ONE: PERSONALIZED SERVICE We make giving easy, flexible and effective, accepting a wide variety of gifts and providing donors the greatest flexibility. You can contribute cash, stocks, property, and bequests. You may establish an Unrestricted, Field of Interest, Designated, or Donor Advised Fund in your name or in the name of a loved one. Your gift will gain maximum tax advantage.
TWO: LOCAL EXPERTISE Our professional staff has an in-depth understanding of the issues, opportunities, and resources that shape our community. They monitor all areas of community need-including human services, education, the environment, health care, the arts, and economic development. We can help you learn about local agencies and programs that make a difference in areas you can about most.
THREE: LEADERSHIP We invest in the long term and bring people and organizations together, convening diverse voices to address local issues and opportunities. Our business is building community.
A community foundation is a tax-exempt public charity that enables people like you to establish charitable funds. Funds are pooled with our other funds and managed professionally. Fund assets will grow over time. Donors and their family and colleagues are encouraged to continue giving to the fund to help it grow even more. Grants are awarded from funds to support local non-profit organizations, in accordance with a fund's interests.
Like all community foundations, we are overseen by a volunteer board of leading citizens and run by professionals with expertise in knowing our community's needs. We go beyond simply making grants that advance charitable activities; we also identify current and emerging issues, stimulate resources to address those needs and help the Southeast Virginia region prepare for the future.
It's for these reasons that community foundations represent one of the fastest growing areas of philanthropy. When charitably minded people like you seek suitable ways to give, we can help you make a difference.
WE SHARE YOUR INTERESTS - We are here to help you become connected to the issues you care about most. Your charitable interests and priorities are important to us because committed, caring citizens are so important to our community's well-being.
WE CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE - By setting up a fund, you have the ideal opportunity to create a legacy for you, for your family, and for our area.
WE ARE FLEXIBLE - We respond to the needs of donors and those to whom we provide support. Our flexibility is essential as new opportunities arise and our environment constantly changes.
WE KNOW OUR COMMUNITY - When you choose to invest in the future of our community, you want to work with someone who knows the territory. The broad cross section of leaders who guide our work lends valuable insight that will help your charitable giving achieve maximum results.
WE HELP YOU ACHIEVE SUPERIOR TAX BENEFITS - Since the IRS considers us a public charity, contributions are eligible for the highest available tax deductions. In most cases, these tax benefits outweigh using your assets to establish your own private foundation.
WE MAKE SETUP AND ADMINISTRATION EASY - Establishing a fund can be done in less time than it takes to open a bank account. We take care of all the administrative and grant-making activities, eliminating the need for you to set up a separate institution, formulate policies, file innumerable forms and monitor the status of grant recipients. We save you precious time and money.
The Southeast Virginia Community Foundation meets National Standards for operational quality, donor service and accountability in the community foundation sector.
The National Standards Seal indicates official confirmation from the Council on Foundations that we have met the most rigorous standards in philanthropy. It affirms our commitment to financial security, transparency and accountability. It says our grant making includes an open, competitive process designed to address the changing needs of our community. The National Standards Seal also confirms our history of honoring donors’ wishes—to support the arts, cultivate gardens, save endangered species, cure illness, expand literacy, feed children—and support countless other important causes.
The National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations Program was established in 2000 in cooperation with the Council on Foundations. National Standards guide community foundations in establishing legal, ethical and effective operational practices that serve as blueprints for internal development and benchmarks for external assessment. The 43 National Standards require The Southeast Virginia Community Foundation to document its policies in donor services, investment management, grant making and administration. To receive confirmation of National Standards compliance, The Southeast Virginia Community Foundation submitted its organizational and financial policies and procedures to a rigorous peer review.
In the interest of disclosure and transparency, The Soutehast Virginia Community Foundation makes its Audited Financial Statements, IRS Tax Return Form 990, Articles of Incorporation, and By-Laws available to the public upon request.
