Summer 2025

Dear Fundholders,

Between Akron Community Foundation's recent leadership transition, new software implementation, and onboarding new board members, it's safe to say it's been a busy summer here at the foundation.

August is also National Make-A-Will Month, which means it's the perfect time –before the fall gets busy – to review your estate plans with your attorney and our team to ensure your philanthropic intentions are up to date. Even a quick check-in now can maximize the impact of your legacy and help ensure that your wishes are clearly carried out to support the causes you care about for generations to come. Please visit the Planned Giving page of our website for more information about how we can assist you.

Each quarter, our team brings you Donor-Advised Insights, covering the latest in charitable giving trends and news from the foundation. Here's what you can find in this issue:

An invitation to our Fall Fundholder Gathering
Information about the 56th Polsky Award dinner
A Q&A with fundholder and incoming Institute for Emerging Philanthropists class member David Kleckner
A checklist of issues related to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) you may want to bring to your advisors

As always, you'll find co-investment opportunities, a link to your quarterly fund statement, upcoming events, and foundation news. We hope you enjoy this issue, and we welcome your questions about any of the resources included below.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me anytime.

Laura Lederer

Vice President and Chief Development Officer

Akron Community Foundation

330-436-5611

llederer@akroncf.org

You're Invited to our Fall Fundholder Gathering

Join Akron Community Foundation on Tuesday, Sept. 30 from 5-7 p.m. for an inspiring event created exclusively for our fundholders. This year's gathering will feature:

A meet-and-greet with new Akron Community Foundation President and CEO John F. Garofalo
An insightful program on charitable giving strategies for every stage of life, presented by Lia Jones of Key Private Bank
A "State of Akron Community Foundation" financial overview by Matt Shannon of Clearstead
Opportunities to connect and share ideas with fundholders who share similar charitable interests
A special viewing of the museum's new art exhibit, "Alfred McMoore: All This Luck in My Head"

Light hors d'oeuvres and wine will be served.

Questions? Please contact Jill Sellers at 330-436-5610 or jsellers@akroncf.org.

Save the Date: 56th Polsky Award Dinner Honoring David & Cheryl Venarge

This year's Bert A. Polsky Award dinner will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Akron Fairlawn. The Venarges are well known in Greater Akron for both their financial contributions and their hands-on volunteerism, particularly in the areas of food insecurity and issues affecting women and girls.

Corporate and individual sponsorships for the award dinner start at $2,500 and may be reserved at akroncf.org/PolskySponsor.

Become a Sponsor

Learn More

A Q&A with the Kleckner Family Fund

Philanthropy binds families together and challenges them to think bigger than themselves. The Center for Family Philanthropy features state-of-the-art, multigenerational philanthropic services, including education, community needs assessments, and grantmaking expertise.

When David and Joanna Kleckner knew they wanted to be more intentional with their philanthropy, they scheduled an intergenerational meeting with Karen Hrdlicka, director of The Center for Family Philanthropy.

Recently, David Kleckner was accepted into the next cohort of the Institute for Emerging Philanthropists. He sat down with us to answer questions about how he and his family utilize The Center for Family Philanthropy and his journey to joining the class.

Navigating new laws: Opportunities for 2025

It's more important than ever to stay informed about how changes in the tax law may affect your charitable giving. The recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) creates both challenges and opportunities for structuring your philanthropy. We encourage you to reach out to your attorney, CPA, and financial advisor to evaluate how the changes in the law impact your own situation.

As always, Akron Community Foundation is happy to work side-by-side with you and your tax advisors to build a plan for 2025 and beyond that not only supports your plans to make a difference in the community, but also addresses the rule changes under the OBBBA.

To help you along this journey, we've provided a checklist of issues to discuss with your advisors.

New fundholder portal coming soon

Akron Community Foundation is in the process of transitioning its database to a new software provider, and with that transition will come a new fundholder portal for our donor-advised funds. More information will be coming later this summer, including instructions for accessing your new account. For now, you will continue to access DonorCentral to view your statements and submit grant requests.

If you have any questions prior to this transition, please feel free to reach out to Jill Sellers, director of donor engagement, at 330-436-5610 or jsellers@akroncf.org.

Upcoming Events and Other News

Have a question about your fund?

We're here to help! We created a webpage to answer some of your most frequently asked questions.

View FAQs

Akron Community Foundation

345 W. Cedar St., Akron, OH 44307

Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday

Phone: 330-376-8522

Fax: 330-376-0202

akroncf.org