Archive for category: Donors

You are here: / / Donors

Even the fees support the community! How to transfer your donor-advised fund to TCFHR

You care about philanthropic giving and have established a donor-advised fund at a national charitable sponsor or commercial provider.

The structure works well but you’ve recently learned that if that fund moved into a community foundation, even the fees you are paying for management of the fund could benefit the community.

Those fees would go towards supporting administration of scholarship and grant programs, benefiting local students and nonprofits, as well as other programs supporting local literacy, like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and the Great Community Give event, which helps nonprofits fundraise.

So how easy is it to move your fund over to The Community  Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham?

It’s easier than people expect. Here is a simple guide to the process.

Step 1: Start a conversation with us

The first step is simply to reach out. The community foundation team can learn about your charitable interests, answer questions, and explain how a donor-advised fund at the community foundation can support your goals. Many donors are surprised to learn that a community foundation offers not only the convenience of a donor-advised fund, but also local knowledge, philanthropic expertise, and a long-term commitment to strengthening the community.

Step 2: Map out a fund that reflects your values

One of the most enjoyable parts of the process is designing a fund that reflects your family’s charitable vision. You can choose a fund name, designate fund advisors, and discuss how future generations might become involved. Many donors use this opportunity to create a structure that encourages family conversations about generosity and community impact, tapping into the community foundation’s resources and expertise.

Step 3: Establish your new donor-advised fund

The community foundation will provide a simple fund agreement that outlines how the fund will operate and who may recommend grants to nonprofit organizations. The process is typically straightforward, and the community foundation team will guide you through each step.

Step 4: Recommend a grant to make the transfer from your current donor-advised fund

Once your new fund is established you can contact your current donor-advised fund provider and recommend a grant to the community foundation for the benefit of your newly created fund. In many cases, this can be completed online and requires only a few minutes.

Step 5: Confirm the details

To help ensure a smooth transfer, be sure to use the exact name of your new fund and any instructions provided by the community foundation team.

Step 6: Decide how much to transfer

Some donors transfer the entire balance of an existing donor-advised fund at once. Others prefer to transfer a portion first and move additional assets later. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. The right decision depends on your charitable goals, giving plans, and personal preferences. Some donors even choose to maintain their existing donor-advised fund at a commercial provider while also establishing a separate locally-focused donor-advised fund or other charitable fund at the community foundation.

Step 7: Put your philanthropy to work in the community

After the transfer is complete, you can begin recommending grants from your community foundation donor-advised fund. Our team is always here as a sounding board and resource if you have questions! You may already support several favorite local nonprofits, and our team is happy to discuss both these organizations and new organizations that might have caught your attention. Many donors find that this deeper connection to the local community—and to professionals who understand it—becomes one of the most rewarding aspects of their giving.

The upshot here is that any donor-advised fund can help you organize and simplify your charitable giving. By moving your fund to the community foundation, you also gain a local partner committed to helping you make a lasting difference close to home. Contact us if you’d like to explore a transfer.

Historic preservation projects to benefit from new grant funding

Audrey Driver lived most of her adult life away from her childhood home in northern Rockingham County, but she never forgot about her Shenandoah Valley roots.

girl with pets

Audrey L. Driver on the family farm north of Timberville with her pet skunks. She would go on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and a distinguished career in psychiatric social services. Despite living most of her life in northern Virginia, she always retained strong ties to her Valley home and family history. (Photo courtesy of the family)

They were strong and grounded, woven from fond memories and family history. Don Driver, her nephew, and Becky Driver, her niece, recall their aunt’s stories of climbing the hill as a youngster, finding just the right apple in the orchard, and enjoying it while watching cows graze in the pasture.

Audrey too was fascinated by how Anabaptists in the Valley, some of them her ancestors, steered a careful course between incursions of Union and Confederate troops.

“Every family with a barn still intact from ‘The Burning’ has a story to tell about how that happened, Audrey included,” Don said. “She really enjoyed learning about that history and that family history.”

View the Driver home and barn on the National Historic Register’s website.

After Audrey Driver’s death at age 101 in 2024, the siblings were entrusted with a tall task. The result is of historic proportion itself. The recently established Historic Preservation Fund at The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham (TCFHR) honors her love of local history, genealogy, and education.

Executive Director Revlan Hill says the fund is the first among more than 350 managed by the foundation to specifically support historic preservation. “Working with Don and Becky as they described their aunt’s wishes and interests was a really wonderful process. They were thoughtful and careful but also creative in their approach, as they knew she would want them to be.”

Organizations can apply starting July 1; the application closes Sept. 1. The grant is open to nonprofits working in historic preservation with a focus upon the history of the Shenandoah Valley.

Learn more about TCFHR grants.

The first award will total about $20,000. Subsequent years, as much as $60,000 will be available.

The grants committee, which includes members of the Driver family and other community residents knowledgeable about local history, will review applications in the fall and make a decision by November.

“I know this particular committee is looking forward to seeing this first round of applicants,” said Ann Siciliano, senior director of scholarships and grants. “The Driver fund has the potential to make a significant difference in local projects devoted to preserving and sharing our Valley history.”

The foundation manages an annual application process for several other community grants, each with a specific restriction on the area of the support as prescribed by the donor.

Driver family barn

The Driver barn, circa 1839, still stands on family property, a rare survivor of Union General Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864. (National Historic Register)

Audrey Driver would be “so pleased” by how her bequest turned out, Becky said. “She told us generally what she wanted but really left the specifics to us.”

“The what was never an issue. The how was the challenge,” Don added. “Working with the Community Foundation became a logical and clear option, in part because of their connections already established with local organizations. Funding an endowment there all from which different nonprofit organizations supporting history and culture could be supported. She would be tickled, I’m sure.”

Audrey Driver was one of six siblings, the oldest daughter with a streak of independence from an early age. One family photograph shows the young Audrey posing nonchalantly with three pets, skunks Mertie, Gertie, and Squirty. So bright that she graduated from high school early, Audrey joined the Marines during World War II, serving in California. The GI Bill helped her graduate from Bridgewater College, and she went on to a long career as a psychiatric social worker, starting in Charlottesville but eventually making her home in northern Virginia.

She lived for 56 years in an apartment in Fairfax, packed with books. A lifelong reader with eclectic taste, she devoured academic treatises on the theory of psychology along with murder mysteries and narratives of history.

Don and Becky say that their aunt would be especially pleased that the fund is endowed. That means a distribution from the invested funds can support organizations this year — and for years in the future.

“We think she’d be very happy with this, to know that this support could go on forever and impact future generations,” Don said.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Harrisonburg and Rockingham: Spring 2026 update

As of mid-May, we have 3,514 children enrolled and 2,308 children have graduated from the program. In May, Virginia surpassed the 87,000 enrollment mark. The addition of Manassas makes 31 of 38 Virginia cities and 90 of 95 Virginia counties covered by an Imagination Library program!

More than 40 million books have been gifted since inception. View the DPIL 2025 Annual Report with more global stats and highlights.

Great Community Give

Generous donors helped raise $36,858 during the 9th annual Great Community Give last month. These funds are going to our Imagination Library Endowment, which we are actively growing to make sure this program remains a permanent part of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham community. We teamed up to send handwritten notes of appreciation to 16 of the major donors who gave during GCG.

WSIG Partnership

WSIG 96.9 FM, a country music station of Harrisonburg Media Group, has partnered with us to promote DPIL. The station is running Public Service Announcements and promoting registration and support on their website.

First Fridays at Gift & Thrift

Lauren, Sue, Kelsey with Gift and Thrift check

Lauren Jefferson, Gift and Thrift manager Sue Nelson, and Kelsey Gerber at the check presentation after the May First Fridays event. (Courtesy of Gift and Thrift)

DPIL was the beneficiary of Gift & Thrift’s “First Fridays of the Valley” event in early May. We set up a table in the Booksavers section with registration cards, donation slips, and book samples. Ten percent of the day’s proceeds were donated to DPIL, totaling $1,324!

Birthday Donation

Rebecca Porter sings at a Storytime event at Massanutten Regional Library for Dolly Parton's 80th birthday.

Rebecca Porter sings at a Storytime event at Massanutten Regional Library for Dolly Parton’s 80th birthday. (TCFHR photo)

In May, we had a surprise visit from Rebecca Porter, the singer/songwriter who coordinated the “Back Through the Years” celebration for Dolly’s 80th birthday. She hand-delivered a $650 check from the ticket proceeds of this event! We always appreciate being included in events like this and are grateful for this partnership.

Children’s Books Needed!

Do you or someone you know have children’s books that aren’t being used? Along with stocking the Little Free Library, we plan to hand books out again at the Rockingham County Fair to promote this program and childhood literacy (it’s so fun to see our little visitors light up when we tell them they can pick out a book to take home!).

We are exploring options of how to replenish our stash, like setting aside some funds to purchase children’s books or partnering with local thrift stores to donate back DPIL books. If you have books you would like to donate, or know someone who does, books can be dropped off at the Little Free Library at any time. If you have a box or boxes of books, please drop them off during our office hours Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. and Fridays from 9 a.m.-noon.

Rockingham County Fair Aug. 10-15

We are already preparing for the 2026 Rockingham County Fair indoor vendor fair, August 10-15! Tabling last year was a fun way to not only share about TCFHR but also promote the Imagination Library. As you can imagine, cardboard cutout Dolly was a BIG hit. Mark your calendars and plan to visit us!

The Momentum of Generosity: View our FY2025 annual report

‘Last year, TCFHR grew to $97.2 million in assets, with gifts totaling $11.3 million.

Through our organization, our donors awarded more than $8.3 million in cumulative grants to mostly local nonprofits.

Thirty-four funds were founded just this year.

These achievements show continuing momentum.

Every grant awarded, every student scholarship, every initiative here is proof that, together, we are doing some amazing work…’

—Revlan Hill, executive director

***

The 2025 Annual Report features the following information:

  • statistics and data related to giving, funds, scholarships, and grants;
  • new funds, including several new endowed funds to support mental health, community needs, Blue Ridge Free Clinic clients in need, and more;
  • synopses of staff transitions and technology upgrades;
  • coverage of the Virginia Ready vocational education scholarship program;
  • a wonderful thank-you letter from a Rocktown High School ’25 graduate now studying architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology;
  • and more…

View the digital edition.

Special thanks to Jon Styer and Rhoda Miller with At Ease Design Co.

Ninth annual Great Community Give to benefit 158 nonprofits

gathering to celebrate fundraising goal

Staff and volunteers gather on the porch of The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham to celebrate raising more than $10 million in the Great Community Give’s eight-year history. (Photo by Rachel Holderman)

Nonprofits in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County are gearing up for the ninth annual Great Community Give. The sunrise-to-sunset online giving day will be Wednesday, April 22, with the early giving period opening April 7.

The goal is to raise $2.5 million, just over $285,000 more than last year’s total of $2.2 million.

From April 7-22, donors can bring cash or checks directly to their favorite nonprofits, or give online at www.greatcommunitygive.org.

More than $80,000 provided by business and individual sponsors is also available in the prize pool. On April 22, the final day, nonprofits compete for hourly prizes as well as several thousand dollars in “leaderboard” prizes for most dollars raised and most donors.

The Great Community Give is hosted by The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, which provides administrative support and covers the costs of the digital platform.

Since the first event in 2018, more than $11 million has been raised. [View photos of the 2025 record-setting event!]

This year, a record number of nonprofit organizations working in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County have registered to participate. The 158 participants represent the areas of youth and senior services, general human services, mental health, animal welfare, environmental interests, transportation and food insecurity, and many more.

We know that now more than ever, our local nonprofit leaders, their staff, and volunteers are doing hard and challenging work, and they need funds to continue these invaluable services and programs. A donation during Great Community Give to your favorite nonprofit is a way of showing support and honoring their impact.

—Lauren Jefferson, TCFHR director of programs and marketing

Last year saw a rise in first-time donors and in local residents fundraising on behalf of organizations, but there’s still room to grow.

The county’s total population is around 140,000 residents, and last year’s donor count was a little more than 7,600.

“Tell your friends and family, become a fundraiser for your favorite organization, and help us spread the word,” Jefferson said. “Growing this event takes all of us. We have several wonderful media partners, but we also know that grassroots efforts make a huge difference.”

Foundation earns ‘unmodified’ audit opinion for FY2025 financials

The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham announces that its financials have received an “unmodified,” or clean audit opinion from independent auditor Brown Edwards & Co, LLP, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.

“This is the best type of audit opinion to receive, as it is a clean opinion,” said Chief Financial Officer Anna Wagner.

View the FY 2025 Audit Report.

 

For Wagner, concluding the audit process always a relief — and an exciting point in the year as well.

“We get to officially close the fiscal year with permanence and share our financial information publicly with the donors, fundholders, and clients to let the numbers tell our story of impact in the community,” she said.

Wagner encourages those interested to take a look at the audited financial statements, including the notes.

“The other documentation we use to tell the story of the financial year is the annual report, available next month,” she said.

The annual independent audit is required to maintain accreditation with the Community Foundation National Standards (CFNS). This accreditation requires proof of “legal, ethical, effective practices” in donor services, investment management, grantmaking, and administration.

Last week, the foundation received news it earned re-accreditation for three more years.

The annual audit is also a significant sign to donors, the board of directors, and the general public that the foundation “prioritizes stewardship, accountability, and accuracy,” Wagner says, and is “committed to excellence and care at all levels of the organization, especially with financial information that isn’t ‘loud and flashy.’”

The audit also adds assurance to any annual financial reporting of the foundation, she added, because independent professionals are making sure the financial records are accurate.

“Accountability is key,” Wagner said, “and we want to provide the highest level of confidence to our donors as they trust us with their charitable dollars.

Wagner actually never stops preparing for the annual audit, as careful accounting and processing occurs every workday. The entire fiscal year, however, must be accounted for and a “complete set of books” ready for review when the auditors arrive at the office each fall.

Auditors make standard requests to meet basic auditing requirements — for example, schedules supporting all the numbers and a sample of various accounts — but they can also request other information. Over the week-long on-site visit, auditors also learn about the organization’s processes, assess risks, and perform procedures on various types of activity, such as sampling and analytics.

Foundation re-accredited under rigorous national philanthropic standards

The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham recently received accreditation with the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. Community Foundations National Standards® establish legal, ethical, effective practices for community foundations.

With their re-accreditation, TCFHR joins more than 500 foundations across the country who have met these rigorous requirements for donor services, investment management, grantmaking, and administration. The process is voluntary and reconfirmed every three years.

“This is critically important to our donors, who value transparency, integrity, and accountability,” said Revlan Hill, the foundation’s executive director. “When people make a charitable bequest or establish a fund, they are putting their trust in us. They are counting on us to manage the investment wisely and honor their charitable wishes. The National Standards accreditation says our house is in order.”

The standards set consistent expectations for the board and staff, ensure policies are in place for financial stability and sustainability, and affirm commitments to best practices of the field.

One of those practices is an annual audit by an independent firm specializing in public audits; TCFHR received an “unmodified” audit opinion for FY2025.

Documentation was reviewed by a community foundation expert from a panel appointed by the Community Foundations National Standards Board, a supporting organization of the Council on Foundations in Washington, D.C.

TCFHR grows beyond $100 million in assets

Caption: Eugene Lantz, the first fundholder at The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, shares that the foundation has reached $110 million in assets, with Executive Director Revlan Hill. (Photos by Rachel Holderman)

The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham met a major milestone in late 2025, closing out the year with approximately $110 million in charitable assets under management.

Passing the $100 million mark is considered significant for community foundations, said Executive Director Revlan Hill, as the number of assets link directly with charitable impact.

“The more assets a community foundation has, the larger the investment pool and the larger the return for charitable giving,” Hill said. “This milestone reflects our residents’ generous spirit and their vision for making a difference, as well as a growing awareness of how working with the foundation for charitable giving leverages more financial support for the community.”

Hill attributes the success of the foundation to “our generous community, partnerships with local financial advisors, an historically strong board of committed residents, and the hard work of all of our staff, past and present.”

The foundation started in 1998 with a $50,000 fund started by Eugene Lantz and his brother-in-law Wallace Hatcher to honor CD and Vergie Lantz. The story goes that the two men drew up their plan on a back of a napkin while meeting at a restaurant with their financial advisor.

At a celebration last week, Hill asked Lantz to share the $110 million number with those gathered.

“It was a really nice full circle moment,” she said. “There’s no way we would be where we are today without Eugene and Wallace. They believed in us, just as our founders Lawrence H. Hoover Jr., Phillip C. Stone Jr., Andrew M. Huggins, and John L. Vincie III did in those early years. This moment is also a tribute to our Keystone supporters who provided early financial support so that we could continue to grow.”

Since its founding in 1998, the foundation has distributed than $92.3 million in grants and scholarships.

Most of that sum has stayed in the local area, Hill notes, pointing to data from Fiscal Year 2025, when $8.3 million in total was granted to scholarships and nonprofit organizations. More than $3.6 million, or 44% of grants, stayed in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, with $1.3 million, or 16% benefiting the greater Shenandoah Valley, and $1.7 million, or 21%, for organizations in the state.  About 20% of grants go outside Virginia.

The organization now manages 352 funds representing individuals, families, and businesses.

Unlike other investment firms, the fees charged help to support programs that benefit the community, including

  • nonprofit resourcing and support;
  • the local Dolly Parton Imagination Library program supporting literacy development;
  • the management of a large scholarship program (more than $1.9 million granted in FY2025);
  • a competitive grant process ($701,500 back into local communities in FY 2025);
  • endowments supporting local food pantries, vocational education, and general community needs;
  • the Great Community Give, and much more.

TCFHR earns 2026 Platinum Seal of Transparency

The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham has earned the 2026 Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, the world’s largest source of nonprofit information. This is the highest level of recognition. In 2025, only .1 percent of organizations were recognized.

The Platinum Seal of Transparency is granted to organizations that demonstrate a high level of transparency and integrity in their operations and practices. This includes providing annual financial information, including the latest 990 and audit, as well as updated information about leadership, goals, strategies, and metrics. 

This is the fifth consecutive year that TCFHR has earned a Platinum Seal.

“This recognition validates the hard work of our team,” said Revlan Hill, executive director. “Since its inception in 1998, TCFHR has held high standards of openness, accountability, and clear communication with donors, supporters, and the general public, and the Candid Platinum seal is a symbol of that continued commitment.”

 The foundation is also accredited by the Council on Foundations national standards.

NEW: Tax law changes in 2026 that may affect your giving

Our current and prospective fundholders, and anyone interested in giving to local causes, should be aware of the following changes and a few new tax laws that may impact charitable giving.

Social Security COLA increases

The Social Security Administration announced a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase effective January 1, 2026. This increase reflects inflation’s trajectory and may result in increased Social Security benefits.

Standard deduction increases

For tax year 2026, the standard deduction increased to $16,100 for single taxpayers, $24,150 for heads of households, and $32,200 for married couples filing jointly.

 The standard deduction is a key factor in charitable giving strategies. If a person’s total itemized deductions—including charitable gifts—exceed the standard deduction, they are eligible to itemize. Reviewing this threshold and considering a “bunching” strategy (accelerating multiple years of giving into one tax year) can help maximize charitable support through 2026 and beyond.

Tax brackets

Though the tax rates remain at a range from 10% to 37%, the income levels that define each bracket for 2026 have shifted.

Limitation on itemized charitable deductions for high-income taxpayers

High-income taxpayers will face an additional limitation through a new cap on the value of itemized charitable deductions. Even if a donor is in the highest federal income tax bracket, the tax benefit of a charitable deduction will be limited to 35 percent of the contribution. As a result, taxpayers in the 37 percent bracket will no longer be able to offset their income at their full marginal rate when making charitable gifts.

Good news for the 60% cap

Another important change provides greater certainty for donors who make substantial cash contributions. The long-standing rule allowing cash gifts to qualified public charities to be deducted up to 60 percent of adjusted gross income has been made permanent. After satisfying the new 0.5% AGI floor, donors may continue to deduct cash contributions up to this level, while non-cash gifts or contributions to certain types of organizations remain subject to lower percentage limits. 

New incentive for non-itemizers

The new rules introduce an incentive for taxpayers who do not itemize deductions. Beginning with the 2026 tax year, individuals who claim the standard deduction will be allowed to take a limited charitable deduction above the line, meaning it reduces income before adjusted gross income is calculated. Single filers may deduct up to $1,000, while married couples filing jointly may deduct up to $2,000, provided the contributions are made in cash. This deduction is available in addition to the standard deduction and represents a meaningful expansion of tax benefits for charitable giving among non-itemizers, many of whom have received no tax benefit for donations in recent years. Note, however, that gifts to donor-advised funds are not eligible for this deduction, and neither are noncash gifts. (This is unfortunate because both gifts to donor-advised funds and gifts of highly appreciated assets are useful tools that incentivize charitable giving.)

New threshold to itemize charitable deductions

One of the most significant shifts affects individual taxpayers who itemize their income tax deductions. Beginning this tax year, charitable contributions will only be deductible to the extent that they exceed 0.5% of a taxpayer’s adjusted gross income. In practical terms, this means that a portion of charitable giving will no longer generate a tax benefit. For example, a taxpayer with an adjusted gross income of $200,000 will see no deduction for the first $1,000 of charitable contributions made in a year. Only donations above that amount will be eligible for deduction, subject to existing percentage-of-income limits. This new rule functions much like a deductible in an insurance policy, raising the effective threshold for receiving a tax benefit and reducing the immediate incentive for smaller annual gifts among itemizers.

QCDs may be even more useful

Retirees and older taxpayers will also see an important adjustment through an increase in the Qualified Charitable Distribution limit. For tax year 2026, the per-taxpayer limit for Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) has been increased for inflation to $111,000, up from $108,000 in 2025. And the limit for a one-time QCD from an IRA to a split-interest vehicle has been adjusted for inflation to $55,000, up from $54,000.

This allows taxpayers age 70 ½ and older to further reduce their AGI and, if applicable, satisfy all or part of their required minimum distributions (RMDs). A QCD to a qualified fund at the community foundation (such as a designated or field-of-interest fund but not a donor-advised fund) remains one of the most tax-efficient ways to support charity. 

Generally, though, this change should help donors direct more funds to charitable causes without including those distributions in taxable income. Because Qualified Charitable Distributions can also count toward required minimum distributions, this higher limit enhances a tax-efficient giving strategy that is unaffected by itemized deduction limits, adjusted gross income floors, or caps on deduction value.