For Paulette Middleton and Dave Renne – both atmospheric scientists with a particular commitment to environmental causes and truth in journalism – establishing a Donor-Advised Fund with the Community Foundation turned out to be the best bet.
With so many ways to give – through the Community Foundation Boulder County, or directly to nonprofit organizations, or otherwise – identifying the best approach to meet your giving goals can seem overwhelming.
For Paulette Middleton and Dave Renne – both atmospheric scientists with a particular commitment to environmental causes and truth in journalism – establishing a Donor-Advised Fund with the Community Foundation turned out to be the best bet.
“I came to Boulder in 1975 for a one-year post doc with NCAR [National Center for Atmospheric Research], and I just fell in love with this community,” recalls Paulette. “I loved my work, too – and, since then, I like to think of myself as a Boulder person.”
Similarly, Dave – “raised back East in the suburbs of New York City” – fell in love the area upon arriving here for graduate studies. In 1991, having worked together on a project for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the couple also fell in love with each other.
“Our work brought us together, and led us to look for ways to support environmental and renewable initiatives that we both care about,” says Dave. “Because of our shared professional focus, a lot of our giving has been related to environmental and renewable energy programs.”
On the recommendation of a financial advisor – via our Financial Advisor Program – the couple decided to explore their giving options with the Community Foundation. “We liked the idea of consolidating our giving under one roof,” Dave says. “Working with foundation staff, we came up with a coherent strategy and established the Sunburst Fund. Every year, we contribute to our fund the required disbursement out of our retirement.”
Adds Paulette, “We used to write a lot of checks to lots of different organizations we believe in. The foundation helped us realize we could make more of an impact by issuing fewer – but larger – grants. Now, I feel like we’re reducing overhead and really making a statement in how we support environmental causes, and how we help vulnerable people, especially in light of changing government policies.”
The couple especially appreciates the foundation’s vetting of local nonprofits, and deep community knowledge.
“The foundation is helping us identify and establish the best approach to match what we’re most passionate about with our goal to give back to our community,” says Dave. “Foundation staff are helping us come to some important decisions in how we align our values and our personal priorities for the greatest possible impact, locally.”
Concludes Paulette, “We want to make sure that our money keeps programs that are important to us going, even if the government pulls out. Best of all, it’s wonderful how warm, welcoming and engaging the Community Foundation is – because it’s more fun to give when you’re having fun!”
