Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Discuss Charitable Giving With Your Clients It's good for society, it's good for your clients, it's good for your business, and it's good for you.

1.   It's good for society, it's good for your clients, it's good for your business, and it's good for you.
2.   You'd be surprised how many of your clients are searching for a way to give back to society, to memorialize a loved one, or simply to do good.
3.   Discussing philanthropy with your clients can be done unobtrusively, in a way that respects their privacy, values, and autonomy.
4.   It expands the menu of services available to your clients, thereby increasing their level of satisfaction with you and your services.
5.   It adds to your areas of expertise as a professional adviser.
6.   It increases the potential for new referrals and thus opens the door to many new clients.
7.   It blends your chosen profession with your desire to do something good for the world.
8.   It helps address important social needs and helps make your community a healthier, more vibrant place to live - a real legacy for future generations.
9.   It puts you in touch with a supportive network of new colleagues who are willing to share their time and expertise.
10.  It's easy to do!

This list comes from The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, a national network of national leaders and organizations across the United States that support effective charitable giving. And from the website of The Columbus Foundation, www.columbusfoundation.org.

Leveraging Life Insurance: From Many Small Gifts, A Great One

Life insurance is an excellent tool for making a charitable gift for a number of reasons. Through a relatively small annual charitable contribution (the premium), a benefit far in excess of what would otherwise be possible can be provided for charity. This sizeable gift can be made without impairing or diluting the control of a business or investment. In addition, assets earmarked for family members can be kept intact.

For example, a 50-year old person committed to giving $5,000 annually for 10 years could leverage the $50,000 into a gift of $300,000 or more. A 50 year-old couple using a survivor life policy could increase the leverage to over 600,000. Even though the cost of a given amount of life insurance increases with age, substantial leverage can still be provided for individuals in their 70's and early 80's.

In addition to creating new life insurance policies for charity, many people donate existing life insurance policies that are no longer needed.

Rochester Area Community Foundation website

How to recommend a charity without recommending a charity.

Estate and financial planners, along with other professional advisors, are often faced with a delicate dilemma: You want to discuss the many benefits of charitable giving with your clients, but you want to avoid recommending specific charitable causes and nonprofit organizations.

The solution is simple: The Walker Area Community Foundation is a single, trusted vehicle your clients can use to address the issues they care about the most, while gaining the maximum tax benefit under state and federal laws. We can offer a variety of giving options - including the ability to set up a charitable fund in your client's name. It is just one way we can help your clients achieve their charitable goals. Talk to your clients about giving through the Walker Area Community Foundation.