How the Thomses are keeping generosity in the family

From left to right: Mike Thoms, Ted Thoms, Mary Beth Tennant, Steve Thoms, Tom Thoms

When he thinks back to how he and his siblings first learned the value of generosity, Tom Thoms remembers the offering plate at church.

“Our parents would ask each of us to bring a couple of quarters to put in the plate,” he recalls. “As insignificant as that may sound, when you’re reaching into your little piggy bank at the age of 10, it’s an encouragement to say, ‘This is part of who we should be.’”

Decades later, generosity is still part of what it means to be a Thoms. And through the Stuart and Mary Thoms Family Fund at the Quad Cities Community Foundation, it’s a value the family will be able to cherish and act on together.

“It’s a beautiful structure,” said Tom, explaining that during his father’s lifetime, Stuart will lead grantmaking from the fund (Mary passed away in 2008). Afterward, bolstered by a generous gift from Stuart’s estate, Tom and his four siblings—or one representative from each of the five branches—will meet as a committee to make those decisions collaboratively. “And the Community Foundation will be able to handle all the back-of-the-house administration so the family can focus on the fun stuff.”

For Stuart, the fund’s ability to preserve his family’s generosity in the long term was paramount. “As time went on, we realized we had to set up something a little more solid,” he said. “Our consideration was to make sure that we were consistent, on an ongoing basis, in staying with the types of organizations we’d been interested in supporting.”

The fund’s focus, defined narrowly enough to provide guidance but flexibly enough for the family to make their own decisions, is local nonprofits serving children and families. Tom and his siblings grew up watching their parents support these organizations through time, talent, and treasure. Years after his mother served Bethany for Children & Families as board chair, in fact, Tom stepped up to do the same.

Give the gift of giving

Need a holiday gift idea? Establishing a fund like the Thomses’ is a way to make a truly special gift to your family this year—one that will bring you closer together and benefit your community forever.

Take Tom’s advice: “You’re going to do yourself a favor by starting now. And it’s not hard if you have the right people—the Community Foundation—helping you.”

“Sit down with the family and do a little homework to make sure everybody has the same goals in mind,” Stuart added. “For us, working together at the beginning was important to get that accomplished, and the Community Foundation was very helpful in putting it all together in a meaningful form that would last over time.”

To learn more, contact Anne Calder at AnneCalder@QCCommunityFoundation.org or (563) 326-2840.

Because the fund is endowed in perpetuity, it is designed to continue to carry out the family’s charitable intentions even beyond the lifetimes of the next generations. “As people and the family change, the Community Foundation has the experience to keep up and follow our interests on a long-term basis,” Stuart said. “The Community Foundation has so much knowledge of what’s going on in the community.”

“We’re honored to be trusted with the Thomses’ generosity,” said Anne Calder, the Community Foundation’s vice president of development. “Their commitment to their community—and their creative, farsighted plan for passing that legacy on—sets an example for other generous families who want to give back.”

In giving together, Tom sees a benefit both for the family and for the community. “In many families, there’s a tendency for everybody to go in their own directions, but this creates a common lynchpin that holds us together in communicating and thinking of each other,” he said. “Just as important, there’s great value in bringing in five perspectives as we come together and discuss a particular decision at the moment.”

Thinking of the charitable giving the fund will make possible for the family, Stuart reflects on his late wife’s model as a champion of local causes. “Not only understanding what needed to be done but also getting it accomplished and keeping people involved—Mary had a bigger feel for that than anybody,” he said. “We wanted to make sure that before any of us departed this world, they had a chance to participate in this process.”