Donor Newsletter

PERSPECTIVES MARCH 2018

Welcome to the first Girl Scouts of Central Indiana donor newsletter!

Another newsletter?!

I know right, so why are we doing this and why now?

Here are just a few reasons…

We are introducing a donor newsletter because...

• Indiana ranks 34th in the health of our girls, when measuring social, emotionally, and academic health. http://www.girlscouts.org/stateofgirls • Girls who are in Girl Scouts vs. nonGirl Scouts have a strong sense of self (80% vs. 68%).

• Girls who are in Girl Scouts are more likely than non-Girl Scouts to exhibit community problem solving skills (57% vs. 28%).

• Girls who are in Girl Scouts are more likely than non-Girl Scouts to desire a career in STEM (26% vs. 14%).

• While there are 29,000 girls served in 45 central Indiana counties by Girl Scouts of Central Indiana there are 500,000 who are not.

There is so much more we hope to do, so many more girls we wish to reach, and to do that well we will continue to need you.

Each and every one of you receiving this newsletter understands that the Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a one of a kind experience for girls. You know this so well that you have chosen to be a Girl Scout donor and supporter, and we hope that you will continue in that spirit.

Therefore, we will use this newsletter opportunity to share powerful stories from our girls, volunteers and board members that will inspire you, encourage you about the future of our communities, and give you continued reasons to support Girl Scouts, and hopefully reach out to others to join you.

Thank you for all that you do for the girls in our communities, and I look forward to meeting each and every one of you in 2018!

Fondly,

HOW TO GIVE Mail Online Amazon Wishlist • 7201 Girl Scout Lane Indianapolis, IN 46214 • girlscoutsindiana.org

Danielle Shockey Chief Executive Officer

• If you would like to purchase donations on Amazon, please search for the Girl Scouts of Central Indiana wishlist.

• To speak with us about donating, please contact Leslie Scott or Karen Schuman at lscott@girlscoutsindiana.org or Kschuman@girlscoutsindiana.org

PERSPECTIVES Supporting Girl Scouts of Central Indiana Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Sarah Mahaffa, CFP® / Bedel Financial An estimated 21 million taxpayers will no longer receive a deduction for charitable giving and charitable organizations fear the impact the new ruling will have on donations. However, all is not lost! Here are a few options that will allow you to continue to support Girl Scouts and reduce your tax liability at the same time!

Donate Appreciated Assets Stocks, mutual funds, or bonds with a low cost basis are great candidates for donations. Rather than selling the investment, donate the asset in-kind to Girl Scouts. As a donor, the value of your donation is the fair market value

at the time you gift the investment to Girl Scouts.

Double-up Lump two or more years worth of charitable contributions into one tax year and forego contributions in the following year(s). Doubling up on contributions will help enhance the amount of your itemized deductions.

Use a Donor Advised Fund Consider a donor advised fund (DAF) if you’re concerned that biennial donations will negatively impact the cash flow of the organizations you support. DAFs allow you to create a personal account to which you can contribute funds at anytime.

Make Charitable Gifts from an IRA If you are over age 70 ½ and have traditional IRA accounts, your annual required minimum distribution (RMD) can be a source of charitable giving.

Rather than taking the RMD as a taxable distribution, you can direct up to $100,000 to one or more charities as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).

All these strategies are viable solutions, but the impact to your tax return will vary based on your specific circumstances. We encourage you to partner with your accountant or financial planner to determine which approach is most appropriate.

MARCH 2018

Give. Help. Repeat.

Creating a solid foundation of giving A strong structure starts with a strong foundation. In the world of Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, the structure is our girls and the foundation is our donors.

Each year we receive generous gifts from donors that allow us to provide low-cost programming and the resources necessary to build girls into leaders in their community. These annual gifts help shore up our council, but a consistent, long-term approach and commitment will really help build

the strong foundation we need.

As you consider making your annual gift to Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, we would like to encourage you to consider joining our Give. Help.

Repeat. program. Give. Help. Repeat. is a monthly giving program designed to grow our base and add consistency to the strong programming our girls need for years to come.

With a monthly gift in any amount, you give girls the opportunity to obtain life-

GAMER GIRLZ Robotics experts Girl Scouts of Central Indiana is proud to highlight Gamer Girlz – an all-girls group of budding robotics experts. This group of Girl Scouts ages 9-14 participated in the Indiana FIRST Robotics Lego League State Championship for the first time ever.

As a group, the girls programmed a robot and did research to solve an issue in the community. They built a robot and competed directly against other groups their age to complete tasks that required coding and cooperation. They also presented on their community issue, participated in a community letter-writing campaign, and even corresponded with President Obama!

Girl Scouts of Central Indiana and Indiana FIRST Lego League have given Gamer Girlz the opportunity to experience STEM activities, learn

from mistakes, and see success and improvement from their efforts. STEM and life skills are two of the four major pillars of the Girl Scout Program. We are proud to support groups that encourage girls to reach for the stars and get involved in their communities.

changing leadership skills, participate in STEM activities, learn business and economic literacy and enjoy outdoor adventures.

For more information or to join the Give. Help. Repeat. program and make a monthly donation in any amount, please visit girlscoutsindiana.org/donate.

Or contact Leslie Scott, annual giving manager, at 317-924-6838 or lscott@girlscoutsindiana.org.

NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Indianapolis, IN Permit No. 5677

Girl Scouts of Central Indiana Leadership and Learning Center 7201 Girl Scout Lane Indianapolis, IN 46214

Why I Support Girl Scouts of Central Indiana Rebecca Carl

In 1980, I graduated from high school and headed to college.

Fast forward to 1984, at 22 years old, I was launched into the working world - part of the “Me” generation. It was all about what you had, how you looked and oh yes, there was the big hair. I wanted to belong and part of that meant striving to be a Yuppie (look it up if you aren’t old enough to know what it is). It was NOT a time where most young people were looking for service

opportunities and that included me. Fast forward 20 years and I was fortunate to have ‘climbed the ladder’ and landed at IU Health (then Clarian) becoming the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. I also had 2 young daughters (both of whom became Girl Scouts I am happy to say) and I began to see the need to give back in some way so I could not only help my own daughters but other people’s daughters, nieces and granddaughters as well. Girl Scouts, with its mission of courage, character and confidence – coincidentally, the SAME characteristics I wanted to instill in my own daughters, struck me as the

Get social &

right fit. I got involved as a member of the board of directors in 2007 (I am on my second round!) and have been passionately engaged ever since.

The board has evolved over the years and I am so pleased to see such a focus on STEM and leadership. This organization is the right one for girls at this time in history to launch them into a world full of opportunity and I am so pleased I have the good fortune to participate in it!

Join the conversation @girlscoutsIN