Paying Forward & Anonymous Giving

B

bigmoose

A friend on another message board and I are learning how to set up 501(c)(3)'s for charitable purposes. We both believe in the concept of anonymous gifts and giving to those in true need.

Does anyone have some practical experience in how we can give funds to needy folks, qualified thru the criteria of our 501(c)(3)'s, and have them not be able to know who the funds came from?

Being able to trace it to the 501(c)(3)'s name or a PO box is probably OK. We don't want our signature on checks.

He and I both live and work in small communities, and we do not want to be known within our communities for these purposes. We want no "credit" or recognition, ever.

Any insight or advice appreciated on how to achieve these goals. The local banks were not helpful.
 
Quote from bigmoose:

A friend on another message board and I are learning how to set up 501(c)(3)'s for charitable purposes. We both believe in the concept of anonymous gifts and giving to those in true need.

Does anyone have some practical experience in how we can give funds to needy folks, qualified thru the criteria of our 501(c)(3)'s, and have them not be able to know who the funds came from?

Being able to trace it to the 501(c)(3)'s name or a PO box is probably OK. We don't want our signature on checks.

He and I both live and work in small communities, and we do not want to be known within our communities for these purposes. We want no "credit" or recognition, ever.

Any insight or advice appreciated on how to achieve these goals. The local banks were not helpful.
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Why not take credit?

Intentions are everything in life. If your intentions are good, take credit for all the good that you do in life. Why go through the extra work just to hide your face? Let the world know you were here. The greatest urge in human nature is the desire to feel important.
 
Cmon people, this is a legitimate question.

If you have a lot of money and would like to be charitable with it, there are obvious benefits to "flying under the radar." Not everyone wants to be known for their money. Some people get pleasure from things other than fame!
 
Put on one of those George Bush halloween masks and go hand the people the cash in person. :D

Actually, what you are trying to accomplish is great, and, like I read somewhere, to paraphrase, if you do it for appreciation from men, that is all the reward you will get.
 
Larry Stewart (April 1, 1948 – January 12, 2007) was an American philanthropist from Kansas City. After poor beginnings, Stewart had—from 1979 through 2006—made a practice of anonymously handing out small amounts of cash, typically in the form of hundred dollar bills, to needy people. The total amount he gave away is estimated to be 1.3 million dollars.

He was fired just before Christmas two years in a row, both in 1978 and 1979. Around Christmas of 1979, while nursing his wounds at a drive-in restaurant during a very cold day, he noticed a carhop working the cars outside. He recalled,

It was cold and this car hop didn't have on a very big jacket, and I thought to myself, `I think I got it bad. She's out there in this cold making nickels and dimes,. He gave her $20 and told her to keep the change. And suddenly I saw her lips begin to tremble and tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She said, `Sir, you have no idea what this means to me.'

He made his fortune through cable television and long distance calling. Stewart successfully kept his identity hidden until 2006, when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, which would later claim his life. He chose at that time to reveal his identity as part of an effort to encourage others to practice philanthropy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Stewart_(philanthropist)

http://www.payitforwardmovement.org/news/Cambrian.htm
 
First, I am not Jack Hershey. Sypdertrader can prove that. Plus I think Jack has already figured this out.

FightTheFuture hit the nail on the head. Try it sometime! The greatest enjoyment :) :) I received was watching from afar as the person(s) received their gift(s). The people who appreciate it the most, never ask. They keep slogging away trying to better themselves and their families. Oftentimes against hardship. I feel a personal call to those who "I see" in this situation. "I see" is very important to me. Not those who ask (so don't), not those who are brought to my attention, but those who God makes me "see" personally.

My actions are based on:
Matthew 6:1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. 2 "When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 "But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing 4 that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
1 John 3:17 "But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

... and yes this is a serious request. I don't want to give cash, I need an anonymous process that will allow a 501(c)(3) shell to operate underneath the disbursement.
 
Quote from bigmoose:


My actions are based on:
Matthew 6:1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them..
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That phrase right there makes religion a complete JOKE to me. I'm not going to watch my righteousness in front of others. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."-Eleanor Roosevelt.

If I have to THINK about being righteous, I'm not truly being righteous.

I could go on for days.

Yes, the key to life is to find something or someone greater than your own existance and believe in it with all your heart.

Most of the extremely religious people I knwo are some of the most stubborn and boarderline IGNORANT people I know.

Intentions are the foundation to righteousness. Vulnerability in love brings out either the best or the worst in us. Our intentions determine which one it is.

But thank you for giving without receiving praise. Always remember these wise words from a very successful man. “Charity is injurious unless it helps the recipient to become independent of it.”- John D. Rockefeller
 
I did not intend to sidetrack the thread into the "philosophy" of giving...

I was really interested in the "mechanisms" of anonymous giving out of a 501(c)(3) shell. So perhaps I should prune my post on philosophy?
 
I own a financial services franchise underneath our mother company Aegon. I will not benefit financially from doing this, however, on Monday I will contact our administration and get you some contact information.

:)

Quote from bigmoose:

I did not intend to sidetrack the thread into the "philosophy" of giving...

I was really interested in the "mechanisms" of anonymous giving out of a 501(c)(3) shell. So perhaps I should prune my post on philosophy?
More...
 
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