I was born in Alexandria, and both my parents and grandparents were Alexandria residents. I attended the Alexandria City public schools and have spent my career here. Alexandria is a small town in a big city with a strong sense of community.
It is this sense of community that keeps our family here.
It is this sense of community that we want others to cherish.
It is this sense of community that we want to protect by supporting local non-profit organizations.
Now more than ever, the non-profit organizations that support our city residents need our support to maintain financial stability.
So, what does that have to do with Clarke & Sampson?
Often said: “It is much more rewarding to make contributions with a warm hand rather than a cold hand.” Enjoy the benefits of financially supporting local non-profit organizations while you are alive rather than after death. A donor advised fund allows you to see the positive impact of your gift. Individuals often consider foundations and donor advised funds, however we at Clarke & Sampson wanted to take this one step further and set up a donor advised fund for our business.
Through the corporate fund we contribute to those organizations important to the company and our employees. Our employees also enjoy that sense of community where they work.
We examined three vehicles through which we could make financial contributions to our community:
Issuing checks involved keeping records of our gifts and obtaining gift letters from the various charities for tax purposes. There was always the year end rush to make contributions.
Setting up a foundation would have allowed us the benefit of adding funds to the foundation once each year and then determine throughout the year what charities we would support and at what level. No more year end deadlines or tracking of receipts to file with the IRS. The negative aspect of this option was that we would have had to set up the foundation and file annual reports and tax returns.
We determined that setting up a donor advised fund through ACT for Alexandria was the right move. A corporate donor advised fund had all the benefits of setting up our own foundation—without having to file reports and tax returns. They’re the perfect option for those looking for the benefits of having their own named fund, without all the maintenance. One significant benefit of a donor advised fund through ACT for Alexandria is the advice and guidance they provide about the organizations we may be looking to support.