Stoughton Area
Community Foundation

Stoughton, WI 53589
info@stoughtonfoundation.org
or contact us online

The Stoughton Area Resource Team, Inc. (START) provides a safety net for those in crisis. Recently, a 30-year old single father of two struggled to find work, to pay for daycare for his children and to secure a home; so much time was spent homeless and hopeless.

Planned giving, sometimes referred to as gift planning, may be defined as a method of supporting non-profits and charities that enables philanthropic individuals or donors to make larger gifts than they could make from their income. While some planned gifts provide a life-long income to the donor, others use estate and tax planning techniques to provide for charity and other heirs in ways that maximize the gift and/or minimize its impact on the donor's estate. Estate planning remains a major source of funding but each year families and individuals decide to give back in other small and large ways. An annual solicitation for donations is mailed and fund-raising events have also been used to fill the coffers. One of the first such events was a talent show and telethon at the Opera House with the assistance of our local cable television station. Some highly-visible users of the funds have been for scholarships. The Bob Green Scholarship, for instance, plays an important part in the higher education plans for those pursuing agriculture careers. Another important part of the Stoughton Area Community Fund charter is to help charitable organizations by establishing "pass-through" accounts. This enables them to take money in through donations and then to write checks from the account which is within the SACF structure to meet state requirements. One such example is the 2005 tornado, many people wanted to donate to help and the Foundation served as the central place for all donations to be collected. A sub-committee of involved people and organizations then decided how to best use the money to benefit the neediest.

Planned giving, sometimes referred to as gift planning, may be defined as a method of supporting non-profits and charities that enables philanthropic individuals or donors to make larger gifts than they could make from their income. While some planned gifts provide a life-long income to the donor, others use estate and tax planning techniques to provide for charity and other heirs in ways that maximize the gift and/or minimize its impact on the donor's estate. Estate planning remains a major source of funding but each year families and individuals decide to give back in other small and large ways. An annual solicitation for donations is mailed and fund-raising events have also been used to fill the coffers. One of the first such events was a talent show and telethon at the Opera House with the assistance of our local cable television station. Some highly-visible users of the funds have been for scholarships. The Bob Green Scholarship, for instance, plays an important part in the higher education plans for those pursuing agriculture careers. Another important part of the Stoughton Area Community Fund charter is to help charitable organizations by establishing "pass-through" accounts. This enables them to take money in through donations and then to write checks from the account which is within the SACF structure to meet state requirements. One such example is the 2005 tornado, many people wanted to donate to help and the Foundation served as the central place for all donations to be collected. A sub-committee of involved people and organizations then decided how to best use the money to benefit the neediest.