In this Issue:
Sparking Positive Change: Peterson Honored with Impact Maker Award| In Our Events Era | Introducing NoCo Changemakers | Community Champions Creating Impact | Giving Season Dates and Deadlines | Empowering the Future: Engaging the Next Generation in Family Giving | Professional Advisors Corner: Starting the Charitable Giving Conversation
Sparking Positive Change: Petersons Honored with Impact Maker Award 2024
Scott Kissel, Kristin Todd, Andy Peterson, Suzanne Peterson, and Cecil Gutierrez at the Gathering of Gratitude.
In every community, there are people who go out of their way to do whatever they can to make the lives of others better, to make an impact in any way they can. These impact makers often work in the shadows, avoiding the spotlight while they support different parts of their community. The NoCo Foundation (Community Foundation of Northern Colorado) is honored to spotlight the incredible support they provide our region.
During our annual event, the Gathering of Gratitude, we recognize one philanthropic person or family with the Impact Maker Award.
This year, our Impact Maker Award recipients are Suzanne and Andy Peterson! The Petersons’ philanthropic journey has led them to helping fund many different projects and become more aware of emergent needs in their community.
“Our philanthropic journey has changed from making Christmas donations to Energy Outreach Colorado on behalf of our clients since we became aware of the impact high energy prices were having on our communities,” said Suzanne.
The Journey Begins
Around 2010, Suzanne and Andy’s philanthropic journey really took off when their daughter, a principal of a charter middle school in inner-city Denver, asked for help creating a unique opportunity for her students. A nearby Denver Public School (non-charter) had the opportunity to attend an intro-to-engineering summer camp at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, funded by a Mines alum. The Petersons’ daughter wanted to provide the same opportunity to her students.
The Petersons’ daughter asked Andy, who was also a Mines alum, if he could help do something like that for her students to provide them with the same advantages as the DPS students. Andy and Suzanne funded a summer camp at Mines for several years for the charter school’s students.
This summer camp morphed into other intro-to-engineering camps and scholarships for Denver and Northern Colorado female students. The camps allow girls to get an idea of opportunities outside their day-to-day life and help break the cycle of poverty.
“Projects like this do two things: it gives inner-city kids a view of opportunities they may not have known were available to them, and it hopefully helps get more engineering students into the schools,” said Andy, “It has a rate-of-return component to it in that relatively small investments can have big payoffs: some kids may discover a fun career that can benefit them and their families, and the world needs more engineers to solve the big problems we are facing.”
And thus, the Petersons’ philanthropic journey began. Since the beginning, the Petersons have had their hands in a variety of different projects, from Sky Corral Ranch to Energy Outreach Colorado to the new Loveland Youth Campus project.
Andy got involved with Sky Corral Ranch in 2015 when the NoCo Foundation acquired it from the Ward family. He has been a partner with Sky Corral ever since.
“The ranch has the ability to change lives for the better and I am proud to be a part of making it work,” Andy said.
Driving Impact Through Collaborations
For many years, Suzanne and Andy have also supported Energy Outreach Colorado’s assistance programs for low-income families, to help them pay utility bills, insulate homes, upgrade heating systems, and more. Being in the oil and gas production business, Suzanne and Andy benefited from high energy prices, but they recognized that this also hurts those less fortunate.
One of the most recent projects the Petersons have been investing in is the Loveland Youth Campus. This project is a collaborative effort between Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County, United Way of Larimer County, Teaching Tree, the Early Childhood Council of Larimer County, ChildSafe, and more.
“Recently, we have been drawn to supporting collaborative efforts, so seeing non-profits working together warms my heart,” said Suzanne. “The collaboration I saw happening at the Loveland Youth Campus is a perfect example. So, we tried to educate fellow philanthropists on the excitement of this project and the funding need. Generous individuals joined us in stepping up and our hope now is that the Loveland Youth Campus will be an example for other communities.”
Another organization that Andy supports is Colorado Uplift and their holistic mission to collaborate in teaching leadership in DPS classrooms and build relationships through mentorship after school. One of the reasons why Andy feels inspired to support this collaboration is because the graduates of the programs return as counselors and mentors to lead the program for the next generation.
The First Step in Philanthropy — Just Start!
The Petersons are philanthropists who actively seek opportunities to give back that create the most impact. Those new to the philanthropic world may have trouble identifying those impactful opportunities as easily, but when starting your philanthropic journey, the Petersons suggest just starting.
“Figure out what you are passionate about changing in the world, and it makes it much easier to imagine the difference you can make. Start by making site visits, tutoring in schools, volunteering at church, or joining a service organization such as Rotary. The options are endless,” said Suzanne.
The humble duo shies away from the spotlight, but they are very deserving of the Impact Maker Award. The NoCo Foundation is honored to partner with donors and leaders across the community, like the Petersons, to make deep, long-lasting impact.
“We have been so richly blessed in our lives, the least we can do is share our time, talent, and treasures. And we continue to receive the joy of giving back, which frankly really is ‘priceless’,” Suzanne added.
Connecting with Communities: Our Fall 2024 Event Recap
The NoCo Foundation has been hosting and supporting events throughout the communities over the last two months. From Eastern Colorado to Loveland, we have been celebrating amazing people in the Northern Colorado region, fundraising with the help of casino games, and making connections with even more people! Check out some of the recaps from our most recent events.
Game On! Fundraising Event
On October 5, the Sterling Community Fund (SCF) Committee, a volunteer grantmaking committee of the NoCo Foundation, hosted their annual fundraising event. The Game On! Fundraising Event featured casino games, corn hole, a live auction, reverse raffle, live music, and more.
One thing that Eastern Colorado folks know is that when you host an event, the entire community shows up to support it. With about 500 people in attendance and over 50 incredible sponsors, the community raised nearly $175,000, making this fundraiser a huge success!
The number of people and dollars raised weren’t the only things that made this fundraiser impactful. For the first time ever, the SCF partnered with schools in Logan County, allowing students to sell tickets to the event and keep a portion of the proceeds for their school. Buffalo School District RE-4J, RE-1 Valley School District, Frenchman School District RE-3, and Plateau School District RE-5 all participated and earned over $3,000 combined.
Thank you to everyone who joined the Game On! event! We hope you had as much fun as we did!
Check out photos from the event here: https://nocofoundation.org/gallery-2024-game-on-fundraising-event
Loveland Generations Fall Celebration and Sock Hop
On October 10, Loveland Generations, a giving group at the Foundation, held a Fall Celebration and Sock Hop at the Rialto Theater Center. At the event, this year’s grant recipients were announced. Loveland Generations awards grants to projects that benefit the Loveland community; and this year, grant projects had a special focus on addressing housing insecurity, especially for youth experiencing homelessness.
Loveland Generations awarded a combined $27,000 to six nonprofits, including:
- Thompson Valley Preschool
- Be the Gift
- ChildSafe Colorado
- Faith Evangelical Church: Lago Vista Neighbor
- Safe Families for Children
- Teaching Tree Early Childhood Learning Center
A great time was had at the throw-back-themed celebration by the nearly 60 attendees, members of Loveland Generations, and NoCo Foundation staff.
The photobooth was a huge hit! You can find photos from the event here: https://nocofoundation.org/gallery-2024-loveland-generations-fall-celebration-and-sock-hop/
Nonprofit Celebration
The nonprofit sector quietly supports community members throughout Northern Colorado and works hard to improve lives throughout the region. Each year, we take the time to celebrate those working in the nonprofit sector. The Nonprofit Celebration is simply that—a celebration that brings incredible community members together.
This year’s Nonprofit Celebration, hosted on October 30 at High Country Beverage, had an INCREDIBLE turnout. With about 150 in attendance and plenty of time for networking, a few fun giveaways, and a photo booth, it was the perfect way to spend the morning.
We had a great time celebrating the amazing nonprofit sector in Northern Colorado with everyone!
Find photos from the event here: https://nocofoundation.org/gallery-2024-nonprofit-celebration/
Gathering of Gratitude
To celebrate and honor the NoCo Foundation’s generous donors, we host an annual Gathering of Gratitude. On November 14, we ‘gathered’ to enjoy some bluegrass and brews at the Forge Event Center in Loveland.
This beautiful evening featured live bluegrass music from The McDailey’s, a program that highlighted 2024 impacts, and plenty of time to mingle.
Our team had a wonderful time hosting such an amazing group of people for this annual event. Thanks to everyone who took time out of their day to come celebrate community generosity and impact!
You can view photos from the event here: https://nocofoundation.org/gallery-2024-gathering-of-gratitude
Introducing NoCo Changemakers: A NextGen Philanthropic Program
The first NoCo Changemakers cohort (missing two participants).
NoCo Changemakers is one of the NoCo Foundation’s newest initiatives. Thanks to our sponsors and partners, the Bohemian Foundation, we created a class for emerging philanthropists on how to create meaningful impact in their community. NoCo Changemakers is a NextGen Philanthropic Program designed to empower the next generation of changemakers and provide firsthand grantmaking experience.
On October 9, we hosted the first-ever class with 14 participants. Let’s meet the first cohort of NoCo Changemakers!
- Curtis Carlson – Vice President – Commercial Banking at Adams Bank & Trust
- Megan Hiltner – Principal at JSI
- Jeramie Holt – SVP/Director of Employee Benefits at FNIC Trusted Advisors
- Haley Hummel – Financial Advisor at Investment Center Advisor Group
- Reed Johnson – Financial Advisor & Director at LPG Financial
- Blake McBartlett – Principal Agent at MCM Collective | Compass
- Jack McCool – Banking Officer at FirstBank
- Ricardo Perez – Inclusion & Engagement Emergency Management Coordinator at Larimer County Office of Emergency Management
- Jessica Plummer – Program Manager at Larimer County – Behavioral Health Services
- Lauren Rhoades – Financial Manager at Homeward Alliance
- Marissa Riopelle – VP, Banking Manger at First Western Trust
- Colby Ripsam – LPL Financial Advisor at Peakview Wealth Management
- Paul Schnaitter – Partner/Broker Associate at The Group, Inc.
- Nathan Scott – Auctioneer/Community Relations Specialist at Foothills Gateway
Throughout the interactive half-day sessions, the participants will learn:
- The philanthropic landscape and local nonprofit ecosystem.
- Grantmaking strategies, proposal evaluation, and industry trends.
- Nonprofit operations, governance, and sustainability.
- Advocacy, policy influence, and driving systemic change.
- Innovative philanthropic tools like DAFs, foundations, and impact investing.
- Insights from renowned local and national grantmakers.
- Collaborative grantmaking and collective decision-making.
- Development of their personal philanthropic legacy.
To give participants firsthand grantmaking experience, a portion of the program fee goes toward collective grantmaking. At the end of the program, the Changemakers will be able to collaborate on who to grant to.
We are excited to have launched this NextGen Philanthropic Program and even more excited to see how our first cohort helps impact our local communities. Watch for information on how to apply for our second class of NoCo Changemakers in the Inspire Newsletter in the summer of 2025.
Community Champions Creating Impact
Community Champions are donors who make an annual gift to support the NoCo Foundation’s regional engagement work. They are Community Foundation fundholders, businesses, sponsors, and community members who share our belief in the power of cooperation—that bringing together people and resources can create solutions to the big issues in our region.
Through Community Champions’ support, the NoCo Foundation is able to focus on creating transformational community impact and meeting the ever-changing needs of the region.
Check out the Community Champions’ impact and projects:
Make a gift today to Community Champions and join us in this important work.
Giving Season Dates and Deadlines
It’s our favorite time of year! It’s the giving season! While this is the perfect time to make any last-minute gifts to nonprofits or projects, please keep some important dates and deadlines in mind!
Gifts to Your Fund: 2024 gifts to your fund must be postmarked or made online by Tuesday, December 31.
Grant Recommendations: Submit your end-of-year grant recommendations by Tuesday, December 10.
Due to an increase in grantmaking activity and holiday closures, grant requests received in late November and in December may take longer than the standard 7-10 business day processing time.
Empowering the Future: Engaging the Next Generation in Family Giving
Philanthropy allows you to leave a lasting legacy in your community and create a better world for the next generation. Another impactful way to leave a legacy is to engage your children in your philanthropic journey, leading to the next generations of family giving.
Involving your children, no matter their age, in your grant decision-making can teach them about the importance of philanthropy, allow you to build stronger connections with your family, and learn what matters to them.
If you don’t know where to begin, starting the conversation around the Thanksgiving table with your family is a great option! What better time to bring up family philanthropy than during the season of giving?
Some donor advised fundholders at the NoCo Foundation, Teresa and Paul Mueller, recently started working on getting their children more engaged in their philanthropy as well. They created a letter to share with their children earlier this year regarding their fund and have kindly offered for us to share this with all fundholders. You can use this as a starting point to get the conversation going.
For a fun Thanksgiving activity that can get family members of all ages involved, we created a fun worksheet you can do with your younger children or grandchildren to get them involved and help them learn more about what it means to give back!
Download and print this PDF. We have included two sizes to choose from.
Professional Advisors Corner: Starting the Charitable Giving Conversation
Attorneys, accountants, and financial advisors are not strangers to tough questions. Indeed, the mix of money, family, and mortality is a potent combination that can create an emotionally charged planning environment, whether the matter at hand is tax planning, updating wills and trusts, or structuring retirement portfolios.
Why, then, are so many advisors reluctant to bring up charitable giving during client meetings when the topic itself is so uplifting? In some cases, it might feel like you don’t know enough about the technical tax planning aspects of charitable giving to offer sound advice. In other cases, you may be concerned about taking the planning process off course into areas where the client doesn’t want you involved. Perhaps you don’t feel you have a good enough grasp of the client’s big picture to truly recognize opportunities for charitable planning that are a win-win for the client’s favorite causes and the client’s tax and financial plan.
Luckily, the NoCo Foundation has you covered. Consider the following—clients are expecting you to bring up charitable giving. Studies reveal a disconnect between what clients and advisors assume and perceive. If you think to yourself, “Oh, I asked about that,” think again because your client may disagree. Did you approach the question with sincere interest, or were you just checking a box?
You can consider the NoCo Foundation team as your technical backup. You absolutely do not need to know the ins and outs of charitable deduction rules, the details of Qualified Charitable Distributions, or how a donor advised fund or charitable remainder trust operates. Our team is just an email or phone call away. The next time a client expresses interest in charitable planning, we’re happy to support you and be part of the team to meet the client’s objectives. The conversation itself shouldn’t be hard. While plenty of resources offer excellent suggestions for how to bring up charitable giving in conversations, many advisors tell us they keep it simple. You don’t have time to ask a briefcase full of questions, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a meaningful conversation. Even two minutes is plenty of time to show genuine interest in the client’s intentions and connect the client to the NoCo Foundation.
As a basic illustration, the charitable planning part of a client meeting could be as simple as this:
“Now that we’ve taken a look at your retirement projections, beneficiary designations, and portfolio allocation, let’s check in on charitable giving. Bring me up to speed on your involvement with community organizations.”
Then, let them talk. If they’re not involved in any community organizations, they’ll tell you. If they are, they’ll tell you that, too.
If the client is indeed involved in community organizations, let them know that you are happy to connect them to the Community Foundation team, or, better yet, tell the client that you’d be happy to invite a professional from the Foundation to your next meeting.
Now—before the holidays and busy end-of-year giving season— is a perfect time to have this conversation. Next time you meet with a client, give this simple approach a try. You might be surprised at how easy it is, and how much the client appreciates your interest in areas of their lives that go beyond dollars and cents.