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Impact of Giving

The most compelling task facing Charlotte’s cultural community is to endow our important cultural institutions, which are under-endowed relative to their peer institutions in other similar-sized cities.

Your estate plan is a statement about what matters most in your life. With a planned gift you can create a legacy that expresses your values, honors a loved one and supports those organizations that are most important to you and your family.

There are many ways to structure a bequest or planned gift:

  • Unrestricted - Many donors leave it to the discretion of the nonprofit’s board of directors to decide how to best deploy the proceeds of a planned gift. An unrestricted bequest ensures that the nonprofit can use your gift to maximize its strategic impact. This is very common when the donor has high confidence in the leadership and long term vision of the organization.
  • Restricted to Endowment – For some donors, it is important that the capital exists in perpetuity and provides a permanent source of support for the nonprofit. Endowment support is critical to the financial health of most nonprofits.
  • Specific Use – If you have a specific goal in making a planned gift we strongly encourage you to consult with the nonprofit or with the executive director of the Cultural Trust to ensure that the nonprofit can meet your objectives.

Donors often have a desire to make a difference in specific areas:

  • Access (Ticket Scholarship Fund) -- If you are passionate about increasing access, you can make a bequest through your will enabling children in Charlotte’s under served communities to attend a performance at Blumenthal Performing Arts, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte or they can spend the afternoon at one of Charlotte’s museums, such as Discovery Place, the Charlotte Nature Museum, the Mint Museum or the Levine Museum of the New South. Scholarship support for students at North Carolina Dance Theatre’s School of Dance or Community School of the Arts are also areas of much needed support.
  • Excellence - Many cultural organizations have a Fund For Excellence or a dedicated effort to ensure the excellence. A gift made to support excellence is never outdated.
  • New Works – Whether commissioning a play by a leading playwright or a new work of dance or acquiring a work of art or historical collection for a museum, many cultural organizations are committed to keeping their collections current and compelling. Support for new works builds capacity and revenue that strengthens our cultural institutions.

 

The Cultural Trust works with donors to evaluate the tax-advantaged methods for planning your gift. We ensure that your gift is wisely invested and your wishes are honored in perpetuity. We take the time to understand your motivation for giving and your charitable goals. Contact Chris McLeod, J.D., to schedule a confidential conversation at 704.973.4521 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .