Support
Support a project
Every gift goes to a named place, not a general fund. What it funds is meant to act as a catalyst: work that draws other capital in and leads to further improvements in the neighborhood around it. Choose the path that fits. Every donation is tax-deductible.
Path one
Give to a project
Give to a specific place rather than a general fund. You will be told exactly what your gift went toward, and you can go and stand in it afterward.
Path two
Larger gifts and naming
Larger gifts, naming opportunities and multi-year support are handled by the Board. The info goes to the Foundation’s Board of Directors, who will respond.
Path three
Through your estate
A gift in your estate can build a place that outlasts all of us. Send us your contact info, and we will walk you through each step.
Details of our legacy giving structure are being finalized with counsel.
Donor structure
How a donor’s funds are held
Donors can choose where their funds are placed. Or they can have their funds invested, with the income going toward a community project of the donor’s choice.
Where a donor chooses a cause that aligns with the Foundation’s catalyst intent, a donor committee is established for those specific funds: one member designated by the donor and two members from the Foundation. The donor can therefore ensure the funds are used as intended. The Foundation will protect the donor’s intent in a written Donor Intent Agreement.
Control of the funds
Donors have real control over their funds, with no limitation on the amount given in a year. A donor may support a new building, or another substantial catalyst gift, in the year they choose to give it.
How the funds are invested
Donors also get a say in where and how the funds are invested, and the Foundation works with them on a plan.
The contrast with a community foundation
Give to a community foundation and the donor has no say once the gift is given. Many contribute only a limited amount each year, typically about 5%, which prevents a substantial gift from being deployed for maximum impact. Much of that annual giving is consumed by foundation fees.
Create your legacy
A donor’s intent should outlast the donor.
Donations are too often used later for purposes the donor never intended. At a community foundation, you give up control of your donation: the foundation makes the decisions, regardless of your intent.
In many cases, donors’ names are also removed after the donor passes away. We have seen this ourselves. Terrence R. Wall sponsored the press box at the Middleton Sports Complex, only to find his name removed later. The John Wall Family donated to a children’s hospital, but soon after John passed away, the hospital removed his name from its master donor list and printed materials. A call to the organization revealed that it routinely removes the names of donors who have passed away. Isn’t that contrary to the donor’s intent to establish a simple legacy? We had to insist that his name be restored, as was intended and as had been represented.
At the Wall Family Scout Service Center, when the organization changed its name, it forgot to reinstall the sign recognizing the contribution. In that case, a simple call restored the original sign.
Part of the purpose of a donation is the donor’s intent. Part of it is to recognize the donor’s goodwill and generosity as a lasting legacy of a lifetime of hard work, and to set an example of generosity for future generations. Erasing a donor’s name later, without their knowledge, is contrary to the donor’s intent and to the promise the organization made.
At a community foundation, the foundation also takes the credit and recognition that come with a donation, rather than placing them in the name of the actual donor. It can direct your funds to any organization or purpose it chooses, regardless of your intent. It will not guarantee that your intent is carried out, and it may even direct your funds to a purpose directly contrary to your wishes.
The Wisconsin Foundation makes you a promise. For larger donations, the donor receives a seat on a Donor Intent Committee created specifically for that donation. You decide with the committee where your donation goes and for what purpose, and your name is recognized as the donor. The Foundation also ensures, through contracts, that your name lives on.
At the Wisconsin Foundation, 100% of your funds are contributed as you direct. The accounting and management of the Foundation are donated by Terrence R. Wall.
Open book
How we report to you
Give somewhere else and you may never see how the money was used. Here you do. Donors are kept informed as to their funds, in the plain form an accountant would recognize.
You receive a statement of earnings on your funds, and a balance sheet of your funds. That is the whole of it: open book, full disclosure.
How gifts are recognized
Gifts of $100 or more receive a written recognition letter.
Larger gifts that sponsor naming rights, such as for a park, a pavilion or a building, receive a plaque mounted on the wall, recognition on the Foundation’s website, a certificate of recognition, recognition in the Foundation’s annual report, and a Donor Intent Agreement with the receiving organization, such as the city or village, to ensure the naming rights remain in place.
By check: payable to The Wisconsin Foundation, mailed to
Wisconsin Foundation1818 Parmenter St.Middleton, WI 53562