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According to Giving USA, individual giving accounted for 80% of all charitable giving in 1991; in 2021 it dropped to 67%.

That is a challenge for non-profit organizations, said Jane Simpson, president and CEO of the Davie Community Foundation. “Most nonprofits in our community depend on annual gifts from everyday people in our county.

“So how do we bridge the gap? At the Davie Community Foundation, we believe in endowments. Nonprofits with a Davie Community Foundation endowment have annual support. And that can mean they have additional resources for making a difference in Davie County. Endowments can also bridge the gap for organizations when charitable giving is down.”

Here are a few examples of endowments that donors created to continue their legacy of support for a specific organization:

• The John and Anike Fuller Fund was created by the Fullers to support Cooleemee Elementary School where their children attended, and Anike volunteered for many years.

• The E. and L. Martin Fund (Davie County Public Library – Martin-Wall History Room) was created by Lester and Elizabeth Martin to keep Davie history alive for future generations through the library.

• The Linda Fromal “Sunflower” Fund was created by Linda’s family and friends to provide perpetual support for kindergarten children at Pinebrook Elementary whom Linda loved and supported as a teacher assistant before her death.

• The V.B. Lougee Fund  was created by V.B. Lougee to provide support for those in need through the ministries of A Storehouse for Jesus.

• The Davie County Young Life Endowment was created by Bill Roesel for perpetual support of Davie’s Young Life program.

• The Dragonfly House Endowment was created by Ann Dyson to provide perpetual support for the work of the Dragonfly House.

You can add to an organization’s existing endowment with a gift in any amount, at any time. Visit dˆ (Grants – Church & non-profit Grants) to see a list of organizations with endowments.

Or you can work with the foundation to create a fund to benefit your favorite organization. Give cash, appreciated stock, or other assets. You can even include a gift in your will or trust to create an endowment.

“In a changing and uncertain world for nonprofits and their donors, a gift to endowment is a gift that lasts forever,” Simpson said.

Contact Simpson at 336-753-6903 or jsimpson@daviefoundation.org.