1. What is the mission of the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation?

The mission of the PS Charitable Foundation (PSCF) is to support charitable and educational programs of organizations that improve the lives of SWFL residents in need.

2. What are the benefits of forming the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation for PS members and SWFL residents?

  • Community Management of Charitable Events. Providing charitable events that allow PS residents a way to give back. The PS Charitable Foundation will organize and manage the charitable events supported by the PS membership within the limitations of our club resources and available dates.
  • Give the Community a Voice in Identifying Charities to Support. Through a survey process, members of the community can nominate local charities and SWFL chapters of national charities they would like our community foundation to support. Those that meet the criteria will be invited to apply for grants for specific projects to be funded by our charitable foundation.
  • More and Different Nonprofit Organizations Can Benefit. Charities that have been supported by Pelican Sound in the past can be nominated for consideration of funding by PSCF. Local charities and SWFL chapters of national charities will have an opportunity to benefit as well.
  • Transparency of Fundraising Initiatives at Pelican Sound. A 501(c)(3) charitable foundation requires transparency in all policies and procedures. The charitable foundation will seek nominations by the membership and evaluate the nominations using a fair and equitable criterion that assesses need, impact and alignment with the Foundation’s mission and goals. By awarding funds to charities based on their grant requests, our community will know exactly where its donations are going and how donated funds are being used.
  • Success of Neighboring Communities. We will be joining with our neighboring communities —Copperleaf (2004), Spring Run (2007), Shadow Wood (2012) and West Bay (2015), among others in the area, who have successfully formed charitable foundations that have resulted in significant increases in community donations to local charities.
  • Public Image. The Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation will bolster our public image as a caring community helping to improve the lives of SWFL residents and provide marketing exposure to further enhance our reputation as being the best bundled community in SWFL.

3. Why did the PSGRC Board of Directors approve the formation of a 501(c)(3) Charitable Foundation?

  • Administrative Responsibility. While the PSGRC Administration will continue to support the charitable events in the community, the primary role of organizing, scheduling and managing charitable events will now be the role of the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation assisted by the Pelican Sound staff.
  • Legal Structure of a Charitable Foundation. A 501(c)(3) charitable foundation creates a separate legal structure from PSGRC. The charitable foundation will follow IRS guidelines to ensure proper management of charitable donations and detailed accounting of funds received and distributed.
  • Tax Benefits for the Charitable Foundation. Expenses incurred for a fundraising event under a charitable foundation are sales tax exempt. This means items provided at charitable events will not be charged sales tax. The result is lower expenses resulting in more funds given to charities.
  • Streamlined Accounting Benefits PSGRC and PSCF. While the club will continue to support the charitable foundation by allowing members to charge event fees to their accounts, the charitable foundation will be able to accept all contributions (cash, check, credit card) payable to the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation.
  • Single Federal Tax ID Number Benefits Donors. All donations to the PS Charitable Foundation will be documented by a single Federal Tax ID Number for tax purposes. Members can support a variety of charitable events, make multiple contributions throughout the year and receive documentation from the PS Charitable Foundation for the purpose of tax deductions.
  • IRAs, Wills, Trusts and Donor Advised Funds. A charitable foundation can be the beneficiary of individuals who want to make a charitable bequest as part of their financial service accounts, a will, a trust or a donor advised fund. Without setting up a 501(c)(3) Foundation, this would not be possible. IRA owners over the age of 70 ½ can have funds distributed to the Foundation directly, avoiding income tax and helping to meet the required minimum distribution requirements (RMD) mandated by the Internal Revenue Code.

4. How were the Directors of the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation selected?

  • In April of 2019, the Board of Directors (BOD) of PSGRC approved the formation of a Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation and appointed a three-member Board of Directors for the Foundation. They also appointed a liaison person to ensure communication between the PSGRC Board and the Charitable Foundation Board.
  • In May of 2019, the three-member Board of Directors of the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation issued a Call for Volunteers from the Pelican Sound Community to serve as Board members and chairpersons of four essential committees.
  • In June of 2019, the three-member Board of Directors of the charitable foundation approved ten additional members of the Board of Directors for a total of thirteen (13) members.
  • Board members serve three-year staggered terms of office. The initial BOD will serve no more than two consecutive three year terms and no more than six consecutive years.
  • All Board members serve on committees which include Events, Grants, Finance and Marketing/Communications. A Fundraising Committee will be added in January 2021.
  • The complete roster of the Board of Directors and Committee Chairs is available on the Foundation’s website.

5. What were the first actions of the PS Charitable Foundation Directors?

  • Approved the mission statement that clarifies the criteria for organizations to qualify for funding from the charitable foundation.
  • Developed and approve bylaws and policies for governance required for 501(c)(3) organizations, including a Conflict of Interest policy.
  • Filed for incorporation in the State of Florida and apply for status as a charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
  • Formalized procedures including monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and/or annual meetings, as well as roles and responsibilities of committee chairs and committees.
  • Conducted fund raising activities throughout the season that engaged residents in charitable activities. (See Annual Report on the website.)
  • Raised monetary donations that were distributed to local charities or earmarked for future distributions. ( see Annual Report on the website.)
  • Assisted residents of Pelican Sound in conducting special projects benefiting local charities.

6. How can a person become involved in activities of the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation?

  • All committees of the PSCF Board need volunteers to support activities and events. To express your interest in volunteering, please contact any chairperson of committees or email [email protected]
  • A Call to Serve will be made to seek volunteers to support our five committees: Events, Grants, Marketing/Communications, Fundraising and Finance.

7. Will the formation of the Charitable Foundation adversely impact the charities historically supported by Pelican Sound?

  • Through the member nomination and selection process, charities that have been supported in the past have an opportunity to participate and are encouraged to do so.

  • All projects supported through the Charitable Foundation grant process will participate in an annual review and be a part of an annual report to the community. This process ensures transparency and commitment to support community member priorities.

8. What are the Special Projects of the Charitable Foundation?

  • In 2019-2020, the Pelican Sound administration asked the Foundation to help coordinate the requests by residents to conduct community-wide special charitable projects. Any requests to the administration are referred to the Charitable Foundation.
  • the Charitable Foundation has developed procedures and an application process to review and approve community-wide projects run by the residents, not the Foundation. The purpose of the review process is to ensure that there are not multiple projects at the same time and to provide oversight, so the community is not overwhelmed by requests.

9. How can a person donate to the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation?

  • Event Donations: Members may donate through fees to participate in charitable events. A designated portion of the event fee will go to the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation.

  • General Donations: Members and friends can make a general donation to the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation that will benefit all of the charities designated for the season. CLICK HERE to donate.
  • Memorial or Tribute Giving program: A tribute or honorary gift donation can be a great way to celebrate someone on a special occasion, or to remember someone who has passe away. Individuals or families may set up a memorial or a tribute request by contacting Foundation at [email protected]. Donors may make their contributions by CLICKING HERE.

  • Restricted Donations: A donation made directly to the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation (separate from event participation) may be directed to a specific charity within the group of approved charities.

  • IRA Required Minimum Distribution: A member who is 70 1/2 old or older can give up to $100,000 directly from an IRA to a qualified charity, such as the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation, without having to pay income taxes on the money. This is a simple way to make a significant impact with your donation. This law no longer has an expiration date, so one can make annual gifts to our organization this year and well into the future.

  • Donor Advised Funds: A member who has a Donor-Advised Fund (a charitable investment account for the sole purpose of supporting charitable organizations) can contribute from that fund directly to the Pelican Sound Charitable Foundation.

  • Gift of Security Transfer: A member may donate to the Foundation via a security transfer. The foundation will provide a form for “Gifts of Security Transfer Instructions.”
  • We discussed adding AmazonSmile info.

10. If I have questions, how can I learn more about the Foundation?

 
  • General questions about the Foundation can be directed via email to the Foundation's President at [email protected].
  • Questions about the EVENTS can be directed via email to the chairperson of the Events Committee at [email protected].
  • Questions about FINANCE can be directed via email to the chairperson of the Finance Committee at [email protected].
  • Questions about GRANTS can be directed via email to the chairperson of the Grants Committee at [email protected].
  • Questions about MARKETING can be directed via email to the chairperson of the Marketing Committee at [email protected]

Making a Difference Together