This summer, the Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority became the first payroll deduction partner of 2015 for the Coweta Community Foundation.
The Coweta Community Foundation is a publicly supported 501(c)3 organization that helps focus local philanthropy on the community’s changing needs. The Foundation manages individual gifts and bequests as an endowed pool of assets, distributing grants to a wide variety of organizations that enhance and support the quality of life in Coweta County, while maintaining the charitable intent of the donors. Through its payroll deduction partnership, the Foundation gives local businesses another way to help their members be involved in the community’s philanthropic giving.
“It is important to us to live out our vision and mission through our involvement in the community,” said Jay Boren, CEO of the Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority. “We chose to partner with the Coweta Community Foundation for that reason, knowing that every dollar donated will be used to meet the needs of citizens through local charities here in Coweta County. We have established a payroll deduction option for our employees to make donating easier, and as the first business in Coweta to offer this option in 2015, we hope this will lead the way for other local businesses to do the same.”
The authority’s vision is “to be a recognized community partner and leader in the water and sewer industry.” Its mission is “to enhance and preserve the quality of our community by being a responsible steward of the water resources with which we have been entrusted.”
“We are delighted to have the Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority as a payroll deduction partner,” said Coweta Community Foundation Board Chair Ginger Jackson Queener. “It’s great to see companies who give their employees the ability to give back to the community.” Queener said research shows that employers who offer a charitable giving option to their employees see increased productivity, and people who give more to others — in both time and resources — experience greater satisfaction in life than people who do not. Also, with the Coweta Community Foundation, “what is raised here, stays here,” and the Foundation has the ability to provide support in times of immediate need or local disaster in addition to monies given through its normal annual grants cycle.
Queener noted that any local business is eligible to start a payroll deduction plan, and no monetary investment is required. The Foundation does the legwork and tailors pledge forms with the company’s logo, handles the enrollment, and provides the company’s payroll department with all the data and documentation needed to send the Foundation funds.
For more information on the benefits of a charitable payroll deduction benefit, call the Coweta Community Foundation at 770-253-1833.
