Beyond fragrant Peonies and Pandora charms, how do we show our appreciation for all the support our mothers have shown us? I mean, can flowers or jewelry rightfully express our gratitude for the blood, sweat and tears they poured into our lives?

Last fall, on her 90th birthday, one family decided to honor their mother with a gift to a nonprofit that has been a gift to her—LifeQuest of Arkansas. When Greer Grace approached LifeQuest about setting up an endowment in honor of her mother Barbara Woods Baber, Executive Director Ann Leek quickly began looking for an organization to house this substantial gift. Arkansas Community Foundation was available to partner with the nonprofit to fulfill the family’s wishes. 

Greer Grace and her brothers chose LifeQuest because of its commitment to fostering a continued passion for living and learning. Their father attended memory classes after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and they believe their mother has “a whole new life and a sparkle in her eye” thanks to LifeQuest. Baber herself bemoans that many seniors grow accustom to discussing their ailments and prescriptions, but LifeQuest delivers the opportunity to discuss stimulating topics. Leek raves that Baber “embodies the spirit of LifeQuest at its core—enhancing one’s later years through lifelong learning, social connections and meaningful service to others.”

Greer Grace, with her mother Barbara Baber

Grace adds that she feels extra comfort in knowing that the Barbara Woods Baber Endowment for LifeQuest of Arkansas will be financially stewarded by the Community Foundation so that the funds will provide long-term support for a cause that has been very important to the family.

Baber has been involved with LifeQuest since its beginning—she and Grace have even taught a “Nifty After Fifty” class together—and the endowment ensures a legacy for a place she loves. Baber added that there wasn’t anything she would have rather had. She states, “the gift is exciting to me because I can see it now, and know that it will keep on giving!”

So if you are still looking for a gift for your mom this Mother’s day, consider making a gift.

Does tax season get you thinking about your giving habits from the previous year? Did you set any goals, and most importantly, do you feel like you reached them? The end of the year tends to sneak up on people who want to make their tax-deductible donations. They find themselves rushing around to make a donation they had been intending to make for a while or they hastily decide to give without really considering long-term benefits. Either way, tax time may get you thinking about the impact of your charitable giving last year and how you can better prepare for the upcoming year-end.

We’re a quarter of the way through 2016, so there’s no better time than NOW to start thinking about how your charitable dollars can make a big difference in your community. If you want to build a nonprofit’s capacity because you believe in their mission, then you should start by researching their needs and checking out their website. If you hope to fund programs that address gaps like hunger and education, now is the time to consider the many different ways your charitable giving goals can play a role helping those programs succeed. 

Whatever your hopes are for giving charitably, the Community Foundation is here to help. We can work with you in several different ways:

  1. Help you find your giving niche. Why do you like to give, and what are you passionate about? Do you know about all of the good work happening around our state? We can start the conversation to help you identify the areas where you want your donations to make a difference.
  2. Research nonprofits. We can talk to you about nonprofits doing good work in our communities across the state. We stay in contact with a variety of nonprofits throughout the year, whether that’s through ArkansasGives or through our annual grant programs.
  3. Form a plan. We can help you set charitable giving goals. Our staff will sit down with you to map out a plan based on your interests and the needs that you want to meet in your community. Creating a fund at the Community Foundation ensures a permanent way to give to the causes you care about.
  4. Grant from your fund. If you have a fund with the Community Foundation, we manage the granting process. When you set up a fund with us, we help you determine the best way to grant to the programs you want to help.

If you’re interested in forming a plan now so that you don’t have to stress about it later, give us a call and we would be glad to set a time to talk with you. Bring the whole family, if you’d like!

Contact Ashley Coldiron or learn more about the different ways you can give with the Community Foundation.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (April 15, 2016) – Arkansas Community Foundation today announced the certified results of the ArkansasGives program, a one-day giving event on April 7 that resulted in $4.6 million for nonprofits statewide. Checks for their portion of the proceeds will be mailed to the nonprofits by early May.

About 600 nonprofits statewide participated in ArkansasGives, raising a total of $4,117,786.67 from the 11,943 donors who made 18,535 online contributions through ArkansasGives.org. With the addition of prize money from First Security Bank and bonus dollars from Arkansas Community Foundation, a total of $4,604,786.67 will be distributed to participating nonprofits.

“I can’t say it enough – I’m amazed at the generosity of Arkansans,” said Heather Larkin, Community Foundation CEO. “The average donation size was $278, but many of the gifts were near the $25 minimum level. And 22 percent of the donors made gifts to more than one charity.”

All participating nonprofits will receive a share of a $400,000 bonus pool provided by Arkansas Community Foundation. The pool will be split among the nonprofits on a pro-rated basis; for example, if an organization raised 1 percent of the total received on April 7, that organization would receive a corresponding 1 percent of the bonus pool ($4,000).

First Security Bank contributed $60,000 in prize money for nonprofits that raised the most dollars and received the most individual donations. The certified winners of the First Security Bank grand prizes, along with their prize amounts, are:

Small Nonprofit – Most Dollars

  • Go Near Ministry, $5,000
  • A-Camp, Inc., $3,000
  • Loaves & Fishes Food Bank of the Ozarks, Inc., $2,000

Small Nonprofit – Most Donations

  • Lucie’s Place – $5,000
  • Central Arkansas Library System Foundation – $3,000
  • A-Camp, Inc. – $2,000

Mid-size Nonprofit – Most Dollars

  • Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival – $5,000
  • Soaring Wings Ranch – $3,000
  • Clear Spring School, Inc. – $2,000

Mid-size Nonprofit – Most Donations

  • Maggie House – $5,000
  • Soaring Wings Ranch – $3,000
  • The CALL – $2,000

Large Nonprofit – Most Dollars

  • Arkansas Symphony Orchestra – $5,000
  • Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families – $3,000
  • Our House, Inc. – $2,000

Large Nonprofit – Most Donations

  • Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families – $5,000
  • Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund – $3,000
  • Arkansas Foodbank – $2,000

This year a new set of prizes (amounts listed below), for most dollars raised between 6 and 7 p.m. in the Power Hour were awarded to:

Small Nonprofit

  • Faulkner County SPCA – $3,000
  • Together for Hope Arkansas – $2,000
  • Go Near Ministry – $1,000

Mid-size Nonprofit

  • Maggie House – $3,000
  • David E. Puryear Center – $2,000
  • Hispanic Community Services, Inc. – $1,000

Large Nonprofit

  • Arkansas Symphony Orchestra – $3,000
  • Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families – $2,000
  • Arkansas Arts Center – $1,000

Nonprofit category prizes (amounts listed below) were awarded to organizations that raised the most dollars in their categories of service:

  • Faith Based – Go Near Ministry, $1,000
  • Animal Welfare – Faulkner County SPCA, $1,000
  • Economic Development – Main Street Dumas, Inc., $1,000
  • Environment – Audubon Arkansas, $1,000
  • Human Services – Soaring Wings Ranch, $1,000
  • Education – Clear Springs School, Inc., $1,000
  • Health – Arkansas Hospice Foundation, $1,000
  • Community & Civic Engagement/Public & Social Benefit – Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, $1,000
  • Arts & Humanities – Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, $1,000

Two ArkansasGives partners who help make the event possible are the Arkansas Nonprofit Alliance and AT&T, which hosted the headquarters for the April 7 event. Media partners like THV 11 in Little Rock, KAIT 8 in Jonesboro, KFSM TV 5 in Fort-Smith-Fayetteville, iHeart Media, the Arkansas Press Association, the Arkansas Broadcasters Association, Soiree magazine, and Jonesboro Occasions magazine help spread the word about this giving opportunity.

Arkansas Community Foundation offers tools to help Arkansans protect, grow and direct their charitable dollars as they learn more about community needs. By making grants and sharing knowledge, the Community Foundation supports charitable programs that work for Arkansas and partners to create new initiatives that address the gaps. Since 1976, the Community Foundation has provided more than $140 million in grants and partnered with thousands of Arkansans to help them improve our neighborhoods, our towns and our entire state. Contributions to the Community Foundation, its funds and any of its 27 affiliates are fully tax deductible.

Want to predict whether a child is likely to graduate from high school? Take a look at his or her third grade reading levels.

Research from the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that 16 percent of children who are not reading at grade level by third grade do not graduate high school on time – four times more than their peers who are reading-proficient in third grade.

Why? Angela Duran, coordinator for the Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, explained: “Up until third grade, children are learning how to read. After that, they’re reading to learn.” Students need a strong foundation in the early grades in order to absorb the challenging new information they’ll receive in upper elementary and beyond.

This spring, we partnered with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading to award grants to five programs across the state that are working to increase Grade 3 reading levels. Each of our grantees will be hosting camps to engage kids over the summer to prevent learning loss and help them keep making educational gains all summer long.

The grant recipients will be working with the Arkansas Out of School Network to receive technical support/training and get connected to a broader network of summer and after-school programs.

This year’s Summer Learning Initiative grant recipients are:

Booneville School District ($25,000) – to support the Summer Literacy Program, a four-week initiative that will immerse students in literacy and kinesthetic learning, including a daily enrichment activity connected to each literacy skill.

Mount Judea Area Alliance in Mount Judea, Ark. ($4,428) – to support the Mount Judea Summer Learning Camp, a once-a-week camp aimed at teaching children the rewards and pleasure of reading.

Ouachita Children’s Center in Hot Springs ($41,000) – to support the Summer Enrichment Program, a 10-week program focusing on reading, math, life skills and writing, featuring educational field trips and recreation events.

Park Avenue Elementary in Stuttgart ($25,000) – to support the Park Avenue Elementary Summer Learning Camp, aimed at providing students with the skills and confidence to be successful in literacy and become critical thinkers and lifelong learners.

YMCA of Hot Springs ($25,000) – to support the YMCA Summer Learning Loss Program at Lakeside Primary School, a six-week initiative that uses evidence-based instruction techniques to improve academic outcomes for rising Kindergarten and 1st Graders at risk for losing reading skills over the summer.

With so much interest in this funding program, we know that there’s strong demand from schools, parents and communities to provide quality summer programs that help kids make reading progress outside of school. 

What’s one easy way you can make a difference for your favorite charitable causes this spring? Mark your calendar for April 7, ArkansasGives Day! ArkansasGives is the 12-hour online giving event hosted by Arkansas Community Foundation. We’re challenging all Arkansans to make a donation to the charity of their choice on April 7, in recognition of the vital work our local nonprofits do in our communities!

Here are a few ways you can get ready for the big day:

  1. Get a text reminder when it’s time to give. Sign up by sending the word “ARGIVES” to 24587.
  2. Find out which nonprofits are participating. Did you know you can give to as many nonprofits as you want in a single credit card transaction? Go here to search for your favorite charities by name or location, or view the full list of all participants here.
  3. Help us spread the word! If you’re a social media user, you can join our “Thunderclap,” which is an online service that will automatically send out an ArkansasGives message from your Facebook or Twitter account on the big day, if you agree. Opting-in to the Thunderclap is an easy way to help spread the word about ArkansasGives, and the best part is that you don’t even have to remember to post a social media message – Thunderclap handles it for you!

Thanks for helping us Grow the Love for Arkansas Nonprofits on April 7!

The Fuller Family

Smart giving can bring future generations of your family together around shared values. Arkansas Community Foundation helps families give back by providing tools to help your family give together.

When asked what Philanthropy means to their family, the Fullers of Little Rock, Ark., explained to us that while they each have their own ideas about who should receive support, they’re sure that by working together they will make the right decisions. Read more about their family’s giving practices through the Barringer-Fuller Family Charitable Endowment at Arkansas Community Foundation.

What is philanthropy to your family?
Philanthropy has always been about giving a helping hand to those in need. We were always taught to help those less fortunate than ourselves and learned the joy of giving from our father, Paul. He supported music and arts, and later created a scholarship endowment with his brother Reed at Henderson University and was a lifelong supporter of his church in Gurdon by helping with buildings and donating pianos. He was someone who was always willing to help someone who was down on their luck.

To what extent do you give from the head versus the heart?
We actually chose to set up our charitable fund with Arkansas Community Foundation in order to gift in a more responsible and thoughtful way. With the Foundation’s help, we can make sure our contributions get to those most in need.

What would you like your children and grandchildren to learn about giving to others?
It is our hope that our children and grandchildren will continue to appreciate the importance of charitable giving by making a difference in others’ lives as well as their own by giving their time and resources to causes they care about.

What is philanthropy’s importance to society?
Charity should be considered a means to move people forward in life, not just a crutch to be relied on. 

What do you hope your family’s philanthropic legacy will be?
We hope to help create a better community and a better Arkansas by helping those most in need.

The Fuller family hopes that future generations will continue to appreciate the importance of making a difference in other people’s lives through their own giving. When asked about how they see their giving evolving, they hope to continue to build up their charitable fund so they can support larger donations and give back to nonprofits who are dedicated to using gifts to make an impact in their communities.

When South Arkansas native Glenn Freeman talks about his philosophy on giving, he begins with his roots: “Growing up, my family was poor and didn’t have much. But we were in the same boat as a lot of other people. It was not uncommon for one of us to go next door and borrow a cup of sugar.”

Glenn Freeman is a true friend of the Community Foundation. He has created Community Foundation funds to honor his mother and his wife’s parents, and he has served as a Southeast Arkansas affiliate board member and member of the state board. Although his contributions to Arkansas Community Foundation are great in both time and donations, Freeman’s devotion to community service is the real gift.

Freeman, raised by a proud single mother who found it difficult to ask for help, strives to affect long-term change that empowers people and enables them to be self sufficient, rather than creating dependency. He believes in creating situations where people can have access to help without asking, and he supports organizations that give people opportunities to select the benefits or goods they need, such as food pantries, Goodwill Industries or The Salvation Army. Freeman also advocates for nonprofits that benefit young people, like the Ivy Center for Education (ICE), which helps high school students with ACT preparatory workshops, tutoring and mentoring programs.

But Freeman doesn’t think that kids should only be on the receiving end of gifts. He works with the Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) to teach the importance of leadership and community philanthropy to high school students. Freeman also mentors college men about the value of investing so that they may one day experience the benefits and impact of giving. He hopes this exposure to philanthropy will help shape their mindset and develop a broader pattern of giving in the minority community. He states simply, “If people didn’t give, there would be nothing to receive.”

Client Conversations, FASB Not-For-Profit ASU Project and Family Philanthropy

Client Conversations

As a new year has begun, so too will a new round of client conversations. Whether you’re meeting with a new client or you’re reviewing a multi-year plan, these conversations allow you the opportunity to get to know and have a broader understanding of your client “off paper”. All topics pertinent to your client’s goals, including philanthropy, should be addressed.    Whether it is a new client meeting or a multi-year plan review, these conversations allow you the opportunity to get to know and have a broader understanding of your client “off paper”.  All topics pertinent to your client’s goals, including philanthropy, should be addressed.  Here are two interesting articles from Investopedia on approaching the topic with every client in a professional and ethical manner: 

  • Philanthropy and Millennials: How Advisors Can Start the Conversation
  • How to Discuss Philanthropy with Financial Advisory Clients

FASB Not-For-Profit ASU Project
by Corey Moline, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Arkansas Community Foundation

In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a proposed accounting standards update (ASU) that when implemented will require significant changes in the way information is presented in a non-profit organization’s financial statements.  This project will be completed in several work streams, the first of which will conclude sometime during the second quarter of 2016.  There has been no indication of an effective date for the resulting ASU.  It is likely, based on the past history of the FASB, for an adequate period of time to be given between the issuance of the final standard and its effective date so that affected organizations will have time to implement the changes into their financial accounting and reporting systems.  Here’s a video that provides more information.

Did You Know This About Family Philanthropy?
by Jennifer Junker, JD, Managing Director of Trust and Wealth Management, Bank of the Ozarks

Does money buy happiness?  Actually, yes, but only to a certain dollar amount estimated at around $75,000 a year.  We all have basic needs and some income is, of course, necessary to provide for them.  Studies have shown, however, that individuals do not have increased happiness with increased bank accounts.  With adults and children of affluence experiencing higher than average levels of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse problems, the opposite is true in fact. 

Why is this?  In a nutshell, wealth can be isolating.  In fact, it is not our wealth, but instead our connection with one another and our status with our social groups that have been shown to be critical factors in physical and mental health.  So what are affluent families to do? One option is to consider charitable giving as a family.  By its very nature, Family Philanthropy fosters connections between family members and with their communities, resulting in benefits for both.

Maintain Management of Client Funds
You can continue to manage your clients’ charitable funds at the Community Foundation. We have charitable giving options that are good for your clients and good for your business.

Visit Advisor’s Corner for more news, tips and tools for professional advisors.

With the new year, we’re looking ahead to see what 2016 holds and it’s going to be chock-full of great opportunities that will improve communities across Arkansas. To save you some time and help you feel prepared, we’ve laid out some important dates for you to mark on your 2016 calendar:

  1. Spring Giving Tree grant cycle: This is one of two Giving Tree grant cycles that happen every year. See the full list of affiliate offices that are currently accepting grant applications. Don’t put off submitting an application because the deadline will be here before we know it! Eligible nonprofits can apply online before February 15. Unsure how you should apply? Watch our application tutorial. Do you have a question about eligibility? Contact our central office.
  2. Arkansas Black Hall of Fame grant cycle: ABHOF grants support programs that address challenges and opportunities in the African-American community and in other underserved communities throughout Arkansas. You can read more here  on how to prepare for the application cycle that opens on February 1 and closes on April 1!
  3. Arkansas Community Foundation Scholarships: Did you know that we offer over 100 different scholarships to a variety of students across Arkansas? These scholarship funds have been set up by people who are passionate about improving education in the lives of young people. Learn more here and don’t forget to submit an application between Feb. 1 and April 1! You can also pick up some great tips on how to submit a quality application here.
  4. ArkansasGives: On April 7, the state of Arkansas will join together to support our nonprofit organizations that make our state better. Learn more about how you can participate in this one-day online giving event!
  5. Arkansas Delta Endowment for Building Community: Through our Arkansas Delta Endowment for Building Community, we’ll be making grants to help improve social and economic conditions for children and families in the 26-county Delta region. See if you’ll qualify so you can be sure to start an application on May 1!

Stay tuned for important summer updates – like when we send scholarship payments to schools and when our fall grant cycles open!

If you have any questions, our central office staff or our affiliate staff are happy to help. Head over to our contact page to see how you can get in touch.

Happy New Year!

Last year more than 350 nonprofits raised a total of $2 million in 12 hours through ArkansasGives, the Community Foundation’s online giving event. Needless to say, we were blown away by the outpouring of love and support for our state’s charities.

So, yeah, we’re bringing ArkansasGives back in 2016!

Here’s what you need to know about the big day:

  1. ArkansasGives is April 7. Put the date on your calendar and get ready to give! When you donate to your favorite charities through ArkansasGives.org between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on April 7, you can help them compete for bonus dollars and prizes. It’s a great way to make your charitable dollars stretch further.
  2. Nonprofits have to sign up by Feb. 14. Most nonprofit organizations will be eligible to participate , but they’ve got to sign up. Check here to see which organizations are already confirmed to participate. If your favorite charity isn’t on the list, send them a link to our registration form and ask them to get involved.
  3. You can donate to 10 nonprofits in one transaction. We know there are many charities that matter to you, so we’re making it easy to support them all. When you donate online through ArkansasGives.org, you can earmark gifts for up to 10 participating nonprofits in a single credit card transaction, so you don’t have to re-enter your payment information over and over. Simple!
  4. We’ll make sure you don’t forget about the big day. Sign up here to receive an email reminder on April 7. Don’t worry – we’ll only send you a message the day before, the morning of the event, and at the end of the day to let you know the results. We promise not to spam!
  5. Big news is coming soon. Stay tuned for a big announcement later this month. We’ll be sharing details about our 2016 fundraising goals, sponsors, partners, participating nonprofits and this year’s bigger, better bonus pool of incentive dollars for participating nonprofits.