Planned Gifts to Augment an Existing Donor Advised Fund

An activist throughout her life, Ryan Miele worked with her financial advisors to create a very personal charitable legacy. Using the proceeds of her estate, she wanted to establish a charitable foundation to benefit animal welfare organizations and programs after her lifetime. To keep costs to a minimum and preserve as much of her gift as possible, her advisors created the Ryan Miele Endowment for Animal Welfare, a donor advised fund at the Cochise Community Foundation, upon Ryan's death.

Before her passing, Ryan named friends from around the country to serve as fund advisors, a decision and experience the 17 individuals find enormously meaningful. The group spends time learning about organizations doing work that their dear friend would be proud of, and work together to recommend grants in her name throughout the year.