Like others, Nick and Liz Melnick receive requests from many worthy organizations but focus their major giving on healthcare and education. They learned about Indian River Community Foundation from neighbors and their attorney agreed the organization could help them achieve their goals. “Online access to our fund and quarterly reports generated by the Community Foundation show us at glance if our philanthropy matches our intent,” Nick said.

The Learning Alliance is a small, grass roots organization. Having a fund at the Community Foundation frees our volunteers and staff to concentrate on the work at hand. The Community Foundation also gives our donors confidence their philanthropic contributions are being managed wisely and used as intended.
 
Established in 2009 and eager to move forward with their mission, the founders of The Learning Alliance requested assistance from the Indian River Community Foundation to accept charitable donations while they went through the lengthy process of receiving a 501c3 public charity designation from the IRS. Barbara Hammond, acting executive director and one of the three founders, said they expected to operate independently once they received IRS approval, however the professional support from the Community Foundation has been so valuable at a nominal cost, the Board of Directors plan to continue the arrangement for the foreseeable future.
 

The Indian River Community Foundation is unique in that its sole purpose is to facilitate philanthropy here in our community. What is important to my clients is important to the Community Foundation. The staff is a valuable resource for me, my colleagues at the firm and our clients.

As Managing Partner at Gould Cooksey Fennell, P.A. and co-chair of the firm’s Estate Planning and Tax Group, the topic of philanthropy comes up frequently in discussions with clients. Several times over the past three years, the Indian River Community Foundation has provided a solution for my clients’ charitable giving needs.

In one instance, a family had a family foundation but found the ongoing administration of the organization to be a burden. The family determined they could accomplish their charitable giving goals through a Donor Advised Fund and maintain their longtime relationship with a local financial institution to manage the assets in the Fund.

Todd W. Fennell
Attorney
Gould Cooksey Fennell, P.A.

We believe you should support the community in which you live through charitable giving. One way to determine how to invest your philanthropic capital is by getting involved to become aware of the needs. And then giving naturally follows involvement.
 
Sandy and I were pleased when the Indian River Community Foundation was launched and the infrastructure was in place. We feel completely comfortable entrusting our charitable giving with the local experts. The majority of our philanthropic support for this community is done through our fund at Indian River Community Foundation.
 
There is a strong focus on philanthropy in this community. For those who share our belief in giving where you live but are not sure how to do so, we recommend seeking the guidance of the professionals at the Indian River Community Foundation. They love Vero Beach as much as we do.
 
Randy and Sandy Rolf
Donor Advised Fundholders
 

The Community Foundation provides added value to our annual giving plans. It is simply easier for us to support causes we care about – United Way, Vero Beach Museum of Art and the Senior Resource Association to name a few – through the Community Foundation.

After understanding the Community Foundation’s commitment to maintaining a donor’s legacy in perpetuity, we chose to leave more to our Fund to support future community needs. We are confident our philanthropic plans will be fully executed by the Indian River Community Foundation.

A local resident since 1982, artist and most published American author on feng shui, Nancilee searched for the most convenient way to give. When a friend suggested the Indian River Community Foundation, she tested the waters with a small donor advised fund.

“I experienced the benefits immediately and found the minimal administrative fee to be more than worth the value I have received. The services are personalized and the foundation takes care of all of the cumbersome paperwork. IRCF is an elegant way to strengthen local charities”

Rick and Laura cite numerous benefits of the Community Foundation for philanthropists, nonprofits and Indian River County, including:

• Donors have the opportunity to be more strategic with their giving by accessing IRCF’s knowledge of the area’s most pressing needs and the nonprofits providing the solutions.
• Donors can create a long term philanthropic vision to address unknown future needs through their family legacy.
• Nonprofits can use the Community Foundation as an endowment building vehicle to ensure sustainability and relevance.

The Indian River Community Foundation is represented by people who are as deeply committed as Rick and Laura McDermott to strengthening this community through philanthropy.

One phone call to the Indian River Community Foundation and I was able to help my clients achieve their philanthropic goal. My clients were thrilled with the easy, flexible and convenient solution through our local Community Foundation. We laid out what we wanted to accomplish and the Foundation made it happen. The Indian River Community Foundation provides a unique, valuable and thoroughly professional service.

We coordinate all of our giving through our donor advised funds. These funds offer us flexibility in meeting our philanthropic goals and provide maximum tax benefits with no annual giving requirement. We also receive comprehensive quarterly fund statements. Most importantly, the Indian River Community Foundation is a conduit to nearly 200 local nonprofit organizations. We are now learning more about many other nonprofits that provide important community services and deserve our consideration.