Igniting Generosity:

Foundation Board Leads the Way with Options to Give

IN LATE 2023, The Community Foundation was given a special opportunity to bring $2.25 million into our community. Lilly Endowment Inc. announced the eighth iteration of the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow initiative for community foundations (GIFT VIII). Through GIFT VIII, the Foundation applied for matching dollars to help grow unrestricted endowment funds with a $2 to $1 match.

The Community Foundation would need to ignite generosity to raise over $1 million in unrestricted funds to capture the match. Neighbors from across the community embraced several options for giving as they stepped up to the challenge. The Foundation’s board members led the way.

Giving to the Unrestricted Fund

After learning about the matching opportunity, Jaime Faulkner knew it was the right time to make a financial gift to The Community Foundation. Jaime, who currently serves on the Foundation’s Board of Directors, has given her time and talent to the Foundation for more than a decade. She began her service as a volunteer on the Scholarship Committee in 2013, joined the Grants Committee of the Board in 2015, and became a member of the Board of Directors this year.

Jaime and her husband Adam contributed this year to The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation. Their gift will be matched $2 to $1 through the matching grant fund provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.

“I think I’ve always had in my mind that gifts from predecessors like David Sursa, Ed Ball, and individuals who have since passed and gifted money are what fuels the Foundation’s ability to grant,” explained Jaime. “While those are components, it is actually a collective of generous givers, past and present at all levels who make grantmaking possible now and forever. To be a part of that is something special.”

Jaime is right. In 2023 alone, more than 500 donors made gifts to The Community Foundation, and nearly half gave to unrestricted funds. Collective generosity makes an everlasting difference in the community.

Building and Existing Fund

While giving to The Unrestricted Fund is the best option for some donors, others took advantage of the matching challenge to grow an existing named unrestricted fund.

Casey Stanley, along with his wife, Jennifer, contributed to four different named unrestricted funds to help the Foundation meet the challenge put forth by the matching fund grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. Casey has served on the Board since 2019 and has been a member of the Finance Committee since 2016. The Stanley’s gift contributed to The Unrestricted Fund of The Community Foundation, the Board of Directors Endowment Fund, the Laura Stanley Keppler Fund, and the Ontario Systems – Wil Davis and Ron Fauquher Fund. Casey and Jennifer have a special attachment to each of those funds.

Beyond Casey’s service and the couple’s shared giving, the Stanleys’ connection to the Foundation is generational. Both Casey’s and Jennifer’s fathers served on the Foundation’s Board of Directors over the years. Their families have given generously of their time and talent. Casey and Jennifer’s decision to give to funds that are tied to their families and the sustainability of the Foundation build upon that history of support.

By targeting their giving to existing funds, Casey and Jennifer helped The Community Foundation capture matching dollars while honoring the people and things in the community that have their hearts. In early 2024, Casey and Jennifer also took advantage of another opportunity – the opportunity to establish a named unrestricted fund.

“To the extent that we have a positive impact, it’s because we have watched so many before us model what it means to be a good steward of their gifts. It’s an easy choice for us – and we are thankful we are able to help out in this way,” said Casey.

Establishing a New Fund

Many Foundation supporters have seen the GIFT VIII matching opportunity as a catalyst for starting their own named fund. To make starting a fund even more accessible, the Board of Directors of The Community Foundation approved a new program that temporarily reduced the minimum gift requirement for a new unrestricted fund and encouraged donors to build their fund over time.

Before the year-end of 2023, donors stepped up to create five new named unrestricted funds. When Mia Johnson, who has served on the Foundation Board since 2021, and her husband Wayne learned about the matching opportunity for unrestricted gifts, it sparked a desire to make a permanent mark on the community with a named unrestricted fund at The Community Foundation. The Wayne and Mia Johnson Fund will grow with pledged monthly gifts from the Johnsons. Each gift will be matched $2 to $1. Once complete, grants will be awarded annually from the fund through the Community Grants Program.

“Our story began here in Muncie, and we have decided to raise our family in this community,” said Mia. “Starting an unrestricted fund with the Community Foundation has always been a goal for us. The opportunity for monthly payments with a $2 for $1 match was the perfect opportunity to make this a reality. We are excited to watch this fund grow and make a positive financial impact here in Delaware County.”

FOUNDATION LEADERSHIP really led the way with their giving. Board Chair Sara Shade Hamilton and her husband Brandon Hamilton also established the Brandon Hamilton and Sara Shade Hamilton Fund, which will grow with a pledge made through 2026. Daniel Stallings, who joined the Foundation’s Board in 2023, also saw this as a unique opportunity to create a legacy in the community. He and his wife, Lynne, have raised their family and called Muncie home for the last 20 years. The Daniel and Lynne Stallings Fund will also grow with monthly pledged payments following the special program established by the Board earlier in the year. The Community Foundation ignites generosity with options for giving. Each donor sparks change through their gift to The Community Foundation.

Everlasting

This story was featured in Everlasting, the Foundation’s 2023 Annual Report. Read the full report to hear about how we’ve built upon the work of the leaders before us to be representative, responsive, and relevant today. We tell stories of impactful grantmaking, generous donors, and more.

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