Getting Started

5 Small Steps to Make a Big Difference

1. Choose a Fund that meets your needs. Do you want to invest in an existing Community Impact Fund or start a Fund of your own? The answer to this question will always depend on your particular goals and circumstances. To learn more, click here.
   
   
2. Decide which assets to donate. Most often, appreciated securities or real property can help you achieve maximum tax benefit. Talk to us or your professional advisors for more information. If you elect to contribute publicly-traded securities, please complete a gift instruction letter.
   
   
3. Complete the paperwork. If you contribute to a Community Impact Fund, all you need to get started is a gift of any size. If you decide to start your own Fund, download the Fund Agreement that suits your needs and call us with any questions you may have. Our Fund Agreements are only two pages long, and we often can establish a new Fund in one day.
   
   
4. Tell us about your goals. We’re here to help you achieve your philanthropic agenda. For some people, making effective grants is paramount; for others, it is developing a giving strategy that involves the whole family. These are not mutually exclusive aims. We hope you’ll talk to us about what you want to achieve. What we learn about your goals is confidential and used solely so we can help you gain greater clarity and focus.
   
   
5. Help the community by making us smarter. We are not just a collection of charitable funds. We are a collection of the experience, wisdom and hope of several hundred donors. Very often, what we learn from you informs our work across all of Napa County, and our work with other donors. To schedule a meeting with us, please click here.