any obligation. Please contact us for a variety of examples of wills and other planned gift wording or see Sample Gift Language below.

Sample Gift Language More Info

Easy Asset Based Philanthropy

You can make a gift to Community Foundation of Tompkins County from your estate without amending your Will or Trust. Learn more about quick and easy ways to give with Asset Based Philanthropy.

Retirement Funds

Individual Retirement Accounts have names such as IRA, 401(k), 403(b) and defined contribution plans. Individual Retirement Account (IRA) gifts are a fabulous way to reduce taxes! Here are three distribution steps to give retirement assets: 1. Find the form on your IRA custodians website, 2. Fill out the form naming Community Foundation as recipient using our tax info (below), 3. Mail the form in.

You can also name the Community Foundation as a remainder beneficiary (primary, successor, or contingent beneficiary) for all or a portion of your IRA assets. Upon the death of either you or your spouse this gift can benefit areas you care about. You can create a testamentary charitable remainder trust with the assets.  Note, the IRS does NOT allow IRA Charitable distributions to donor advised funds. But all other fund types (operational, designated, and field of interest) are eligible.   Please call us or your professional advisor.

Our tax ID or EIN number is 16-1587553.

Our New York State Charities registration number is 06-80-93.

Checks

The Foundation accepts personal and bank checks as well as those from other fiduciary organizations and money orders. Any check should be made payable to: Community Foundation of Tompkins County.

If there is a specific fund, to which your contribution is being directed, the fund’s name should be written on the check’s memo line. We kindly request that checks not be made payable to any particular fund.

Life Insurance

You can gift a fully paid-up life insurance policy, for which you have relinquished ownership by simply assigning all rights, title, and interest to the Foundation. If your insurance policy is not fully paid up, it is possible to transfer but the usefulness of the gift is judged on a case-by-case basis. If your policy is accepted, the Foundation may choose either to cash it in for the current surrender value or to continue to pay the premiums. It can be a low-cost but generous way to help people in your community.

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency donations are processed by FreeWill Impact Fund and Crypto for Charity, and the net proceeds are promptly sold and transferred to the Community Foundation of Tompkins County in U.S. dollars. We do not maintain a reserve of cryptocurrency as part of our investment strategy.

Tangible Personal Property

The donor must agree that the property can be sold unless the Foundation agrees to use the property for a purpose related to its exempt purpose. The Board of Directors may request a certified valuation.

Partnership Interests

Limited partnership interests can be accepted, but the partnership agreement will be reviewed to gain an understanding of the activities of the partnership and how allocations are made to the partners. The underlying assets and liabilities of the partnership will be reviewed to help determine the marketability of the partnership interest. Consideration will be given to whether income generated by the partnership is considered unrelated business income subject to income tax. General partnership interests may not be acceptable due to the potential unlimited liability.

Real Estate

Such gifts will be reviewed by staff, legal counsel, and the Board of Directors of the Foundation. Concerns include legality, mortgages, easements, restrictions, and environmental problems. The donor must provide for obligations such as taxes and insurance. Please contact us for more information on information needed for real estate gifts.

Credit Cards

We accept donations by credit card. You will receive a tax receipt letter for the principal amount of the donation. If the donation is directed to a specific fund (such as a donor advised fund), the net amount (after any transaction fees) will be credited to that fund.

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