Laguna Beach Community Foundation announces the appointment of Greg Mech to its Board of Trustees. Greg is Managing Director of The CAPROCK Group office in Newport Beach, CA. He brings 29 years of experience in global private wealth management and strategy expertise to families in southern California. Greg is the former Managing Director of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., where he was responsible for the Global Private Client Wealth Management Business and Strategy in the Western US.
 
“The financial expertise on our Board is something we take great pride in. By adding Greg Mech, we gain an individual that has successfully built a career around providing full-service, tailored wealth management specifically to local families. This expertise mixed with his dedication to giving back and enhancing the philanthropic sector made him the perfect fit for our team and the furthering of the mission of LBCF,” said Tom Davis, LBCF Board Chair.

Greg is also a board member of Alzheimer’s Orange County, Operation Underground Railroad and an advisor to Shatterproof.   Greg is also enthusiastic in promoting education and financial literacy for the children in our communities. Greg is a graduate of Northwestern University, and resides in Laguna Beach, CA.
 
The mission of the Laguna Beach Community Foundation is to encourage philanthropy in the greater Laguna Beach area through its charitable organizations and residents.
 
For more information about LBCF and how we can help with your philanthropy, contact Executive Director, Dan Pingaro, at 949-715-8223 or via email at info@lagunabeachcf.org. www.lagunabeachcf.org
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The Laguna Beach Community Foundation pro bono Investment Committee has over 100 years of combined professional wealth advisory experience.  By opening a Donor Advised Fund or a Nonprofit Charitable Fund with the Laguna Beach Community Foundation, you have access to these services at a minimal fee that directly goes back to supporting the services offered at the Community Foundation.

The Laguna Beach Community Foundation compiled 1st quarter performance figures for assets comprising their equity and fixed income pools. Total equity performance for the 1st quarter totaled 1.3% after a very strong March.  Fixed income performance totaled 3.5%. A blended portfolio of 60% equity and 40% fixed income, which is used for discretionary accounts, gained 2.2%. Performance is calculated assuming monthly rebalancing to target weights and does not reflect cash holdings.
 
Jim Fletcher, chair of LBCF's investment committee commented: "We hold a mix of domestic and international equity and fixed income index funds. This gives us extremely broad diversification at a very low cost. On the equity front, our developing markets investment was the top performer in the first quarter, partially rebounding from last year. On the fixed income side, our international bond fund led the way, boosted by a weaker dollar during the quarter. What is particularly interesting is that some of the weakest asset classes last year are leading the way this year. Patience and consistency are key."

For nonprofit executives and board members interested in learning more about the importance of investing, please view our white paper on Prudent Investing for Nonprofits by clicking below.

​Would you like to engage your clients on a deeper level? Having a charitable planning discussion can provide a more in-depth relationship and enhance the services you provide. While you might be reluctant to ask your clients about this highly personal subject, studies show clients want their advisors to ask them about their giving. Here are 10 things to keep in mind as you get started.
 
1. Do you know if your clients are charitably inclined? Starting with some simple questions can lead to larger discussion about how you can help clients maximize and simplify their giving.
 
     Conversation Starters

• What charities do you currently support and how do you support them?
• What general causes do you care about?
• What was your most important or most satisfying charitable donation or volunteer      experience?
• Do you want your family to have more involvement in your giving?

 
2. Are your clients holding appreciated assets, including publicly traded securities, and facing capital gains tax? Your clients avoid capital gains and receive a tax deduction by donating these securities to a charitable giving account, also known as a donor advised fund.
 
3. Do you have clients who want to sell a business, or do your clients have illiquid assets they want to put to charitable use? We can accept donations of complex assets, including business interests, life insurance policies and real estate, allowing your clients to receive the maximum tax deduction for their donations.
 
4. Are your clients hesitant to let someone else manage their assets? We allow donors to choose how assets in their charitable giving accounts are invested, by working with their own trusted financial advisors, or by choosing to invest in one or more of our investment pools.
 
5. Are your clients too busy to handle the administrative side of their giving? With a fund at LBCF, your clients can log in to our online donor portal anytime day or night to see statements and make grants. We will perform the due diligence to ensure grants are made to IRS-qualified public charities. We can mail checks directly to charities or to your clients.
 
6. Is collecting charitable tax receipts burdensome for your clients? If your clients organize all of their giving through a charitable giving account, they are spared this chore. Because we are a 501(c)3 public charity, they will receive a tax deduction for contributions to their account, so the only receipts they need to keep are ours.
 
7. Do your clients have children? Donors with charitable giving accounts can pass along their charitable legacies by naming future generations as successor advisors of their accounts.
 
8. Are your clients private about their wealth? We never share any personal information about our donors. They can also choose to make anonymous grants from their charitable giving accounts. Or, if your clients like to share their philanthropy, we can facilitate promoting their charitable giving.
 
9. Are your clients nearing retirement age? If they want to support causes after they retire, they can set aside money in a charitable giving account now and give to charities later.
 
10. Do your clients need help keeping track of their giving? Your clients will receive quarterly statements outlining their giving for the year. They can also access our online portal to see a full history of how much and how often they have given to organizations in the past.

To learn more about how to partner with Laguna Beach Community Foundation, click here to access the remainder of the Professional Council Toolkit. 

Nonprofit professionals are frequently some of the most resourceful and innovative individuals. Many times wearing multiple hats, employees, volunteers and board members look to online resources to make the most of their time and financial resources. We have compiled a list of some of the most helpful tools available online today.

6. Pic Monkey/Canva - PicMonkey is a free photo editor that works in your browser – nothing to download or install. Fix your photos and add beautiful filters and text.  Make sure your photos are optimized for posting on your website, newsletters and social media outlets.​

Canva is another photo editor that works through your browser. It has pre-sized editable designs ready for any of your social media outlets. It also has a variety of free images that you can utilize in your designs – it allows free downloads of PNG and PDF versions of your finished product.

7. Constant Contact/Mail Chimp – Both options are great tools to manage your virtual communication. Track contact information, create email sign-up tools, review email performance through open-rates and opt outs, and segment your mailing lists to target certain audiences for particular outreach.
 
8. Eventbrite for Nonprofits – Do you ever host free events? If so, Eventbrite for NonProfits is free. You can easily track registrations and use their best-in-class features. For paid events, they charge a 2.0% service fee + $0.99 per ticket. Many times they allow you to pass this fee onto the customer if you choose.
 
9. Google for Nonprofits - Google provides apps for nonprofits to help eliminate IT costs and help staff work together more effectively. Receive 30GB of storage, hold video conference calls for up to 15 participants, apply to Google Ad Grants, and utilize Google Analytics to receive valuable insights into your website activity. Understand how people find your website, where they spend the most time on your site, and more. 

10. Flipboard - Staying up to date on news and topics relevant to your nonprofit is essential to having informed conversations with your employees, volunteers, donors, and board. Flipboard is a news aggregator that allows you to create a profile specific to your area of interest. It’s a great tool to stay informed and often times provides curated, up-to-date content that would be great for your social media outlet posts.

Do you have any other favorite online tools? Share below!

Did you miss tools 1-5? Click here.

Contributed By: Rachel Lindsay, LBCF Associate Director of Initiatives & Communications

To attend, please RSVP to Rachel Lindsay at rachel@lagunabeachcf.org or by phone at 949-715-8223.