DERBY — The Valley Community Foundation (VCF) launched its annual “Valley Gives Back” campaign on Nov. 1, starting the two-month long initiative encouraging individuals to make planned gifts to their favorite Valley nonprofit and cause.
The Valley Gives Back initiative was started in 2018 and highlights the importance of planned giving, particularly in ways that do not affect the donor’s current finances. The initiative is geared to get donors to consider making a direct gift to a Valley charity through nontraditional options such as leaving life insurance policies to a nonprofit, donating appreciated stock, or contributing their IRA’s required minimum distributions as a means of leaving an enduring legacy.
“A planned gift is an act of love and foresight, one that allows individuals to give back in ways that strengthen our community for generations to come,” said Sharon Closius, VCF’s President and CEO. “The generosity of today can create lasting support for tomorrow’s needs.”
This year’s Valley Gives Back campaign starts in November, National Philanthropy Month, with a digital outreach effort, including email, social media, and a renewed focus on providing practical tools for donors to explore. The Valley Gives Back website — ValleyGivesBack.Org — offers easy-to-access resources, options, ideas and tools, for those interested in making a planned gift.
In addition, a billboard on the Cohen & Thomas Building in Derby will feature the message: “Stop…Look…Listen to Your Heart: Plan a Gift to Your Valley Nonprofit Today…”, encouraging commuters at the busy Main Street intersection to reflect on how they can leave a lasting mark on the community they love. A vital component of the initiative also focuses on getting area nonprofits to use the VGB website too.
David Morgan, TEAM’s President and CEO, said his organization refers donors to the VGB website when they ask how to make a legacy gift to his nonprofit. TEAM also links to the VGB website from its own legacy giving webpages.
“What makes this such a unique initiative is that VCF doesn’t need to be the broker of the gift giving, they want it to go directly to a nonprofit,” Morgan said. “It’s a very generous and selfless initiative because VCF’s philosophy is that any and all philanthropy lifts the Valley and community as a whole.”
The staff at VCF stands ready to assist you in any way to help you meet your planned-giving goals. Please call us at 203 – 751-9162 or visit ValleyGivesBack.org .
About the Valley Community Foundation:
Established in 2004, each year the Valley Community Foundation (VCF) distributes approximately $2 million in grants that support local nonprofits and people they serve. In addition to grantmaking, VCF works in strong partnership with The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (TCF) to promote philanthropy in Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton. VCF receives funding from The Gates Fund and other preference funds at TCF that benefit the Valley. For more information, visit ValleyFoundation.Org. Valley Community Foundation, 253‑A Elizabeth Street, Derby CT, 06418. Office: (203) 751‑9162.
