Recently, a friend told me that he and his wife, now retired, have been fortunate to save and invest funds. Though they have not made many charitable contributions over the years, they are now ready to share their good fortune, and are wondering how to make decisions about how much to donate to which organizations.

This is a very personal decision, though general things to consider include:

• Making significant contributions during one’s lifetime provides an opportunity to see your

support making a difference for the organization.

• What are your values, what is most important in your life, and what organizations actively

promote those values?

• Your contributions become part of your legacy – what would you most like your legacy to

be? What difference would you like to make in your community and/or the wider world?

Contribution purpose, depending on your goals:

• Annual Fund – supports day-to-day operations, and are typically not the larger donations.

• Special projects or Capital Campaign – donations of any size to make possible projects

not included in the Annual Fund. These projects are designed to make a difference in the

long-term effectiveness of the organization to make a difference in the world.

• Planned-giving arrangements – for The Mountain, this can be the Endowment and/or The

Mountain. Gifts to the Endowment build this fund for the long-term viability of The

Mountain, as well as provide an annual gift (4% of assets) to The Mountain for a special

project. Depending on the size of a gift to The Mountain, those funds would be applied to

a special project or day-to-day operations.

Ways to contribute to The Mountain or the Endowment (501c3) organizations:

• Cash contributions – check, PayPal online, credit card, cash on-site

• Stock transfer

• Retirement Accounts -- Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) or Qualified Charitable

Distribution (QCD), or IRA accounts (up to $100,000 may be donated without tax

exposure)

• Please reach out to us if you have other ideas for giving

Supporting work important to you and seeing that work happen can bring you great joy, as well as making a difference in the world. To discuss the possibilities, contact development@themountainrlc.org. We look forward to working together to make the world a better place for all.