VERO BEACH — Just in time for the traditional season of giving, the Indian River Community Foundation has launched a new website providing donors insight on local philanthropic services and opportunities to support Indian River County nonprofit organizations.
The highlight of the new website, located at www.ircommunityfoundation.com, is a revamped Nonprofit Knowledge Center featuring 150 nonprofit organizations.
Visitors to the website can search by the name of a nonprofit organization or by sectors including animal welfare, arts and culture, children and youth, community services, environment, health, hunger and homelessness, and senior services.
“Our goal is to help donors find meaningful ways to support the causes they believe are most important,” said Kerry Bartlett, IRCF Executive Director. “Our online visitors will now experience a more vibrant view of our community and the organizations that contribute to the quality of life in Indian River County.”
It costs nothing for local nonprofit organizations to upload contact information, program descriptions, success stories and short term goals. There is even an opportunity to add the agency’s logo to help reinforce the organization’s image.
Other sections of the new website include improved access to information about the services IRCF offers individual philanthropists, private foundations and local professional advisors.
Among the features are downloadable documents for establishing various types of funds; grant recommendation forms for current fund holders; and online access to Donor Central, a service that allows fund holders to view their fund balances, add to their fund and recommend grants to be paid from their fund.
“Almost anything a donor needs to engage in philanthropic activity can now be accessed through the Community Foundation website,” Bartlett said. “Professional advisors, such as attorneys and financial planners, will also find the website especially helpful in facilitating the work they do for their clients.”
The mission of the Indian River Community Foundation is to improve Indian River County through donor-driven philanthropy. Donors who partner with the Community Foundation receive the tax advantages of a public charity combined with the person l recognition, involvement and flexibility that is often found only through a private foundation.
“We are able to offer donors access to our extensive professional knowledge of Indian River County and its nonprofit sector,” Bartlett said. “Many people, especially newer residents, have a desire engage in a charitable way but need assistance to find the most effective outlets for giving.”
Established six years ago, the Indian River Community Foundation began operating formally in 2009 and currently holds over $9 million in assets restricted for charitable use. The majority of the assets are held in donor-advised funds. Earlier this year, the Community Foundation launched the Alma Lee Loy Legacy Society to honor people who have chosen to utilize the Indian River Community Foundation as a vehicle for continuing their philanthropy beyond their lifetime. To date, 24 people have been honored through the Legacy Society.
For more information or to learn how to add an agency to the Nonprofit Knowledge Center contact Bartlett at (772) 492-1407 or visit www.ircommunityfoundation.com.