Community Foundation for Carver County

05/27/2026

Mark your calendar for our annual Celebration of Philanthropy Dinner. Together, we’ll celebrate the people and organizations whose generosity is shaping a stronger Carver County and recognize the impact that makes our community such a great place to live, work, and thrive.

This year we will be honoring the following with the Award in Philanthropy:
- Dave Pokorney of Chaska
- LaVonne and Richard Kroells of Norwood Young America

More details to come. See you in September! https://www.communitygiving.org/event/community-foundation-for-carver-county-celebration-of-philanthropy-dinner/

05/05/2026

Please join us in welcoming Ceara Golden as the new Development Manager at Community Foundation for Carver County!

Ceara Golden joined the team in April 2026 as Development Manager, bringing a strong background in fundraising, donor engagement, and community impact. Her career has focused on building meaningful relationships and strengthening communities, with experience supporting a variety of nonprofit organizations across the Twin Cities and Chicago. Ceara holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Writing for Advancement in Nonprofits from DePaul University, where she was recognized as the Outstanding Graduate Student for the School of Public Service. She also earned her BA in Film and Media from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Outside of work, Ceara enjoys paddle boarding, traveling, and spending time with her many nieces and nephews.

04/03/2026

Be sure to mark your calendar for this if you are in the Norwood Young America area!

Support your local pool—one meal at a time! 💙

📅 April 22
⏰ 4–7 PM
📍 Willkommen Park

Drive through and pick up a brat or hot dog meal including chips or potato salad, beans & a cookie included!

🚗 Enter on Central Ave for quick and easy pickup.

Bring the family, tell your friends, and help us make a splash with future pool improvements!

02/17/2026

We’re Featured on the Carver County Local News Podcast!

We’re excited to share that Laura Helmer, one of our board members, recently joined Dominic Papatola, Chief Impact Officer for CommunityGiving on the December episode of the Carver County Local News podcast.

In this conversation, we talk about how the Community Foundation for Carver County works alongside local nonprofits, donors, and partners to strengthen our community. We share more about our mission, how charitable funds support the causes people care about most, and how anyone can get involved in local philanthropy.

If you’ve ever wondered:
• How community foundations support local nonprofits
• How to start a charitable fund
• How your generosity can make a lasting impact close to home

This episode is a great place to start.

🎧 Listen here:

In this episode, we explore the nonprofit funding ecosystem in Minnesota and Carver County with Dominic Papatola of the Community Giving Foundation and Laura Helmer of the Carver County Community Foundation. We talk about where funding comes from, how it is managed, distributed, and how these founda...

02/13/2026

Our office will be closed on Monday, February 16th, in observance of Presidents Day. We will be open again on Tuesday.

02/03/2026

We’re hiring! The Community Foundation for Carver County is seeking a part-time Development Manager to help grow local philanthropy and strengthen community impact across Carver County. This role works closely with donors, volunteers, and community fund leaders to support meaningful giving, steward relationships, and advance community-led initiatives. If you enjoy connecting people to causes they care about and believe in the power of local generosity, we’d love to hear from you.

Learn more and apply at: https://communitygiving.applytojob.com/apply/7U02xwVtMC/Development-Manager

01/09/2026

Planning for the future is one of the most meaningful ways to care for the people and causes you love. If an estate plan is part of your New Year’s resolution, we can help. Connect with us as your local community foundation and explore our free estate planning guide: https://plannedgiving.communitygiving.org/?pageID=19

01/01/2026

Warm New Year wishes from our team to yours! We look forward to building an even stronger community together in 2026.

12/30/2025

Our office will be closed on Thursday, January 1st, in observance of New Years. We will be open again on Friday.

12/29/2025

Please reach out and contact us for any additional questions.

We have an important update we wanted to share with you as you plan your year-end giving. Effective December 24, 2025, the USPS postmark process made a change. The result may be postmarks with a different (subsequent) date than when the mail was deposited.

Under a recent USPS change, postmarks are now applied at regional processing centers instead of local post offices. In the past, the postmark date showed when a gift was mailed. Now, postmarks may be added several days after mail is dropped off, meaning the date on the postmark may not reflect when the gift was actually sent.

Because of this, some mailed gifts may not qualify for a 2025 income tax deduction if they are postmarked after December 31, even if they were mailed earlier.

For a mailed charitable donation to be reflected in 2025 for tax purposes, there are three primary ways to ensure the postmark reflects a date no later than December 31, 2025:
• Request a "manual postmark" at a USPS counter
• Certified/registered mail services
• Obtain a Postage Validation Imprint (PVI) label at a USPS counter

As an alternative, we'd like to remind you that your gift can be made online at www.communitygiving.org/donate. If your fund is not in the list, select "Other" and indicate which fund your gift should go into in the comments section. You are also welcome to drop off your gift in person at any of our office locations by December 31.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your local community foundation team.