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Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about the Community Giving Pledge? We have you covered! Below are some of the most frequently asked questions. If you still have questions contact the Greater Salina Community Foundation at 785-823-1800 or giveback5@gscf.org

The Give Back 5 Community Giving Pledge is a group of people who commit to donating at least 5% of their retirement or other investment accounts to local nonprofits after their lifetime.

The Community Giving Pledge was started by a local committee made up of financial advisors, nonprofits, and the Greater Salina Community Foundation to inspire local giving and strengthen our community's future resources for the next generation. They believe nonprofits contribute to the community's social, economic, and cultural wellbeing and are committed to helping build their capacity through the Community Giving Pledge.

Our goal is to secure at least 125 pledges by June 30, 2025.

There are many reasons to join the Community Giving Pledge, but here are our "Top 5!"

1. Strengthen Your Community. Nonprofits play a vital role in our community's social, economic, and cultural wellbeing. Your pledge helps build future resources that will strengthen your community for future generations.

2. Leave a Legacy. Create a meaningful and lasting legacy in your name by using your pledge to support nonprofits that represent your life's work, passions, and values.

3. Pledge Now, Give Later. Because the charity is a beneficiary of your retirement/investment account, you still have full access to your funds during your retirement years when you need it the most. After you are gone, the charity will receive 5% of the remaining account balance, making it a win-win!

4. Save on Taxes. Naming a charitable beneficiary in your retirement or other investment accounts is easy to do and may result in substantial tax savings for your heirs and estate. Because charities do not pay income tax, the charity will also receive the full contribution amount.

5. Inspire Others. Generosity is contagious! When you give to causes you are excited about, it inspires others to do the same. Together, we can do more for our community!

No. The Community Giving Pledge is meant to be fun and inspire philanthropy. We hope that you will ultimately fulfill your pledge, but also understand that life happens and things can change.

Local nonprofits play a vital role in making our community a great place to live, work and play. What would our community look like if there were no parks? No art center or theatre? No food bank?

When you pledge today, you are helping build future resources that will strengthen our community for future generations.

Our goal is to have 125 pledges by June 30, 2025. See the Pledge List to see all the people who have joined.

The Community Giving Pledge is the easiest gift you will ever make. All you have to do is follow these easy steps:

1. Pick Your charity. Which nonprofits do you want to support? Do you want to support a single charity, multiple charities, or future community needs with no specific cause?

2. Decide how and when you want your gift to create impact. If you want to create immediate impact and let the nonprofit spend the entire amount, designate your gift directly to the charity. If you want to create long-term impact where the principal of your gift is kept intact with only the interest earned going to the charity each year, designate your gift to the Community Foundation on behalf of the charity.

3. List the nonprofit as a charitable beneficiary of your retirement or investment account. This can be done by meeting with your financial advisor, or by logging into your account online in less than 5 minutes.

4. Fill out a pledge card and add your name to the list! Fill out a pledge card online or fill out this card and turn it in to your financial advisor or the Greater Salina Community Foundation.

After you pass away, 5% of your IRA/investment account balance will go to your designated charities, allowing you to still make an impact when you're no longer here.

Join the Pledge

You can support any number of charitable organization through the Community Giving Pledge. Here is a list of local nonprofits supported by the Greater Salina Community Foundation by interest to get you started, or you can go to GuideStar for a list of local nonprofits.

If you don't have a specific organization you want to support, you could also designate 5% to the Community Foundation to support a field of interest such as the arts or early childhood education. Contact the Community Foundation at 785-823-1800 or foundationservices@gscf.org to learn more.

Yes, the great thing is nothing is set in stone! We know that interests can change during your lifetime.

To change your list of charities, all you have to do is update your beneficiary form with your advisor or fund agreement with the Community Foundation if you are leaving an endowed gift.

That works for us! One of the goals of the Community Giving Pledge is to inspire philanthropy. If you have a different asset that you wish to designate 5% instead of your IRA or investment account, that works too.

Have them contact the Greater Salina Community Foundation at 785-823-1800 and ask to speak to the President & Executive Director or VP of Community Impact, or email giveback5@gscf.org.

The Community Giving Pledge is the easiest gift you will ever make. All you have to do is follow these easy steps:

1. Pick Your charity. Which nonprofits do you want to support? Do you want to support a single charity, multiple charities, or future community needs with no specific cause?

2. Decide how and when you want your gift to create impact. If you want to create immediate impact and let the nonprofit spend the entire amount, designate your gift directly to the charity. If you want to create long-term impact where the principal of your gift is kept in tact with only the interest earned going to the charity each year, designate your gift to the Community Foundation on behalf of the charity.

3. List the nonprofit as a charitable beneficiary of your retirement or investment account. This can be done by meeting with your financial advisor, or by logging into your account online in less than 5 minutes.

4. Fill out a pledge card and add your name to the list! Fill out a pledge card online or fill out this card and turn in to your financial advisor of the Greater Salina Community Foundation.

Join the Pledge

Absolutely... and most of us aren't! This is an inclusive campaign meant to inspire everyone to give. Regardless if your remaining account balance is $10,000 or $1 million, the charity will still receive 5%, helping make a difference after you are gone.

Every little bit helps and by working together, we can do more for our community!

No, the choice is yours! You can still participate in the Community Giving Pledge and remain anonymous by checking that on your pledge card.

However, if you are on the fence, we encourage you to list your name as it will inspire others to give too. We do not give out any personal information or any details of your pledge. Your name is simply one of many on the pledge list showing your commitment to our community.

We are still working through the details, but at a minimum we will send you a t-shirt for you to proudly wear showing you are committed to the future of our community!

All kidding aside, we are working to put together an annual gathering to celebrate those that have joined the pledge, along with fun programming highlighting the work of our nonprofits and their role in making our community a great place to live, work and play.

Yes. At a minimum we will have an annual gathering to celebrate those that have joined the pledge along with fun programming highlighting the work of our nonprofits and their role in making our community a great place to live, work and play.

If there is an interest from those that joined the pledge to meet more often, we are open to exploring different opportunities such as a book club, or tours of local nonprofits. Let us know what ideas you have!

You can inspire others to join the Community Giving Pledge with you by spreading the word on social media.

  1. Take a selfie giving the camera a "high five."
  2. Post to social media with a simple message about why you are "giving back five," with the hashtag #giveback5

If you are not into social media, invite the Community Foundation to come speak to organizations you are involved with, your work, or even a small gathering of friends for a happy hour. We are passionate about bringing people to give back to our community and want to share all about it!

Contact us at 785-823-1800 or giveback5@gscf.org

Join Others

The Give Back 5 Community Giving Pledge is a group of people who have committed to donating at least 5% of their retirement or investment accounts to local nonprofits after their lifetime. They believe nonprofits contribute to the community's social, economic, and cultural well-being and are committed to helping build nonprofit capacity through the Giving Pledge.  Make a difference in your community and join others who have already signed up!

Adrienne Allen

Jim Allen

Danielle Brown

Eric Brown

Michael Chambers

Beverly Cole

Dale Cole

Doyle Comfort

Maureen Comfort

Brandon Ebert

Heather Ebert

Karen Ebert

Ken Ebert

Rick Frisbie

Mark A. Gruenthal

Maggie Hemmer

Tom Hemmer

Jenell Hulse

Phyllis Johnson

Cathy Krug

Randy Krug

Pilar LaPointe

Jim Loader

Jerry Lonergan

Nancy Lonergan

Aaron Martin

Dave Martin

Jessica Martin

Casey McCoy

Melissa McCoy

Jake Mitchell

John Mize

Karen Mize

Rita Northup

Dennis Oakes

Martha Oakes

J.J. O'Connor

Tammy O'Connor

Bob Peck

Cindy Peck

Pete Peterson

Rita Peterson

Katie Platten

Tom Platten

John Quinley

Mary Quinley

Jon Ramsey

Sharlene Ramsey

Martha Rhea

David Simmons

Mac Steele

Aaron Wedel

Carolyn Wedel

David Wedel

Mark Wedel

Sarah Wedel

Supported By

Jenell Hulse

I chose to join the Give Back 5 community giving pledge because I love Hyllningsfest and Lindsborg! I want Hyllningfest to go on for even more generations to enjoy and show the entire world that we are truly the "greatest square mile" in every aspect.

Aaron & Jessica Martin

We're giving back five because we believe in investing in the future of Salina and want the programs that our children are involved in to be available for the next generation!

This could be you!

You can even Give Back 5 in honor of your furry friend by making a donation to your local animal shelter, therapy dog program, dog park, or anything else that reminds you of him!