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Immersive Experiences Fuel Donor Passion

A unique benefit of Community Foundation  Donor Service is the ability for fundholders to dive into their philanthropic projects. Community Foundation fundholders who are passionate about conserving Nevada's open spaces share their love of the outdoors with Program Officer Lauren Renda. One of the advantages of working toward your philanthropic goals with the Community Foundation is the opportunity to be part of big projects that are critical for creating and sustaining open space for wildlife and for humans and that protect the environment of the Sierra Nevadas or across the planet.

Lauren says,  "I have worked with fundholders who get great satisfaction from being part of a several year-long project. By visiting the area with guides and scientists responsible for its conservation, fundholders are able to see first-hand the impact their contributions are making. Field trips are a wonderful opportunity to build a relationship with the nonprofit you support and meet other like-minded people passionate about a shared cause."

One particular project, with the Northern Sierra Partnership, stands out in her mind. She accompanied a client family who significantly supported a 2-year NSP project as a powerful way to memorialize a family member, on a series of visits. The visits by mother and daughter to the Sierra Valley to see the land and marsh they were so deeply personally connected to were meaningful to everyone involved. Not everybody will make large donations to conserve or manage parcels of land but a large impact can be made by leveraging donations of any size through a matching gift campaign. Lauren feels it is important to make clients aware of matching fund opportunities that help leverage more modest contributions from a wider range of donors to accomplish larger goals. Nevadans treasure Nevada outdoors, our region's dark skies, vast deserts, mountains, rivers, and rich wildlife. Our fundholders know that they have an experienced advisor that shares their passion and works to make the most of their generosity as part of the Community Foundation mission to connect people who care with causes that matter.

Comet Neowise over Sparks, Nevada, July 16, 2020 taken by Ron Payola