Getting Started

Whether volunteering or leaving a financial gift, there is connection in helping shape our community.  And that makes you feel good! Our team has deep connections throughout Lancaster County and provides community expertise to help guide your grantmaking decisions if needed.  We can connect you to local community benefit organizations making an impact and we even have the honor of gathering fundholders together to share in learning, connection, and impact.  

Identifying your passions within Lancaster County helps to understand how you want your gift to shape the future of our community.  Areas of interest could be as broad as environment and healthcare, or as specific as clean water and youth mental health.  Where does your passion lie?    

Do you prefer a gift to have immediate impact, or be available to make impact year after year, forever?  Would you prefer the flexibility to change where your gift goes, or do you have a specific community benefit organization or focus area you want to continuously support?  Answers to these questions allow us to narrow the different giving options available at the Community Foundation and match you up with the best fund type for you.   

What financial benefits do you want to accomplish personally?  We work with you and/or your professional advisor to identify the optimal financial benefits and help you receive the maximum tax advantage.  

Are there connections within the community that you want to make through your gift?  We can help connect you to community benefit organizations that are doing the work in your focus area, as well as introduce you to like-minded donors who share your passions.    

Conversations around “during my lifetime” and “after my lifetime” helps us to support your giving plans today, and lay out plans for tomorrow.  We are by your side on your giving journey to understand your passions and intentions for positively impacting Lancaster County and beyond.  When circumstances change, we help answer questions and provide options; and, we safeguard your wishes after your lifetime.  

The Lancaster County Community Foundation stands in our values of Integrity, Relationships, Equity, Innovation, and Courage.   

Expressing your own values with family members and others involved in your giving allows these trusted individuals to understand what’s important to you and how your gift is helping shape Lancaster County. The Community Foundation supports engaging the next generation of givers.  We help families build consensus around their philanthropic goals and build a plan that reflects their values and motivations, while also considering different styles of giving.  We can help you create guiding principles, outline meaningful roles, and support best practices to build out a family giving strategy.    

The Foundation maintains the highest level of confidentiality with respect to fund information. We do not release the personal or financial information of any individual or organization without the consent of the donor. 

Answers to this question allow us to narrow down the different giving options available at the Community Foundation to match you up with the best fund type for you.  It can also help to guide your gift to a specific community benefit organization project, or to something more general in scope within your passions.