July 2022
This newsletter is intended to help you, our donor-advised fundholders, stay up-to-date on the latest happenings at the foundation and The Center for Family Philanthropy. We strive to make this content informative and impactful for you, your fund, and the community, so if you have suggestions for resources you would find helpful, please feel free to send them to Tracy Burt, vice president of marketing and communications, at tburt@akroncf.org or 330-436-5619.
Protecting Donor Intent

When you have a donor-advised fund or are planning your personal charitable giving, there are many factors to consider to ensure your donor intent (or the way you intend for your charitable dollars to be used) is met. Akron Community Foundation’s staff is here to help you navigate decisions and develop your plans.

If you choose to pass your donor-advised fund down to future generations, The Center for Family Philanthropy can help you safeguard your original intent as a donor by utilizing many of the methods recommended in the video above and by keeping a written record of your intentions in a charitable family portfolio housed in our library. We can help you:

If instead you choose to primarily use your donor-advised fund during your lifetime or simply want to be a more efficient giver, we have tools to help you do the following:
  • Define and use your values to decide on focus areas.
  • Learn about nonprofits that may align with your values and interests.
  • Develop a personalized plan of giving that feels impactful to you.
  • Sunset, or expend, your endowment in a manner that will deplete its funds and lead to the closure of your fund during your lifetime.

For more information about how we can help you make the most of your donor-advised fund, contact Karen Hrdlicka, director of The Center for Family Philanthropy, at 330-436-5640 or khrdlicka@akroncf.org.
This year's Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award dinner will take place on Tuesday, October 11, at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn. Sponsorships start at $2,500 and can be reserved today. Individual tickets will go on sale later this summer.
Rachel Socorro doesn’t call herself a survivor of human trafficking, but a “SurThriver.” In the five years since she gained her freedom from a captive marriage, Socorro herself has not only thrived, but has guided other survivors on their journey to healing and freedom. Her organization, Women Revived Ministries, received its first-ever foundation funding recently from Akron Community Foundation.

Did you know you can contribute to our quarterly grant co-investment program through our online fundholder portal, DonorCentral? As a fundholder, you have the opportunity to review Akron Community Foundation's competitive grant applications and support initiatives that align with your charitable interests. Check out your fund portal to view our current Civic Affairs grant applicants now! If you haven't registered your DonorCentral account yet, view our instructions to get started or reach out to your primary contact for assistance. Co-investment requests should be submitted by Aug. 8.

4 tips for making the most of your retirement assets through charitable donations
If you exited the workforce during the Great Resignation, now is the time to review your charitable giving priorities. If you're motivated to ensure that your financial and estate plans are in good shape, here’s a list of ways you can make the most of your retirement assets to support your donor-advised fund or a charitable organization.

  • Cash out your accounts: You can always contribute retirement assets (IRAs, 401(k)s and 403(b)s) by simply cashing them out, paying the income tax, and then donating the rest to charity. But in most cases, this is not your best tax strategy. 
  • Planned giving: When you designate a charitable organization, such as a fund at the community foundation, as the beneficiary of your retirement plans, you can potentially reap huge tax rewards in terms of avoiding estate taxes and income taxes attributable to the retirement assets.  
  • Lifetime gifts: The Internal Revenue Code contains special provisions for Qualified Charitable Distributions ("QCDs") that may allow you (if you are over 70 ½) to give up to $100,000 from an IRA directly to a charity (with some exclusions, such as donor-advised funds) and avoid paying income taxes on the distribution. You can work with the community foundation to establish a field-of-interest or designated fund with your QCDs.
  • Avoid financial pitfalls: Remember that you may not stay retired! Going back into the workforce presents unique tax challenges, such as the tax implications of rehiring and its impact on Qualified Charitable Distributions.

Your fund statement for the quarter ending June 30 is now available through our online fundholder portal, DonorCentral. This document includes timely financial information, such as your fund balance, contributions, investment activity, grants and distributions, and more. For questions about your fund statement, please contact us at 330-376-8522. If you haven't registered your DonorCentral account yet, view our instructions to get started
In Other News...
We're here to help! We created a series of videos that answer some of your most frequently asked questions.


Akron Community Foundation 
345 West Cedar St., Akron, OH 44307

Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Phone: 330-376-8522 
Fax: 330-376-0202