Couple Uses Funds to Focus Giving on Children and Families

CFNEIA

May 19, 2017

Exploring possibilities to giving back is important to Dr. David and Karen Zwanziger. It’s one of the reasons the couple uses their funds with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa to focus on impacting the lives of children and young families in the Cedar Valley. “A lot of choices are available and I appreciate the guidance of the staff at the Foundation. I toss out a question and let them develop the possibilities,” said David.

Both raised in Waterloo, the couple chose to grow their family and build a successful business in the Cedar Valley. After David’s retirement and sale of his orthodontics practice, their accountant recommended talking to the Community Foundation. “It worked well from a tax and family finance situation,” said David.

David and Karen chose to establish two donor advised funds, one endowment and one quasi-endowment. The combination provides a forever fund and a more flexible granting option, providing even greater possibilities for their charitable giving. “When we established our funds, we had no specific passion or gift plan so the Foundation was a really good choice because we didn’t have to make our giving decisions all at once. We could work with them over a period of time, which we have since 2013,” said David. “That has been very convenient for us and lets us carry out our charitable giving in an organized way.”

The couple not only shows support through their financial contributions but are active volunteers with organizations impacting local children and young families and love seeing the immediate change that can occur. They also understand the long-term benefit their funds will have in the Cedar Valley. “You always want to consider the long-range impact of what you do. When you’re focusing on children and young families, that is the future,” said David. “I won’t ever see all the impact, but I truly have faith in the long-term benefit to the community.”