Sparkasse coburg-lichtenfels places high hopes on community of donors

Doing good without bureaucratic hassle: this is what the savings bank coburg-lichtenfels wants to offer its customers. On friday the three board members siegfried wolki, roland vogel and martin faber founded the foundation community of the savings bank.

Foundation community means: if you want to permanently allocate capital to a good cause, you no longer have to establish your own foundation. He or she can give the designated capital to the endowment fund. The purpose of the proceeds is determined by the donor. Only the capital investment and the administration of the foundation are no longer his concern. This is done by deutsche stiftungstreuhand (furth) on behalf of the savings bank. The savings bank itself sees to it that the specified purpose of the foundation is adhered to and that the money goes to the institutions that the donor had in mind.

This is a rough problem that many donors face, says stephan franke, customer advisor at sparkasse coburg-lichtenfels. Franke manages an aunt's foundation himself. "Who will do it when I can't do it anymore? – this question is on his mind and on the minds of many people who want to set up a foundation, he says.

This is no longer an issue with the donor community. There are also other advantages for donors, explains horst ohlmann, chairman of the board of deutsche stiftungstreuhand: "if you give capital to a foundation, you can deduct it from your taxable income. Depending on the tax rate and the capital contributed, this can be more lucrative for the founder than a cash investment.

In addition, donors can join the foundation community on a smaller scale: 25,000 euros is sufficient here; those who want to set up their own foundation must raise at least 50,000 euros. In times of low interest rates, of course, that's not much: foundations are only allowed to distribute their earnings, the capital itself may not be touched. But even small contributions can do good, emphasizes horst ohlmann. In his experience, many donors also use the foundation community to first try out whether this is the right way for them to use their assets. "Establishing a foundation is a bit like making a will." That's why this step is usually considered for a long time "and often it's the women who put the brakes on". The money invested can hardly be recovered. "That's why every aspect of old-age provision should be covered.", ohlmann and stephan franke emphasize.

About ten years ago, the foundation community as such was invented for the bavarian savings banks; according to ohlmann, the first one was founded by the savings bank in bamberg. The beginnings were modest: after the first year, the donors' association was able to disburse around 73 euros. But in the meantime, the capital invested has grown considerably, and now over 123,000 euros have been donated to more than 50 different institutions.

Ohlmann also mentioned the fact that the founders can easily change the purpose of their foundation. This is no longer possible with an own foundation. It is also possible to regulate the support of one's own relatives, said ohlmann. However, in a non-profit foundation community, this means a certain amount of effort. "This is no longer done with just a signature." Otherwise, donating within the community of donors is very simple.

"It is a long-term project that will benefit the life of the community, ohlmann is convinced. Experience has shown, on the one hand, that 90 percent of the proceeds remain in the region. On the other hand, a large proportion of the foundations are increased over time, usually because the donor leaves his assets to his foundation. "We can see from the demand that there is interest here, says stephan franke. A large proportion of those interested are between 40 and 50 years old and single. The second rough group of interested parties are people over 55 who want to commit their assets and do not have any relatives who depend on them.

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