Advisors add Value through The Community Foundation
A full house - local professional advisors build expertise at luncheon Bobby Thalhimer, Senior Vice President of Philanthropic Services and Donor Engagement at the Community Foundation serving Richmond and Central Virginia, is a recognized authority on creating dynamic community impact through charitable funds. At the invitation of The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region, Bobby addressed local investment bankers, attorneys, financial planners and accountants at a recent luncheon at Ristorante Renato. He illustrated a variety of ways their clients stand to benefit by creating a charitable fund through The Community Foundation.
Community foundations offer: • Trust that a donor’s charitable intent will be honored in perpetuity. • Assurance that community foundation staff understand the confidential nature of the advisor/client relationship and the importance of exceeding the expectations of a referral. • Value added through the foundation’s in-depth community knowledge and its high level of personal donor service. • Expertise in engaging a donor’s family and supporting a legacy of giving • Ease of giving to the organizations a donor cares about. • Transparency of investment returns and operating costs, without conflicts of interest. • Flexibility to work both with donors who are fiercely independent and with donors who find benefit in collaborating in a learning community where needs, nonprofit providers and effectiveness of giving are consistently being assessed.
Local attorney O’Conner Ashby has advised several clients who established funds with The Community Foundation to achieve their philanthropic goals. “There are numerous reasons why my clients selected The Community Foundation to establish their charitable funds. It’s far less expensive to set up the fund with the foundation, rather than doing so independently. Administrative costs are nominal and control of the fund remains local,” Ashby said.
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