Foundation FAQs

Our Foundation’s purpose is to serve, support and strengthen our sisterhood! We are the sole charitable organization supporting the Sorority, and we are sisters helping sisters financially sustain and advance the mission of Gamma Phi Beta. Through successful fundraising and stewardship, we support Gamma Phi Beta and her members who have scholarship, leadership, philanthropic and emergency needs.

We encourage you to visit our About the Foundation page under financial and annual reporting for our current 990.

We encourage you to visit our About the Foundation page under financial and annual reporting for our current Annual Report.

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights. Check out our Donor Bill of Rights.

An unrestricted gift is truly an investment in our sisterhood. Your unrestricted donation, whatever the amount, enables our Sorority’s leadership to fulfill Gamma Phi Beta’s mission by using funds in the areas that need it most - including our belonging and inclusion efforts, ensuring chapters receive the day-to-day support they need and the ability for us to provide resources to ensure our sisterhood is sustained for years to come.

To see past issues of Foundation News, our donor newsletter, login (top right menu on your screen) and navigate to Member > My Member News > Foundation News. From here you can assess past issues of the quarterly newsletter.

To check your giving history, login (top right menu on your screen) and navigate to Member > My Profile > then select the Giving tab. You can view your history by both calendar year and fiscal year. 

Yes! The Gamma Phi Beta Foundation can be the beneficiary of your alumnae chapter’s philanthropy events. Choosing to fundraise for our Foundation sustains our sisterhood now and in the future.

If your alumnae chapter would like to be celebrated as part of the 1874 Society, the chapter will need to give a gift of $1,874 between August 1 and July 31. The gift can also be given online through our online donation form. Please be sure to notify us that you would like your gift credited to your alumnae chapter and for the 1874 Society. 

Carnation Nation is our collegiate giving society. If you are a collegiate member and give an unrestricted gift of $18.74 during the fiscal year August 1 – July 31 you are considered a member of our Carnation Nation giving society.

Yes! You can host a secondary philanthropy event! All secondary philanthropy event funds are split between your Girls on the Run beneficiary choice and the Gamma Phi Beta Foundation. You can event select what area of the Foundation you want to benefit; the area of greatest need, BEDI Initiatives, Loyalty Grants or your chapter’s established endowment.

If your chapter would like to be celebrated as part of the 1874 Society, the chapter will need to give a gift of $1,874 between August 1 and July 31. The gift can also be given online through our online donation form. Please be sure to notify us that you would like your gift credited to your chapter and for the 1874 society. 

Endowments are impactful ways to create a legacy in your area of passion and provide support in perpetuity for various programs and services. An endowed fund is a gift that is invested and managed by the Foundation to generate a continuous source of revenue through investment income.

Named endowments can be established to support various programs and services, including benefiting a specific chapter, leadership programming, financial aid, loyalty grants for sisters experiencing extreme financial hardship or the current areas of greatest need. Fewer restrictions allow more flexibility in helping where the need is greatest. 

The original principal (“corpus”) is invested as part of the Foundation’s total endowment portfolio increasing in value over time. The interest earned is available each year for the purpose of the endowment. An endowed fund is designed to last forever and to deal with fluctuations in the market. Foundation Trustees determine the payout rate each year based upon market fluctuations. New endowments do not pay out for three years to allow for market growth for the fund; however, donors may choose to provide additional funds to allow for payouts during those years. Annual giving is utilized in the area of greatest need in the year given.   

The Foundation assesses investment and administrative fees on endowments. All restricted gifts also receive a one-time 5% fee. The general administration fee covers a portion of the Foundation's general operating expenses. After reaching its minimum principal value, endowment funds in value up to $100,000 shall be assessed a 2% annual administrative fee. Endowment funds over $100,000 in value shall be assessed a 2% annual administrative fee on the first $100,000 and a 1% annual administrative fee for those amounts more than $100,000. All administrative fees are calculated based upon the three-year rolling average value of the fund as of July 31. This administrative fee is distributed monthly. These administrative fees shall be consistent with the Foundation's normal practice of allocating costs of administration among its various funds and in accordance with the Administrative Fees Policy. The endowment fund shall be assessed a 1% annual investment fee. This policy was established in 2018 and will continue to be modified on an ongoing basis.

In certain situations, administrative fees may vary based on the individual terms of the endowment agreement. Administrative fees have varied over the years since Gamma Phi Beta began managing its portfolio.

If you know the name of the endowment to which you would like to donate, visit the endowment donation page and enter the name in the payment form.

To see a full list of the financial aid endowments Gamma Phi Beta holds, please visit our Financial Aid Endowments page.

To start an endowment, please contact the Foundation directly.

Step 1: Ask staff to explain the differences among the types of endowment funds you may establish with the Foundation. 

Step 2: Decide how you will fund the endowment.

• By a cash gift of a minimum $30,000
• By a stock gift of a minimum $30,000 
• With the combination of a cash and stock gift 
• Through Installments payments (up to 5 years to complete) 
• By funding the endowment with a bequest 
• By joining with other sisters in creating a group endowment gift 

Step 3: Decide who will be the beneficiary of your endowment.

• A specific chapter for financial aid or leadership 

• Any Gamma Phi Beta member for financial aid or leadership needs 

• To support the areas of greatest need for the Sorority and/or Foundation 

Bernstein Global Wealth Management oversees the Gamma Phi Beta Foundation portfolio.

Yes. Gamma Phi Beta has an investment policy. The most recent version of the investment policy was approved in 2018, and it is reviewed on an ongoing basis by the Board of Trustees and their appointed finance committee.

The Foundation's primary investment objective is to maintain the purchasing power of the endowment funds and all future contributions and other Foundation assets. A secondary objective is to experience actual portfolio growth, net of fees, inflation and spending from assets over the Fund’s investment time horizon. The stated total return objective is CPI plus 4% plus Fees (investment and Foundation administration fees) in order to maintain purchasing power of the assets and provide flexibility for distributions. 
To see a full list of the financial aid endowments Gamma Phi Beta holds, please visit our Financial Aid Endowments page.

Visit the Gamma Phi Beta News page to see our press releases regarding the Gamma Phi Beta Foundation Awards Scholarships and Fellowships.

Financial aid (scholarships and fellowships) typically open in January and close in March every year.  

Loyalty Grants support Gamma Phi Betas experiencing unforeseen, extreme financial challenges created by a health crisis, natural disaster or other unexpected life circumstances.

You can donate to Loyalty Grants at any time by visiting Donate.GammaPhiBeta.org/LoyaltyGrants.

You can apply for a Loyalty Grant by visiting Donate.GammaPhiBeta.org/LoyaltyGrants.

Whether you want to celebrate a member’s accomplishment or honor a member’s life and memory, you can do so while supporting the Gamma Phi Beta Foundation through In Memorial and In Celebration Gifts. Visit the In Memorial gifts page or In Celebration gifts page to see all gifts given throughout the year.   

Planned giving provides a future gift of support to Gamma Phi Beta sisters through your estate plans. There are several different gift options based on your individual situation that allow you to support Gamma Phi Beta through a legacy giving option.

Including the Gamma Phi Beta Foundation in your estate plans does not impact your cash flow in your lifetime, but it will allow you to provide a meaningful gift later on. You can have an impact on Gamma Phi Beta by sharing the distribution of your assets when the time comes.

There are many ways to include the Gamma Phi Beta Foundation in your estate plans.

• Bequests
• Charitable Gift Annuities
• Charitable Lead Trusts
• Charitable Remainder Trusts
• Life Insurance Assets
• Real Estate
• Retirement Plan Assets
• Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds

Please contact the Foundation at foundation@gammaphibeta.org.  

In 2020, International Council (IC) developed a new strategic plan for the Sorority. They then selected three areas of focus from the plan for the 2020-21 fiscal year which include strategic financial discipline, innovative and accessible lifetime member engagement and inclusive and diverse membership. We believe the partnership with Fairwinds Estate Winery aligns with all three of those strategic priorities.

Following a year of financial hardship, IC was reminded of Gamma Phi Beta’s heavy financial dependence on our collegian members and member dues. To ensure our sisterhood remains strong for our years to come, it is in the best interest of Gamma Phi Beta to diversify revenue streams. Additionally, to meet our goals in the areas of belonging, equity, diversity and inclusion, we will need financial resources.

Gamma Phi Beta will receive 20% of all proceeds raised from sales with First Moon Napa Valley; the majority of these funds will be distributed to the Gamma Phi Beta Foundation; the Board of Trustees has designated the proceeds for the Sorority’s greatest areas of need. Currently, our greatest area of need is with our belonging, equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.

We recognize that a partnership with a winery marks a first for our sisterhood, and some of our sisters may not agree with this decision. Gamma Phi Beta's position has been, and will continue to be, that our members should follow local, state, provincial and federal laws and consume alcohol responsibly.

Gamma Phi Beta is committed to distancing this program from our collegiate members by only advertising to our alumnae ages 24 and older. Fairwinds has also assured us that they will flag and report any shipments to college/university campuses. We ask our alumnae to help with these safeguards.