Giving right now is easy

You have at least two important reasons for making a major charitable donation right away.

One, your professional advisor says you should, especially for tax purposes.

Two, you want to use philanthropy to help others now.

Hampton Roads Community Foundation is here to make your charitable giving easy and joyful - not complicated or frustrating.

First, let's talk

We are happy to meet where and when you want or to connect with you on the phone. The most important question is whether our community foundation is right for you. Can we make the tax advantages work? Can we steer grants to the causes and organizations you care about? Can we involve your family? Will we answer the phone every time you call and quickly get answers for you?

The answer is "yes" to all of these questions. Your situation is special to you so it's special to us, and we look forward to making philanthropy work for you. To get started meet with Kay Stine, vice president for development, or one of her team. Contact Kay by email or (757) 622-7951.

Second, choose from many giving options

• Establish one of six types of endowment funds with your name and your purpose. Minimum opening amounts start at $25,000.
• Give a gift of any size online right now.
• Arrange for a future gift through a bequest or other estate plan.
• Contribute any amount to one of our Community Funds that support grants in the following areas:

1.  Arts and Culture
2.  Civic Leadership 
3.  Educational Achievement 
4.  Environment 
5. General Grantmaking (helping an array of area nonprofits) 
6. Health and Human Services 
7. Scholarships

• Contribute to one of our more than 50 field-of-interest endowments. Generous people like you have set up funds to benefit early childhood, provide humane animal care, end homelessness and promote horticulture education, to name a few causes.
• Donate to a Hampton Roads nonprofit through one of the Community Foundation's named designated endowments. Many of our more than 500 charitable funds have unique purposes that provide annual grants to specific nonprofits, alma maters and places of worship.
• Don't know what to give to the friend or relative who has everything? Give a gift to his or her donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation. Your gift will be acknowledged, you receive a charitable tax credit, and your friend can recommend more grants. See donor-advised fund examples
• Contribute to the Community Foundation's overall work. We have nearly 100 unrestricted funds created by people whose names you may recognize. We also have a Community Fund and an Eastern Shore of Virginia Community Foundation grantmaking fund. We'll steer your gift to a pressing need in southeastern Virginia or the Eastern Shore.
• Join the Community Leadership Partners, whose members pool their resources to tackle specific issues in the region.
• Honor or remember a special person with a gift of any size.

Third, donate the "right" asset

Most of us think of writing a check when we make a donation. While that is a good option, sometimes there are better choices.

Take stock. Let's say you bought a share of stock for $10 25 years ago, and today the stock is worth $100. If you sold that share, you would have to pay capital gains tax on $90 ($100 minus the original buying price). But if you donate the share of stock, you are free of capital gains taxes, and you get a charitable deduction based on the entire $100.

Stock is just one of the assets we can accept on your behalf. Explore your giving options

Fourth, sit back and relax

You've made your gift and received your tax break. Your responsibilities are over except for enjoying the good you do while helping others. If you made a gift in honor or memory of a special person, we will let the honoree or family member know. And, if you started a fund, we will handle all the paperwork, the auditing, grant distribution, record keeping, and investment monitoring while you enjoy the results.