By Sarah Grant / Director of Development
When I joined Galesburg Community Foundation as director of development late last year after 15 years of leadership at the McDonough County Farm Bureau, I came motivated by one thing above all else: a powerful sense of what’s possible.
Now fully integrated into the team, I’m eager to play a role in seeing the Community Foundation continue to grow because I believe in our organization’s ability to do the same for Knox and Warren Counties and the wider region—a place where I grew up and a place that finds itself, like rural communities across the country, at a moment of transition.
We are rising up to meet the challenges and opportunities of this moment. And there is more we can do to build strong, healthy communities that will prosper long into the future. With tools like planned giving and the expertise of your Community Foundation, taking those steps is easier than many of us might think.
Consider this: by 2030, $2.2 billion in Knox and Warren Counties alone will pass from one generation to the next, with billions more to be handed down in the decades to follow. We all understand the drive to leave a legacy that creates opportunities for our children and grandchildren. Our communities and the causes we care about can benefit from that same generosity, too. Setting aside just some of your estate would represent a profound investment in all the growth that’s possible right here at home.
Now scale that out. If we collectively channel a portion of that $2.2 billion through thoughtful estate planning, we will create tens of millions of dollars in new, permanent endowments that, over the coming decades, could mean millions going back out to local nonprofits and initiatives each year.
All too often we meet people who want the best for our region, but they don’t think they have anything to give, or they don’t know how to make a meaningful gift locally. They don’t realize how simple Galesburg Community Foundation can make it to leave a lasting legacy for the people and the places they love.
Anyone can access philanthropy. By starting a fund or planning an estate gift through Galesburg Community Foundation, your gifts can create a permanent resource for our region, even as it continues changing. We are uniquely designed with the flexibility and expertise to help you support the causes you care about far into the future.
All it takes is beginning the conversation—with your family, with your professional advisor, and with us at Galesburg Community Foundation.
