Sometimes generosity isn’t about giving more. It’s about making the most of what you give.
For Bill and Ginger Dallas, generosity has never been about checking a box. It’s simply been part of how they’ve lived their lives. This year, as they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, they also reflected on the many ways they’ve been able to support the community they’ve long called home.
“When I sold my business, I realized we had enough to help somebody, but not everybody,” Bill said. “So we decided to focus on Cobb County, the community that has been home to us for most of our lives.”
That decision has helped young people pursue an education, strengthened families and supported people working to break free from addiction. Bill and Ginger have also invested in Circles Cobb, where people build the relationships, confidence and resources they need to move toward economic stability.
Their generosity is personal, thoughtful and firmly rooted in the place they call home.
Over the years, Cobb Community Foundation has helped Bill and Ginger stay connected to local needs and find opportunities to make a meaningful difference through their donor advised fund. Then, when Bill reached the age at which he was required to take distributions from his IRA, they discovered another way to make their giving go further.
By making Qualified Charitable Distributions, or QCDs, directly from their IRAs, they could fulfill all or part of those required distributions while potentially saving more in taxes than if they had withdrawn the money first and then given it to charity.
“It just made sense,” Bill said. “Why pay taxes on money we already plan to give away when more of it can go directly to charity?”
That simple question opened the door to greater impact.
Along with grants from their donor advised fund, Bill and Ginger’s QCDs have allowed them to support the causes they care about and help more of their neighbors. They have also supported the Catalyst Society, investing in work that helps Cobb recognize emerging needs and bring people together to address them.
Bill and Ginger’s story is not really about a financial strategy. It is about two people who are grateful for the life they have built, love the community where they built it and want to help others build better lives here, too.
They were already generous. A QCD simply helped them make more of that generosity.
If you are 70½ or older, have an IRA and already give to charity, you may be able to do the same. Ask your financial advisor or tax professional whether a Qualified Charitable Distribution could help more of the dollars you are already giving reach the people and causes you care about.
Cobb Community Foundation would be honored to work alongside you and your advisors. Call 770-859-2366 or email CCFTeam@CobbFoundation.org.
To learn more about QCDs, click here.
In this photo: Bill and Ginger Dallas with the whole family at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration
