Posted on October 12, 2026
Learn about three flexible ways to support Penn-Mar’s mission.
By Jennifer Hobbs
Chief Development and Marketing Officer
For Penn-Mar and many other nonprofits, year-end giving provides a significant share of the support we rely on throughout the year. It’s also a meaningful time to celebrate what your generosity makes possible and share about the challenges ahead.
While our current climate is difficult – intellectual and developmental disability services are flat-funded in Pennsylvania and experiencing cuts in Maryland – it’s also never been easier for supporters to donate in ways that are flexible, personalized, and designed to work best for both them and the causes they care about.
The bottom line: You can support the work you care about in a way that fits your budget and your plans for the future.
Here are three options worth considering: recurring gifts, donor-advised funds (DAFs), and legacy giving. Each offers different benefits, and each helps create meaningful opportunities for the people and families we support.
Recurring Gifts
Recurring gifts are one of my favorite ways to support nonprofits. Just like my Netflix subscription, my monthly donations happen automatically, so I can consistently support causes I care about in a way that fits my budget.
At Penn-Mar, you can schedule a monthly or quarterly gift online using a credit card, debit card, ACH bank transfer, Google Pay, or Apple Pay. Set an end date or let the gift continue, choose any amount you want, and adjust or stop it if life changes.
When I first became a monthly donor, I wondered whether my modest gifts would really add up. They do. Monthly donors often give for seven to eight years, and their total support can exceed one-time giving by 600–800%. For Penn-Mar, that steady support means more dependable revenue, better planning, and consistent services and opportunities for the people we support – even in uncertain times.
Donor-Advised Funds (DAF)
October 8th was National DAF Day. It was created to encourage awareness about Donor-Advised Funds. DAFs are one of the fastest-growing ways to give because they offer donors meaningful tax advantages.
A DAF can be established through a national provider, such as Vanguard Charitable, DAFgiving360, or Fidelity Charitable; or through a local community foundation. You contribute to the fund, generally reduce your taxable income, and then recommend grants to eligible nonprofits out of those funds. Because DAFs can be invested, they also grow over time and increase the impact of your giving.
You don’t need a large charitable budget to benefit from a DAF; they work well for many people who give regularly. About two-thirds of annual DAF grants are $1,000 or less, and many national providers have no minimum balance requirement. One more important DAF detail: contributions are irrevocable. Once money goes into a DAF, it must eventually go to nonprofits. But if charitable giving is already part of your long-term plans, a DAF can be a practical way to minimize taxes and maximize your impact.
At Penn-Mar, DAF grants provide support for high-quality and innovative programs, emerging needs, and new opportunities, none of which is possible via government funding alone.
Legacy Circle
Penn-Mar’s Legacy Circle is a way to invest in the organization’s future. I think of legacy giving as “funding the future” – helping the organizations I care about continue their work even when I’m no longer here to support them personally.
A legacy gift can also support a cause that matters to you without reducing the assets available to you and your family during your lifetime. For many of us, the largest gift we’ll ever make won’t come through an annual donation or event support, but through our estate plans. People who include Penn-Mar in a will, life insurance policy, or another arrangement become part of our Legacy Circle – a community committed to sustaining our mission.
Many donors never tell nonprofits that they have included them in their estate plans, and about 55% of Americans have no formal plans – leaving their wishes and loved ones unprotected! (Penn-Mar offers a free Make a Will tool to help with that). We don’t ask our Legacy Circle to commit to a specific gift amount or arrangement; we understand that life changes and plans do, too. Letting us know your intentions simply helps us more effectively plan for the future, express our gratitude, and inspire others through your example.
Your Support Makes Our Mission Possible
To everyone who supports Penn-Mar and other nonprofits doing vital work: thank you. Your generosity means that people with disabilities can access Assistive Technology for greater independence; secure meaningful, fairly compensated jobs; participate in their communities; and have skilled, compassionate Direct Support Professionals by their side each day.
There are many ways to support the people and causes you care about. If Penn-Mar is one of the organizations close to your heart, we’re here to help you explore the giving options that best reflect your values and goals. Thank you for being a critical part of our mission!
For more information or help making a gift to Penn-Mar, contact Jenn Hobbs, Chief Development and Marketing Officer, at jennhobbs@penn-mar.org or 443-491-9628.