News & Resources
The Maine Women’s Fund Awards $80,000 to 2013 Economic Security Inititative Grantees
The Maine Women’s Fund has awarded grants totaling $80,000 to organizations working to build the economic security of Maine women and girls. The 2013 grantees will be recognized at the Fund’s annual Leadership Luncheon on May 23, 2013 at the Holiday Inn By the Bay, Portland. Economic security is the Fund’s grantmaking priority. The vision of the Fund is a just and caring society in which Maine women and girls thrive so communities prosper.
“The Maine Women’s Fund continues to be the only foundation focused solely on the future of Maine women and girls,” said Sarah Ruef-Lindquist, CEO of the Maine Women’s Fund. “The Fund identifies the greatest needs across Maine, and invests in the organizations and initiatives that most effectively advance economic security for our state’s women and girls.”
Download the press release here.
Good News for supporters at least age 70 ½!
The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 included a number of provisions that apply to the use of IRA funds by those 70 ½ and older for charitable gifts. An upper limit of $100,000 applies, but any portion of that amount can be used to benefit the Maine Women’s Fund as you specify.
For all of 2012, if made a direct transfer from an IRA to the Maine Women’s Fund, you may now classify that as a rollover gift. By characterizing the amount as a rollover gift, the amount will not be included in the taxable income section of your federal return.
For those who would like an additional 2012 tax deduction, a charitable gift made from an IRA between January 1, 2013 and January 31, 2013 can be treated as a 2012 deductible amount. Contact your plan administrator to work out the details.
Another option—if any of your 2012 IRA distributions were withdrawn and paid to you between December 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012, you may use that amount (up to $100,000) as a 2012 charitable gift by sending the amount to the Maine Women’s Fund by January 31, 2013.
Last but not least, any distribution from your IRA in 2013 can be a 2013 charitable gift by having it sent to the Maine Women’s Fund.
Please consult with your tax advisor to determine how this new law can impact your financial situation and charitable gift plans.
Visit our How to Give page for details on how to make your gift today.
Anne Taintor Announced as Tribute to Women in Industry Award Recipient
The Maine Women’s Fund announces Anne Taintor as the 2013 Tribute to Women in Industry (TWIN) award recipient. The award is given to a woman who is a leader in her field and who has achieved significant accomplishments as a business owner, business executive or nonprofit organizational leader. Taintor will be honored at the annual Leadership Luncheon on May 23, 2013 at Portland’s Holiday Inn by the Bay.
RESOURCES
Planned Giving Training for Maine Women’s Fund Grantees:Two Local Opportunities
I. The Maine Women’s Fund and Maine Initiatives are pleased to announce:
Planned Giving: Harnessing the Power of Donor Passion to Build Sustainability
Maybe your organization hasn’t sought planned gifts due to perceived complexity or lack of capacity to process and steward them. Through this series of four workshops, learn the skills needed to harness the capacity your organization has to maximize the value of long-term, passionate donors. All sessions led by Sarah Ruef-Lindquist, Esq., CTFA and CEO of the Maine Women’s Fund.
Click here for more information.
To register email Reva at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
All workshops will run on Wednesdays from 9am-12pm (coffee/tea provided). Dates and topics:
Dates and topics:
November 7, 2012: Introduction and Overview
The world of planned giving and estate planning and its place in resource development
January 9, 2013: Organizational Prerequisites
Policies and the process to create them
Board Engagement – Participation and roles for success
March 13, 2013: Legacy Societies to Steward and Cultivate
Recognition programs that steward relationships and cultivate prospects
May 8, 2013: Professional Advisors and Allied Professionals and Tracking, Managing, and Valuing Gifts
Who the people are who will generate and help process gifts, why they’re important, and how to find them. Internal procedures to track, manage, and value planned gifts
Each organization that participates will provide one staff member and one board member for all of the sessions.
II. The Maine Women’s Fund and University of Southern Maine are pleased to announce:
Introduction to Planned Giving
Planned giving is an aspect of development growing out of the deepest, most profound relationships between donors and non-profit organizations. Planned gifts - typically absorbed into endowment funds - generally involve more complicated gift arrangements than current gifts of cash or marketable securities. They also typically begin at the 6 figure level, involve gift, estate and/or income tax benefits to their donors, and can increase significantly the financial resources of nonprofit organizations for their long-term operation. In this course, we will review and explore: organizational prerequisites,including board and staff roles, underlying policies and procedures, the industry of planned giving, wealth transfer and tax implications that incentivize planned gifts, mechanics of planned gifts, resources to support planned giving programs(e.g. allied professionals, web-based services) and the concept of appropriate donor recognition and stewardship.
We will also discuss how to identify potential planned giving opportunities.
To facilitate grantees gaining maximum advantage of this training, the Fund is sponsoring one board member from any grantee organization that registers a student for the course. Fund grantees that register a staff member for the course through USM should also contact Sonya Tomlinson at the Fund if they wish to send a board member to the training AT NO COST sponsored by the Fund.
Click here to register or for more information.
Tuesday, April 23, and Wednesday, April 24, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Abromson Center, 88 Bedford Street, USM Portland campus
Proposal Writing Advice
Below are a few more resources to assist you in fine-tuning your grant proposal:
Guide for Writing a Funding Proposal
Learning Lab: A Proposal Writing Short Course
Life Cycle of a Public Charity
During its existence, a public charity has numerous interactions with the IRS – from filing an application for recognition of tax-exempt status, to filing the required annual information returns, to making changes in its mission and purpose. The IRS provides information, explanations, guides, forms and publications on all of these subjects
Maine Association of Nonprofits
Training workshops in grant writing and other areas of fundraising.
The Grantsmaking Center
A leader in grant information.
The Grants Information Center
Find written materials and a sampling of videos on fundraising, proposal writing and philanthropy.
Other Resources
Foundation Center
Established in 1956, the Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide.
NPQ - Nonprofit Quarterly
NPQ’s mission is to promote an active and engaged democracy through collecting and publishing breaking news and analysis.
The Grantsmaking Center Magazine
The Grantsmanship Center publications are packed with information on how to plan, manage, staff and fund the programs of nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
Social Media Swag
Show your support for the Maine Women’s Fund with custom additions like the these Facebook Timeline Cover images. To download the image, click on the image below and save a copy of the file. Then you can upload your new cover to your Facebook profile.
