I Feel Passion in Philanthropy

Passion. I felt it when I met my husband. I felt it when I had my kids. I felt it the first time I sang a song on a stage.

Now, I am feeling passion for a new venture. I am beginning my first year as the president of the Glendale Community Foundation -- a charitable endowment just for our community that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

When I joined the Board of Trustees two years ago, I knew of the Community Foundation as a stalwart of our community. It has made more than $3 million in grants to more than 300 agencies, most of which are right here in the Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose and Verdugo City area. It has grown from a $3,000 base of charitable capital in 1956 to more than $7 million today. Its accomplishments appealed to me intellectually, right off the bat. But as I became more involved, it began to stir my emotions.

Then, last fall, I went to Seattle to attend the international conference of community foundations. There, I met staff and board members from many of the 700 community foundations around the world. And there I really became passionate.

I learned that community foundations like ours are stewards of philanthropic capital. They provide "philanthropic counsel," helping people be strategic donors. They are forward-looking, forever-helping and big-picture focused.

I also learned that there are 10 reasons people give through the Glendale Community Foundation:

We build perpetual, lasting, endowment funds. Generally, if a donor's gift is for endowment, their gift is retained while earnings are used for grantmaking year after year to assure their gift will continue to benefit agencies and residents of the community indefinitely. Some donors prefer pass-through (non-endowment) gifts; it's all good.

We help donors establish a personal legacy. All grants are used to benefit the public interest and, unless a donor desires anonymity, all grants are publicly disclosed.

We want donors to stay involved. We encourage donors to consult with the Community Foundation to improve our community.

It's simple to fulfill many charitable interests. A gift to the Community Foundation may benefit many worthwhile endeavors through unrestricted funds or specific areas as advised by the donor. New funds can also easily be established with the assistance and direction of the Foundation staff.