Variance Power: Ensuring Donor Intent for Generations to Come

All charitable organizations make every effort to honor the intentions of their donors. But community foundations, including Stanislaus Community Foundation (SCF), have a unique tool that ensures donor wishes are always fulfilled, even beyond the donor’s lifetime.

That tool is called variance power.

Variance power allows SCF, with the approval from its board of directors, to modify gift instructions if the original instructions become impossible to carry out or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the community. 

An example of variance power in action is the William H. Turner and Doris L. Turner Trust Fund housed at SCF. In their estate, the Turners directed that a fund be established at SCF to support the Senior Meals on Wheels program in Modesto, then administered by the Salvation Army through the Stanislaus County Area Agency on Aging.

By the time the fund was established in 2007, the program has shifted to a new provider: Howard Prep, another local nonprofit organization. Thanks to variance power, SCF’s board of directors was able to redirect distributions to Howard Prep – keeping the Turners’ vision alive despite the administrative change.

When Howard Prep didn’t renew their contract to administer The Meals on Wheels program in 2018, the SCF board of directors again exercised variance power to redirect the fund distributions to the Area Agency on Aging, who took over operations of the program.

To date, the William H. Turner and Doris L. Turner Trust Fund has contributed $764,924 to the Senior Meals on Wheels program, which now serves more than 500 Modesto-area seniors through weekly meal deliveries and congregate meal sites.

This is the enduring strength of a community foundation: the ability to honor donor intent not just today, but far into the future. When donors partner with Stanislaus Community Foundation, they gain peace of mind knowing their legacy will be protected and their philanthropic wishes will always be upheld.

To learn more about opening a fund or establishing a legacy gift, contact Melissa Van Diepen at 209.576.1608 x 104 or mvandiepen@stanislauscf.org.