Donor Profile:

Donor Advised Fund Helps the Leach Family

Support Seniors, the Arts and Education 

More than 100 years ago, the Leach family homesteaded in Colorado. Little did they know that their land would become the source for a fund that supplies vital donations to the elderly, the arts and education.

 

In 1995, the sole-surviving members of the Leach family, Dan and his brother Don, decided to donate a portion of their family’s Douglas County homestead. They chose to donate it to Community First Foundation who used the sale of the property to create the Leach Family Fund. The intention was to give family members a role in deciding how to distribute the proceeds.

 

For this reason, Dan and Don chose a Donor Advised Fund. This type of fund relies upon the donors to advise the Foundation in how the money is dispersed. It also extends the value of their donation by paying out gifts over time.

 

Recent beneficiaries of the Leach Family Fund include Red Rocks Community College, the Ladies Relief Society (ARGYLE) and Exempla Lutheran Hospice. “We’re very active in the community, so it’s not hard to come up with very worthy organizations in need of help,” Dan Leach said.

 

Finding worthy organizations is only the first step. According to Leach, “There’s an accountability we have as donors to make sure that when we give a gift, we really scrutinize all aspects to make sure it is managed and distributed in a way that produces the maximum benefit possible. Community First Foundation helps us do that.”

 

Other services the Foundation offers to manage the gift include making grants, issuing checks, follow-up and assessment, investing and accounting. “Working with Community First Foundation is very much a partnership,” said Leach.