Memorial Funds
Honoring your loved one through a memorial fund only takes a few simple steps.
If you have recently lost a loved one, we extend our condolences. Whether or not the death was expected, we understand that dealing with all the arrangements during a time of grief can be overwhelming. We want to make the process of establishing a memorial fund to honor your loved one as smooth as possible.
When a loved one passes away, many families and friends wish to create or contribute to a memorial fund in honor of their life. However, making the decision of what to support can be daunting during a time of loss. A Memorial Fund gives you time to consider how to best represent your loved one's passion and interest, while giving you an immediate place to direct gifts.
What To Do Now
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Contact us: Fill out this quick form to notify us that you want to establish a memorial fund (or see form below) or give us a call at 410-742-9911.
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Encourage donors: We recommend including a statement in the obituary or memorial program to let friends and family know how to direct their gifts. Examples:
Memorial donations can be made online at CFES.org/donate or mailed to Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, 1324 Belmont Ave. Ste. 401, Salisbury, MD 21804
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the "John Smith Memorial Fund" at CFES.org/donate or mailed to Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, 1324 Belmont Ave. Ste. 401, Salisbury, MD 21804
What Can Wait For Later
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Completing documents: There will be formal fund agreement paperwork to complete. If we have not heard from you within a month, our staff will follow up to begin the paperwork process.
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Deciding charitable goals: You may need time to decide the charitable goals of the fund. Our staff can help you work through options.
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Sending donor acknowledgments: CFES will send official tax acknowledgements to every fund donor. If you wish to send a personalized thank you, you will have access to donor information via our online platform.
Additional Details
How does a memorial fund work?
Anyone can give to a memorial fund. When the endowment fund reaches a balance of $10,000, the investment earnings can be used to make grants to community causes or tax-exempt nonprofits selected by you and/or your family. Grants can be directed to places of worship, public libraries, schools, human services organizations and arts organizations. You many also designate a special community interest area for the grants, such as services for disadvantaged youth, the arts, or seniors.
Memorial Fund Benefits:
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A memorial endowment fund gives you time to make specific charitable decisions later, allowing you to focus on more time-sensitive matters.
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The fund is permanent and will carry on your loved one's name.
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Because the fund is invested it will continually grow to make future grants that will support charitable causes.
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Our Donor Central platform provides you access to real-time fund information.
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CFES handles the administrative work.
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All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by the law.
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While we encourage donors to continue to build their funds, the fund will live on even without additional fundraising, after reaching the $10,000 minimum for endowment.
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If the fund does not reach the $10,000 endowment minimum, all gifts can be transferred to another charitable fund at CFES as a memorial gift.
Get Started
Simply fill out the form below to notify us of your intention to direct memorial gifts to CFES.
Still have questions? Give us a call at 410-742-9911.