Top Ten Reasons to Recommend Create A Jewish Legacy and the Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania:

  1. Experience.The Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania  currently manages over 246 funds for partners, families and individual foundation donors. In addition, more than 147 individuals have documented their intent to leave a legacy gift to the causes they care about. During its history of partnering with donors and their professional advisors, the Foundation has earned an outstanding reputation for integrity, confidentiality and service.
  2. Maximum tax benefits.The Foundation and our CJL partners are public charities. Every fund created at the Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania qualifies for the maximum charitable tax deductions permitted by law.
  3. Investment security.Responsibility for employing prudent investment strategies to carry out the Foundation’s mission rests with its Board of Trustees. Based upon recommendations from its Investment Oversight Committee, Trustees determine overall investment policies, asset allocation guidelines and set the Foundation’s payout rate. The Investment Oversight Committee implements Foundation’s investment policies, selects investment managers and monitors investment performance.

Foundation administers each fund as a separate account and reports each fund’s activities on an individual basis. The Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania invests its assets to provide support for the community’s current needs and to preserve charitable resources for use by future generations to address new and emerging needs.

  1. Strategic philanthropic services.Our extensive knowledge of the local, national and international Jewish community is at your fingertips. Our gift planning staff is ready to support you or your client’s charitable giving interests.
  2. Donor services. A courteous, knowledgeable and responsive Foundation staff is always ready to answer questions and concerns — both your own and your client’s — and will turn challenges into opportunities, ensuring prompt attention to your needs.

5 a. Flexibility and simplicity. Your clients may create funds in a name they choose, in honor or in memory of a loved one, for qualified charitable purposes of their choice. With a myriad of charitable giving options available through the Foundation, you and your clients will be able to tailor solutions that meet their specific needs, vision and objectives.

5 b. Convenient and competitive. Donors and their professional advisors are our clients and each have unique gift planning needs. Foundation offers gift-planning flexibility, including the ability to recommend when, how much and to which qualified charitable organizations donors would like to make gifts. We provide professional, quality services at a competitive fee schedule.

  1. Compliance assurance.Donors have peace of mind. Foundation staff qualifies prospective organizations prior to authorizing gifts, remains up-to-date with current federal, state and local laws and regulations governing charitable gift giving, provides necessary and appropriate tax/charitable gift letters, engages in an independent annual audit, and maintains all gift records freeing donors to spend time considering which causes are most meaningful to them.
  2. Recognition or anonymity.Your client may choose to receive public recognition or remain anonymous, as he or she wishes.
  3. Legacy and Endowment funds . With the Foundation, your clients can Create a Jewish Legacy and engage their families in the giving process. By participating in Create A Jewish Legacy through gifts from wills and estates to endowment funds at the Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania for the benefit of organizations meaningful to the donors, donors can ensure the financial future of the causes they value and pass on a legacy of giving — from generation to generation.
  4. Effective leadership and accountability.A twenty-six member Board of Trustees, representative of our entire Jewish community, serves as the governing body of the Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania. The Trustees oversee operations, set policies and make final decisions on all grant awards. It is the Board’s responsibility to ensure that distributions made from the funds the Foundation holds are in keeping with all applicable laws and honor the donors’ wishes and intent. With unrestricted grant funds Trustees will address the challenges that face our community as it changes and grows.
  5. Values-driven philanthropy.Giving is about values – the mitzvah of tzedakah (good deed of insuring justice) and the obligation of tikkun olam(healing the world). These values lie at the heart of each relationship the Jewish Community Foundation of Central Pennsylvania has with its donors. Values are central to the process of creating a philanthropic vision that incorporates each donor’s personal and family financial needs, tax and estate planning concerns and charitable goals.