Young Pender family sets example with planned gift

Across Nebraska, young families are writing the next chapters of their stories. Mikayla Doht of Pender and her husband, Eric, are among them.

Doht is a newcomer to northeast Nebraska, but, growing up in Elmwood, she's no stranger to small-town life. She's also not the only new face in town. Pender Community Hospital and its thriving local healthcare system recruit employees from far and wide. That means many fresh faces moving to the area. And existing residents are happy to greet them.

"No matter your background, everyone is welcome in Pender/Thurston," Doht said. "I love that so much about our community."

Among the organizations essential in cultivating that sense of welcoming is the Pender-Thurston Education & Community Foundation Fund (PTECFF), an affiliated fund of Nebraska Community Foundation. Doht is a member of the fund's advisory committee (FAC), which helps build community by following PTECFF's mission to create opportunity through collaboration; achieve goals through determination; and move forward through progressive thinking.

Included in the FAC's progressive thinking is PTECFF's unrestricted endowment. Much like a retirement account, an unrestricted endowment generates investment income for your community year after year. Because the principal remains untouched, it grows with every gift – and so does the annual payout. The fund advisory committee stewarding the unrestricted endowment account can grant the funds in ways that they determine will fulfill its mission.

Volunteers with PTECFF have granted nearly $300,000 from their unrestricted endowment; much of that was made to improve local quality of life including several grants to benefit the new sports complex, housing development, community center and school system

"The unrestricted endowment is a key piece of the future of our community," Doht said. "No matter who's in Pender or what the current priority is for funding, the unrestricted endowment is a constant that will be there to support our community in whatever way it's needed."

The thought of having an impact on Pender-Thurston's future inspired Doht to make the PTECFF a beneficiary of her life insurance policy. The young mother also wanted to set an example for her children.

"Having young children I think makes the mission of our fund that much closer to my heart," she said. "I know the love I have for my community, and I can't wait to instill that same love for my children. I want them to be proud of their hometown and consider returning here one day."

Over the next decade, older generations are expected to transfer nearly $70 million to younger generations, according to NCF's 2021 Transfer of Wealth Study. If just 5% of that was donated to the community, it would amount to $3.4 million. The Five to Thrive campaign encourages residents – across all generations – to do just that.

The beneficiary designation process was very simple, Doht said, as she was able to adjust her beneficiary online in a matter of minutes. The hardest part was remembering her password!

Making a planned gift is something that's easy to put off, Doht said, but with PTECFF embarking on a new Homegrown Challenge Grant campaign she wanted to ensure she had a gift in place before asking others to do the same. She wants other young residents to know they can make a planned gift while still ensuring their growing families have everything they need.

"I love having the option of giving for our younger families that don't have the ability to make a gift now," Doht said. "It's an opportunity to still participate and make a difference in our community!"

For information on how you can give back to your hometown, contact Nebraska Community Foundation's Office of Planned Giving, 402.323.7330 or [email protected].