EDITORIAL: Making charity easy

Giving has never been easier.

The new Laguna Beach Community Foundation is a wonderful addition to a community that is not shy about supporting its own.

What a great time for such an organization to be born “” when the needs of local people are growing and the city itself is facing a possible funding crisis.

This foundation will help funnel financial assistance to local nonprofit groups including those in the arts, education, homeless services, youth services, animal services and more.

The foundation was the brainchild of a stellar group of people, including longtime activists in various areas who saw a need for more coordination and accessibility for charitable giving that reaches Laguna Beach.

The group’s stated mission is “to encourage philanthropy in the greater Laguna Beach area through serving its charitable organizations and residents.”

The group’s members come from some of the most successful and efficacious nonprofits in town: the Laguna Canyon Foundation and SchoolPower, to name two.

The Foundation was created as a charitable trust, a sort of financial umbrella group into which individuals may donate cash or other valuables, including stocks or property.

This arrangement is very convenient for the donors, according to the foundation’s website, and allows for quick and easy giving, either by name or anonymously. Giving can be dispersed according to the donor’s wishes.

The group will also help local charitable organizations directly with expertise in endowment development, tax issues, and fundraising know-how, according to its website.

This is a huge boon for local nonprofits large and small, who often struggle with finding donors as they carry out their missions.

With a $500,000 check as seed money and a well-designed website, the foundation is off to an excellent start.

We look to this group to help many worthy but struggling local groups, including such long-standing organizations as the Laguna Playhouse and Laguna Art Museum, in finding a solid financial footing.

While 22 groups are listed on the foundation’s website, we are sure that more will be added as they come forward.

To learn more, visit the Foundation’s website at www.lagunabeach communityfoundation.org.