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Hamilton Community Foundation Legacy Society

Donor Portal service added for donors

     Donor Portal for Fund Advisors and Fund Representatives

As a fund advisor or fund representative of the Hamilton Community Foundation, you have the ability to access your fund information online through our Donor Portal. This is similar to online banking. Within the portal, you can easily check your fund balance, view and download fund statements, request and track grants, add to your fund, make a donation and more. The Donor Portal makes it easy to manage your fund and is available 24/7 from anywhere, on any device.

Initial Login Process and Creating Your Account

You will receive an email from the Hamilton Community Foundation with a custom invitation link to create your account in the Donor Portal. Your username will be your email address that we have on file. If you would like to change your username for any reason, please contact our office at 513-863-1717 or email [email protected]. Once you click on the invitation link in the email, you will be prompted to create a password of your choice. Your password will need to use a capital letter , number  and special character. 

What is your Why? 

Giving to a cause you care about is so important when it comes to sharing your treasure. Whether looking to spark real change, tackle some of the world's biggest issues or simply support community programs and services, discovering the how, why and to whom you want to give is the first step. However, deciding how you give, how much to give, and where to donate can be overwhelming with so many options available. 

Crafting a strategic giving plan enables you to make deliberate choices about where and how to donate your time or resources. It also provides peace of mind, freeing you from guilt when declining other giving opportunities. This booklet is designed to guide you in establishing that plan. 

While personal passions and convictions guide our giving decisions, it's crucial to remember we're not often making these choices in isolation. Everyone in your family might have their unique charitable priorities. Engaging in conversations about each others giving priorities can be a bridge to understanding and building consensus. It not only strengthens our bonds but also ensures that the impact you make as a unit resonates with everyone's heart and vision. 

We have created a guide to help you with creating your giving plan.  This is one tool to help us begin the conversation with you to meet your charitable goals.

Creating your giving plan

Create a Fund

Thank you for placing your trust in the Hamilton Community Foundation. Your gift or creation of a permanent fund ensures that the issues, charities and the community you care about will be supported by you, forever.

The Hamilton Community Foundation offers a variety of services and tools to help you make the most of your charitable dollars and enjoy a meaningful giving experience: Our staff is here to assist you with your philanthropic planning.

We are your partner in helping you map out your giving goals. Our staff works closely with donors and their families, helping them to develop a philanthropic vision and personal giving plan that meets their objectives. Hamilton Community Foundation is a collection of more than 900 individually established funds, each one representing the vision of an individual, family or organization and their belief in the power of endowment and philanthropy. Each fund is designed to better the community, leave a legacy or inspire others to continue the work of the Foundation.

Stock Transfer Instructions

Will Language

With the Hamilton Community Foundation's Legacy Society, you can make provisions today that will meet the needs of tomorrow.

You can provide a permanent source of support for your charitable interests while generating tax savings and even personal income through deferred gifts to the Foundation.

You can become a Legacy Society member by naming the Foundation as a beneficiary in your estate plan or through a charitable life income arrangement.

To be added to the Legacy Society Membership list, complete a Legacy Society Form that you receive at the time you notify Foundation staff that you have named the Foundation a beneficiary in your estate plan. In addition, The Hamilton Community Foundation recognizes Legacy Society Emeritus Members, those who left a lasting legacy in our community by remembering the Foundation in their estate plans. We honor their memory and celebrate their selfless generosity. They are noted with a star to the left of their names.

Upon joining the Legacy Society, your name will be published in the Foundation’s newsletters, annual reports, the web site and other publications.  You you will receive invitations to Foundation events, including the Legacy Society Dinner, held every other June.

Also, Legacy Society members receive a pastel of the Lane-Hooven House signed by Hamilton native Tricia Heiser Wente.

Finally, there is a sense of well-being in knowing you are supporting your community forever.

Legacy Society Form

Once you are logged-in, your fund's homepage will appear.  If you manage multiple funds, you will see a Choose Fund menu. Choose the fund you wish to review from the drop-down menu.

The main screen provides an at-a-glance list of recent gifts and recent grants paid out of the fund.  You will also see a current balance, and the current fund advisors just below the balance.  Note that each person listed will have similar access to the donor portal.

 To assist you in further detail, we have provided this reference guide to introduce the basics of the new portal.

An investment in the Hamilton Community Foundation is an investment in your community.

Here are some ways you can support your local community:

1. Employer Matching Programs - Many companies offer a company match for employee donations, in some cases up to two or three times the amount of the gift. Take advantage of this opportunity by making your donation before December 31.

2. Your year end gift will generate tax deductions on your 2023 taxes.

3. Your gift to the Hamilton Community Foundation is like giving a present to the community. Your dollars stay local and are used for programs, services and scholarships right here at home.

5. The Hamilton Community Foundation makes giving easy.

    a. Make a cash donation online or by mail to Hamilton Community Foundation, 319 N Third Street,       Hamilton, OH 45011

    b. Make a gift of stock

    c. Make an IRA gift or Qualified Charitable Distribution

    d. Open a Fund at the Foundation

For more information about how to give or how to start a fund, call Katie Braswell at 513-805-0220 or email [email protected] 

Ken and Karen McFarland Memorial Scholarship

Ken and Karen McFarland left a legacy of giving in their family, so much so that even their sons in law knew that the best way to honor them was through helping others. To the surprise and delight of the three McFarland daughters, Lynne, Colleen and Kathleen, the Ken and Karen McFarland Memorial Scholarship was established in 2019 by husbands Mike, Andy and Brian respectively. Read more about the McFarland legacy...

Helping you make an impact

Every year, the Hamilton Community Foundation helps thousands of donors fulfill their philanthropic dreams. Whether you want to support nonprofit organizations making a real difference in daily lives in our community, or make charitable contributions anywhere in the United States or internationally, we are here to help.

As a vibrant and connected community leader, the Hamilton Community Foundation is ready to help transform your passion for giving into greater impact!  For more information and to learn how integrate your giving choices with your financial planning, contact us at 513.863.1717 or email Katie Braswell 

Through the Hamilton Community Foundation you may establish a variety of funds for individuals, families, businesses, and community organizations.  Choose the fund that best accomplishes your goals for giving.

Opening and maintaining a charitable fund is simple. Start with a gift of $5,000 or more in cash, stock, or retirement assets, ($10,000 for a scholarship fund) and experience the community impact, ease, and tax advantage that a fund provides.

We invite you to explore the different types of funds listed below.

S.D. Berry Family Fund

Steve Berry, PhD, is a Chicago native who moved his family to Oxford in 1979 from Southern California.  In 1988, the family moved again, this time from Oxford to Hamilton.  As he moves into retirement, Steve has time to explore what Hamilton has to offer, and think about ways of giving back. That desire led he and his wife, Cathy, to begin the S.D. Berry Family Fund at the Hamilton Community Foundation. Read more about the Berrys...

Bob and Pam Long Donor Advised Fund

Bob and Pam Long learned about giving to others at a young age, and that lesson is practiced daily in both their professions and their lives. Because of this shared compassion for their community, they established the Bob and Pam Long Donor Advised Fund. Read more about the Longs... 

Friends of the Chrisholm Fund: Preserving History

The Friends of Chrisholm Historic Farmstead established an organizational endowment fund at the Foundation in 2014.  The fund was started in conjunction with the 20^th Anniversary of the founding of the Friends of Chrisholm Historic Farmstead nonprofit organization and the 200^th Anniversary of the arrival of the Amish to Butler County. Learn more about Friends of Chrisholm...