Family Foundation: Wayne C. Kaufmann

Sales executive Wayne C. Kaufmann had two objectives when he created a family foundation to serve as his legacy: to fund causes that were meaningful to him; and to keep his children and their stepmother close to one another after his death.

Although losing a loved one is never easy, Sharon Kaufmann says serving as board members with her stepchildren “has been very rewarding … we knew we would always stay in touch and do things together, but the foundation has been a nice way to carry on Wayne’s legacy. It’s been good for all of us.”

Sharon appreciates how YouthBridge filters any requests for funds, giving the family a degree of privacy and helping them to select the right recipients:

The Kaufmann Foundation uses donor-advised funds (DAFs) to simplify the administration of the grants. Family members also have their own DAFs, funded by the Foundation, to allow them to contribute to causes that are personally meaningful to them. Sharon now sees her stepdaughter teaching her children to carry on their grandfather’s legacy. “Sarah has been getting her daughters involved in giving and that’s just a great thing to teach kids.”