One Donor’s Vision for Sustainable Giving

Image description: John Vinkemulder (Vink) stands in a natural outdoor setting smiling for a photo. He is wearing a red vest over a light-colored shirt, orange and black round glasses, with a visible name tag that reads "John Vinkemulder." The background features lush trees and greenery.

 

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At the Community Foundation, we steward more than 340 funds, many of which are endowed. The power of endowment is that an individual’s gift can live on forever, benefiting the people and places they love across the region.  One of our donor partners, John P. Vinkemulder (who goes by “Vink”) is a strong supporter of endowment giving.

As Vink shared with us, “A well-managed endowment should be an integral part of any successful nonprofit organization. An endowment provides stability for the institution and helps to even out the volatility of the budget in difficult financial times.” 

Originally from Grand Rapids, Vink and his wife, Lynn have lived in Frankfort since 2001. Together, they set up the John P. and Lynn Vinkemulder Endowment with us. As a named endowment, it’s designed to benefit charitable organizations, programs, and services in Benzie County, such as Benzie Shores District Library. 

“I give to the Community Foundation because it’s a vehicle for supporting [what] I believe in,” shared Vink. 

In addition to the named endowment, Vink has helped launch the Frankfort Garden Theater Endowment and the Anchor and Heart Endowment, benefiting Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital—both of which we steward.

“The Frankfort Garden Theater Endowment at the Community Foundation provides the professionalism that the Garden Theater needs and our donors will expect,” said Vink. “In addition, the separation of the endowment from the financials of the organization assures that while the income will flow to the Theater annually, the endowment assets will be preserved for posterity.”