The Hamilton North Chamber January Luncheon: Bell of Recognition

The Bell of Recognition for the first quarter of 2012 was announced at the Hamilton North Chamber January Luncheon.  The award was presented to Beck’s Hybrids of Atlanta.  Accepting the award from Carmen Clift, the Chamber Ambassador Committee Chair, on behalf of Beck’s Hybrids is Bruce Kettler, Director of Public Relations and Jan Henderson, Events and Promotions Coordinator.  The criterion for the Bell of Recognition includes  volunteerism, community involvement, business appearances, customer service, and enhancing membership. 

The Hamilton North Chamber of Commerce is an integral part of the Hamilton North Community (Jackson Township including the towns of Cicero, Arcadia, Atlanta and White River Township) providing visibility and support to their members, while actively working to enhance the business community.

The Chamber is open to all businesses, not-for-profits and individuals who have an economic interest in the Hamilton North community.

Chamber members meet monthly for luncheons/breakfasts.  These meetings feature networking time, a member Business Spotlight and an informative speaker.  Other events include Alive After Five for after-hours networking and the annual Business Showcase to feature member products and services.

Beck’s Hybrids is a family-owned and operated seed company that serves farmers in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky.  According to a recent media survey, Beck’s ranks as the sixth largest seed company in the United States.

Source: The Times Newspaper January 13, 2012

Charitable questions: building the discussion (part 2)

In the previous article we began discussing the topic of charitable questions and now we are going to continue it.

Commonly business owners see CPA’s as an expense, so sometimes it may be really difficult for them to schedule a meeting time for the discussion of  charitable questions.  Even if the CPA wants to encourage his/her clients to be generous and to include charity in their estate planning, the question of how to do that and when is often asked.  The question of smart giving is tightly connected to the topic of tax savings, but also it intersects with another important aspect – family goals, emotions, human needs.

Clients who decided to end up with their unnecessary assets yearn for well crafted plans.  So CPAs should bring up these discussions, but when should they do it?  Some of the clients may request a specific meeting about tax-advantaged charitable giving.  Maybe a better strategy is to incorporate these conversations into the tax return review and client meeting process.

You should also remember that charitable questions need be asked several times to be answered.  Smart giving especially concerning tax saving with a complicated scenario needs time to soak in.  The deeper questions that will appear, such as giving annually, volunteerism, appreciated assets or business sale will help you to continue this conversation constantly.  Your client may be also interested in creating Private Foundation or Donor Advised Fund.

A lot of people want to make donations, but they just need someone to encourage them, to give them an efficient advice.  In case you want to talk about specific topics that you are not competitive in you should always remember about your Community Foundation.  Every county in Indiana is represented by a community foundation, thanks to the generosity of the Lilly Endowment.  Community foundations provide the needed hub between donors, professional advisers and non-profits. 

Charitable questions: introduction

Businesses are doing better this year, so the owners of successful companies expect their income to rise.  This is why talk of ways to reduce tax bills is also a prevailing topic. 

Financial questions are not usually discussed, with the exception of your CPAs – it’s their work!  For the client, CPAs are the most connected to financial and tax details.  Clients trust their CPAs and usually need their input about all givings.  Nearly 67% of donors are not able to make a decision regarding charitable donations without their CPA's input.  No one can give better advice about the benefits of donating.  Clients not only welcome the advice, they need it! 

Unfortunately, some CPAs do not touch this topic during conversation with clients.  Why?  There may be several possible reasons.  Firstly, they may feel uncomfortable about asking, but one should remember that smart giving can be a great deal for their client and at the same time, it can deepen relations.  Secondly, they may feel poorly educated when asking this question, or it may just not be on the radar.  Finally, it may just be a question of time and schedules.  Nevertheless, this is a truly important statement for CPAs to pay attention to. 

In our next article we are going to discuss how it is better to include the charity questions in the dialogue with clients.  So stay with us in the New Year and learn more on this topic!!!

P.S. We wish you a Happy New Year and all the best to our readers! 

Legacy Fund: November meeting summary

Legacy Fund is one of many Community Foundations that serve Indiana.  Quarterly, the Executive Directors for the counties that surround Marion County meet and exchange ideas. 

On Friday, November 11, 2011 the community meeting was held in Martinsville.

This photo was taken during the meeting which included, Blue River Community Foundation (representing Shelby County,) Boone County Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Morgan County, Hancock Community Foundation, Hendricks Community Foundation, and Legacy Fund (representing Hamilton County.)  During this meeting Rosemary Dorsa of Director of GIFT (Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow, a program of the Indiana Grantmakers Alliance) was the special guest. 

Several important topics that were discussed in the meeting:

The Engagement Platform 

Council on Foundations Recertification

Crescendo Interactive

Spending Policy Determination

Finance Officer Meeting

Annual Dinners/Events

Community Needs Assessment

Additionally, the 2012 meeting dates and hosts were scheduled:

Friday, March 16, 2012: Hosted by Hendricks County Community Foundation

Friday, June 8, 2012: Hosted by Blue River Community Foundation

Friday, September 14, 2012: Hosted by the Legacy Fund

Friday, December 7, 2012: Hosted by the Boone County Community Foundation