When Toledo’s largest law firm needed assistance with its philanthropy endeavors, it called the Toledo Community Foundation for help.
In 2007, Shumaker Loop & Kendrick, LLP established a donor advised fund at the Foundation to make charitable gifts in the four communities where it has offices – Toledo, Columbus, Charlotte, N.C. and Tampa, FL.
“It had been my dream for the firm for a long time. I felt we needed a better way to give back to our communities,” says Jeni Belt, an attorney at the firm who worked with the Foundation to set up the Shumaker Loop & Kendrick Foundation.
“The Foundation staff makes it so easy for us to make gifts in our four locations and the administrative support is so valuable. They conduct due diligence on every charity we want to support.
“In this economic environment where there is a continual evaluation of operating costs, it would not have been possible to have a full-time staff person at the firm do everything the Foundation provides. The Foundation is more than willing to partner with us as much as needed. This is a perfect way to give back to our communities,” she adds.
Although charitable giving is not new for the firm, the agreement with the Foundation “has helped boost employee moral and we realize that we are so fortunate to be able to give back in a very meaningful way,” concludes Jeni.