The Family of Norma Longfellow Asks “What If?”

December 7, 2010

In this our third and final chapter of the “What If” series, Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate, shares with us the story of the Longfellow family and how they honor the member of Norma Longfellow by giving through a donor-advised fund.

The Longfellow Family’s Story

After Norma Longfellow lost her long battle with lung cancer, her family established a donor-advised fund at Minnesota Community Foundation. Their grants are guided by the family’s commitment to answer, “What if Norma were here? What would she do?”

During her illness, Norma formed deep bonds with her hospice caregivers in Douglas County, the west-central Minnesota region where she lived most of her life. In recognition and appreciation of this, the family focuses its giving on hospice programs that benefit county residents.

“We have dispersed money to some really fascinating projects,” Norma’s son Tom Longfellow says. “A good deal of these would not be covered by insurance or Medicare.” For instance, the fund has supported: a music therapist who used Swedish folk songs; training for service dogs to visit hospice patients; and a certified continuing medical education course for hospice workers.

The Longfellow family has also answered “What would Norma do?” with “Well, she would have a party.” And so, volunteers with Hospice of Douglas County have been treated to several gatherings to honor and recognize their hard work.

Donor-Advised Funds

The families that profiled in this “What If” series all chose to give through donor-advised funds. Donor-advised funds can be established at a community/public foundation with a donor’s initial lump-sum contribution. They are often seen as an alternative to giving directly to a charity or establishing a private foundation. Donor-advised funds allow a donor or designated adviser(s) to be actively involved with the foundation in recommending how the fund’s grants are distributed. For more information, visit the MCF website.

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

Previous “What If” Series Posts:

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The Lam Family Asks “What If?” and Honors the Memory of Sylvia Ho-Ling Hui Lam

December 6, 2010

In this second post in the “What If” series, Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate, shares the story of another family that has chosen a donor advised fund to manage their charitable giving.

The Lam Family’s Story

Sylvia Ho-Ling Hui Lam was a passionate Chinese water colorist and a molecular biologist who loved mentoring young people. When she died tragically in a traffic accident, her family asked, “What if we could extend her legacy and love of art and teaching and introduce art – or show a different way of looking at and appreciating it – to children who might not get that chance?”

The answer: Through a donor-advised fund under the umbrella of the Chinese Heritage Foundation, a collection of funds at The Minneapolis Foundation, the Lam family has been able to support several arts education projects.

While these projects bring great joy, they also evoke mixed emotions, so the family prefers to help organizations quietly without recognition or publicity. What means the most to the family, Sylvia’s son Norton Lam explains, is when they hear that an organization appreciated a donation and how it affected what the group does. “It helps us to know that something good came out of my mother’s death.”

Donor-Advised Funds

The families profiled in the “What If” series chose to give using donor-advised funds. Donor-advised funds can be established at a community/public foundation with a donor’s initial lump-sum contribution. They are often seen as an alternative to giving directly to a charity or establishing a private foundation. Donor-advised funds allow a donor or designated adviser(s) to be actively involved with the foundation in recommending how the fund’s grants are distributed. For more information, visit the MCF website.

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

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Families Answer the “What Ifs” and Give with a Purpose

November 30, 2010

When my kids were younger, they thoroughly enjoyed playing the “what if” game, especially on long car rides. What if we had a million dollars? What if we only had $10? What if we could only shop at one store? What if we could live anywhere? What if “school” was never invented? What if no one ever got sick? What if everything in the world was free? What if everyone in the world had to do what you said for a day?

No matter how anyone answered the questions, great discussion and debate followed. We’d  probe to discover why each of us would make certain choices and challenge the rationale for having certain priorities.

Families who want to give must wrestle with a myriad of “what if” questions. The choices of what to give, where to give and how to give are seemingly endless.

This week on the blog, I’ll be sharing with you stories of three families who have  asked themselves “what if,” and explore how their answers have influenced the grantmaking they do.

Ellie and Maya’s Story

Cousins Ellie Wiener and Maya Wiener Berkowitz are two 20-somethings committed to learning to give responsibly, thoughtfully and intentionally. They’ve asked themselves, “What if we really thought through what it means to have financial privilege, pooled not only our resources but our passion for social justice, framed a giving mission statement, then acted on that statement?”

In 2009, Ellie and Maya awarded their first grants through a donor-advised fund at Headwaters Foundation for Justice. The cousins intentionally give anonymously. Says Ellie, “As people who were given access to money, it is our responsibility to spread it. We don’t need or want personal recognition or excessive thanks for an act we view as a responsibility. Being anonymous donors is one way to defer some of the power dynamics that can come with philanthropy.”

Maya and Ellie do, however, want the nonprofits they select to receive grants to know that young people are interested in their work, so they send a letter with each grant stating that the contribution is from young donors and describing why the organization was selected, often specifically pointing out the organization’s support of youth and its inclusion of the younger generation in its leadership.

Maya and Ellie’s giving story is part of the Fall 2010 issue of MCF’s Giving Forum, which focuses on family philanthropy. To read more, check out the issue’s “Giving Stories” articles, which start on Page 10, or stay tuned for my next two installments of the “what if” series.

Donor-Advised Funds

The families that will be profiled in this “what if” series all chose to give through donor-advised funds. Donor-advised funds can be established at a community/public foundation with a donor’s initial lump-sum contribution. They are often seen as an alternative to giving directly to a charity or establishing a private foundation. Donor-advised funds allow a donor or designated adviser(s) to be actively involved with the foundation in recommending how the fund’s grants are distributed. For more information, visit the MCF website.

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

Other “What If” Series Posts:

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Posted by Chris Noonan

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