Spotlight on the Brown Spindler DAF

In 2020, Linda Brown and Rob Spindler retired to the mountains of Catron County, New Mexico after having lived and worked in the Phoenix area for decades. Rob had served as Head of Special Collections and Archivist for Arizona State University, while Linda worked in non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing human rights, social justice and democracy. Rob is also a musician, playing guitar in bands around Arizona and now, New Mexico.

It didn’t take long to fall in love with their new home state. “Near our home we’ve found hikes that fill our souls. The trail-cams we placed around our property showed us that we share this beautiful land with elk, deer, coyotes, javelinas, badgers, bobcats, and the occasional bear,” said Linda.

The couple also has an apartment in Albuquerque which allows them to satisfy their need for culture including offbeat movies at The Guild Cinema, art and history at The Albuquerque Museum, and live jazz at The Outpost. “We love Albuquerque,” said Rob. “We had no idea it was so culturally rich.” Avid baseball fans, the couple also loves going to Isotopes games.

Like most people, Rob and Linda have always given small amounts of money to their favorite causes. After talking with their financial planner, they realized they had the means to do more. Linda was familiar with Donor Advised Funds from her days running non-profit organizations. She liked the idea of being able to target larger gifts to issues and causes that were important to her and Rob. When she found The New Mexico Foundation, she knew it aligned with their values. When they inherited stocks from their parents, they were not pleased to find they now owned part of companies they believed to be unethical, at best. Selling those stocks would have incurred huge tax bills. But they learned they could donate the securities directly to a Donor Advised Fund at The New Mexico Foundation, and those monies could go to causes they supported. “We learned recently that the new tax bill slashed many of the traditional tax benefits for charitable contributions. But it didn’t touch Donor Advised Funds,” said Linda. “Yay! We expect to transfer more stocks into the fund in the coming months.”

Among their first contributions from their DAF will be a group of health professionals in Catron County who aim to supplement local volunteer emergency services. They will be dotting the county with Emergency Care Kiosks which will house durable medical equipment including defibrillators, blood pressure cuffs, and oxygen monitors. “Now that we have this Fund, we want to be thoughtful about where we direct our money,” said Rob. “We have endless ideas, but we are grateful to have access to the expertise at The New Mexico Foundation to help guide our giving.”