In this Issue:
Championing Change: A Couple’s Dedication to Community| Reflecting on the Year: 2024 Impact Report Now Live | 50 Years of Philanthropy: Announcement and Highlights | 2025-2026 Scholarships Closing March 16| Share the Impact: Your Story, Our Community | United In Community Well-Being | National Philanthropy Day Youth Nominations | Professional Advisors Corner: “If/Then” Scenarios to Consider in Tax Season
Championing Change: A Couple’s Dedication to Community
Dr. Peter Springberg first met Major Lynnette Jung on a plane from the Philippines to San Antonio, returning to an Air Force base there. After years of service within the Air Force medical field, Dr. Springberg became the Medicine Division Chief at the Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, leading 1,250 officers and enlisted personnel. Lynnette subsequently became the Department Chair of Social Work there.
Their paths didn’t cross too often until he was asked to run a promotion ceremony the following day. He agreed to help and asked who was being promoted. Lo and behold, it was none other than Lynnette who was being promoted from Major to Lieutenant Colonel.
Soon, Dr. Springberg was assigned as Commander of a 150-bed hospital in Wichita Falls, TX. Lynnette followed suit, moving to another medical unit on the same base. Their relationship sequently progressed, and they were married in 1988. Later, Dr. Springberg commanded an Air Force Medical Center in the Biloxi, MS area while Lynnette ran a family support center there and did special projects for the Base Commander.
“When we got married, Lynnette said ‘Peter, I’m a Lieutenant Colonel and you’re a full bull, a Colonel, we can live on one salary and support our communities.,’”.
And just like that, Dr. Springberg and Lynnette started their philanthropic journey. Lynnette’s desire to give back to her community stemmed from how life was during her childhood. Her father was killed in a tragic accident when she was very young, leaving her family with very little. Her mother ran the welfare program in Glasgow, MT, and Lynnette knew that if that weren’t the case, they would have been on welfare themselves. She knew those with something to give back to the community could make a huge difference in someone else’s life.
Around the time Lynnette went off to graduate school, her mother got remarried to an old friend who had considerable wealth.
“When Lucille, my dear mother-in-law, died, Lynnette inherited several million dollars,” said Dr. Springberg. “We continued to give away money, mostly supporting local and regional causes.”
Dr. Springberg and Lynnette gave generously, starting a 35-year giving campaign, which ended in 2023. He estimated that they gave over $3 million back to the community, local causes, and recovery efforts when major disasters happened around the country. Since this giving campaign ended, Dr. Springberg has continued to give smaller amounts to specific organizations, especially the Food Bank for Larimer County and the Fort Collins Symphony.
Lynnette died unexpectedly in 2015. In her memory, Dr. Springberg started fourteen projects, ranging from very small to considerable contributions.
Lynnette had worked with three similar organizations, helping kids who had been abused in one way or another. When one of these organizations needed a large conference room, Dr. Springberg was quick to help. This was one of the biggest projects he helped to fund.
There is one project that he started through a fund in his late wife’s name, the Lynnette C. Jung Memorial Mental Health Fund, that is still running today. It allows active-duty military families to spend a weekend in a cabin at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO. Through this project, more than 65 families have been able to enjoy time in the mountains with their loved ones.
The fund has enough to keep this project going for another seven years. Dr. Springberg gives $2,000 a month from it, which enables four families to go to the YMCA camp. By the end of this project, Dr. Springberg will have supported hundreds of military families for a weekend getaway at the YMCA of the Rockies.
While Dr. Springberg and his late wife, Lynnette, gave, and he continues to give back to the community in a very generous way, philanthropy can also be simple. Lynnette gave her time to help kids in need. Dr. Springberg has been on many local organizations’ boards throughout his time in Fort Collins. This is a story of grand generosity, but everyone can give back to their community in one way or another.
“Philanthropy is an integral part in how one can become involved with and care for a community,” said Dr. Springberg.
Reflecting on the Year: 2024 Impact Report Now Live
Our 2024 Impact Report is now live! This year, we did things a little differently and published our Impact Report in an online format. This streamlined overview of 2024 shares some of the exciting initiatives and impact our donors supported this past year.
In a nutshell, 2024 was a strong year. The NoCo Foundation and its fundholders had the largest giving year in our 49-year history — more than $12 million was distributed to nonprofit organizations; 80% are in Colorado. It is simply stunning that our 600 plus fundholders were, to use the metaphor, rowing in the same direction all fiscal year, and surpassed other large giving years – cheers to all of you!
You can visit our online Impact Report to learn about this past year’s impact, fiscal year stats, the initiatives we started, some highlights, and get a sneak peek at 2025. We are excited to see what the next 50 years bring.
50 Years of Philanthropy: Announcement & Highlights
2025 is the NoCo Foundation’s 50th anniversary! With an exciting year ahead of us, we want to keep you all in the loop. We will be creating a page on our website dedicated to our 50th anniversary, where we will share important milestones, fun facts, a historical timeline, info about events and programs we will be hosting, and more. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back often!
We will be celebrating throughout a six-month period — May to November. To kick off the celebration, we are hosting our annual Celebration of Philanthropy but doing it a little differently in honor of our anniversary.
On May 8th, the NoCo Foundation is hosting the 50 Years of Philanthropy Community Celebration at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins. In 1975, the NoCo Foundation was started when community members came together to transform the old Lincoln Junior High into a performance center, leading to the beginning of the Lincoln Center. The celebration will feature a special program and activities that celebrate the past and look to the region’s next 50 years. We hope you’ll help us celebrate.
The 2025-2026 scholarship applications close on March 16!
The NoCo Foundation scholarship program is a testament to the unwavering support of our generous donors. Their dedication to nurturing talent and fostering educational opportunities is at the heart of our mission.
Our scholarships cover a diverse range of fields and disciplines, reflecting our commitment to supporting a broad spectrum of interests and career aspirations. Be sure to check out our scholarship opportunities and apply by the end of this weekend.
Share the Impact: Your Story, Our Community
We always want to celebrate the impact of our nonprofit sector. We have a few options for you to share your stories of impact with the community and highlight just how important you are to our region as a whole.
For our 50 Years of Philanthropy, we are collecting stories of transformational impact that demonstrate how the strong culture of giving has shaped Northern Colorado. If you have a story to share, please do so through the form below.
Another way you can share your impact is through our Nonprofit Newsflash submissions. Nonprofit Newsflash is our ongoing campaign to highlight nonprofit impact. We share these stories on our social media channels and may want to work with you to create a larger story for our bi-monthly newsletter from your submission.
You can learn more about the Nonprofit Newsflash guidelines and submit your stories by clicking the button below!
Our goal is to help lift up the nonprofit sector by sharing these inspiring, important, and impactful stories with our community. The Northern Colorado nonprofit sector is a powerful source of change, hope, and impact. Please help us share your stories by submitting them through one of these methods.
United in Community Well-Being
As we kick off the long-awaited springtime season, we are excited to share evolution and news about our two organizations that, while holding unique differences, work closely together to achieve common goals.
Founded in 1958 and 1975 respectively, United Way of Larimer County (UWLC) and the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado (now known as NoCo Foundation) have been working together for over 50 years. Both organizations were established to address community needs and bridge funding gaps that were impacting our community’s quality of life. While our approaches differ, our goals align: fostering meaningful impact through community leadership, collaboration, and innovative solutions.
National Philanthropy Day Youth Nominations
National Philanthropy Day is a special day to recognize and pay tribute to individuals and organizations whose contributions improve the quality of our lives, communities, and world. The Colorado National Philanthropy Day Luncheon will be held on November 6, 2025, with registration starting in September. But starting now, you can begin your nominations!
Nominations for Outstanding Youth and Outstanding Youth Group are now open. If you know a Northern or Eastern Colorado youth or youth group that goes above and beyond for their community, be sure to nominate them. You can learn more about the NPD Luncheon and the nominations by clicking the link below. Other nominations celebrating philanthropy will begin in April, so keep an eye out.
“If/Then” Scenarios to Consider in Tax Season
As attorneys, accountants, and financial advisors, you know you have clients’ attention when tax season rolls around. This makes it a great time to cover tax planning strategies for the current year and beyond. To help incorporate charitable giving topics into your tax season client conversations, we’ve put together tips to address three scenarios where the NoCo Foundation can assist your efforts.
Evaluate QCDs sooner rather than later.
If: Your client missed the 2024 deadline for a Qualified Charitable Distribution.
Then: Make sure the client took an RMD for 2024 (if required to do so). Start planning now for 2025 QCDs, paying close attention to the required process. QCDs are an excellent tool for clients who’ve reached the age of 70 ½ to give to a designated, field-of-interest, or unrestricted fund (donor advised funds are not eligible), but if the client waits until the last minute at year-end, there might not be time for the transaction to be completed by December 31 as required. In addition, QCDs executed early in the year can help avoid the negative effects of the “first-dollars-out rule” so that the QCD can count toward your client’s 2025 RMD.
Watch for charitable giving opportunities in business succession planning.
If: Your client is beginning to consider exit strategies for a closely-held business.
Then: Reach out to the NoCo Foundation right away. Gifts of closely-held stock to a charitable fund can be a useful component of a business succession plan. That’s because a client can gift shares of the business, which in turn means that no capital gains tax will apply to the gifted portion when the business eventually sells. The proceeds of the gifted shares flow into a fund to support the client’s charitable priorities. Keep in mind that timing is crucial; if a deal is in process at the time the shares are transferred to the charitable fund, the charitable deduction is in jeopardy.
Consider gifts of appreciated stock early in the year.
If: Your client’s stock portfolio made big gains last year.
Then: Evaluate whether it might be wise to make gifts of appreciated stock to a nonprofit—or fund at the NoCo Foundation— early in the year. If certain stock positions are high right now, it’s worth considering whether a gift in the near future could be strategic in maximizing charitable dollars. As a reminder, gifts of stock to a public charity are eligible for a charitable deduction in the amount of the stock’s fair market value at the time of transfer.
And, when the stock is sold so its proceeds can be deployed to further your client’s charitable goals, no capital gains tax will apply.
Our goal is to be your go-to sounding board for any client situation where charitable giving is an option. You’re encouraged to reach out anytime you and a client are discussing philanthropy. Whether we can help as a service provider or as a resource to point you in the right direction, the NoCo Foundation is honored to be your local partner in philanthropy.
