For Dr. Ray and Carolyn Zeisset, giving back to their community has always been more about scale than size.
“The small gifts are how you start to get involved,” said Carolyn. “They invest you in the causes and organizations that speak to you.”
“That’s really our philosophy,” agreed Ray. “We never considered ourselves major givers, but we want to help in the ways that we can.”
Their story started in Newton, Kansas when they were just high school students. Ray had moved to town with his family after his father took a ministry role in the church Carolyn attended. He noticed her right away.
“She was the one that would smile and say hello to me.”
After completing his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois and an initial job in Danville, Ray received an offer to join the Psychology Department at the Lincoln Regional Center (LRC) in 1967.
At the time, Ray and Carolyn had been married for six years and had a new baby in tow. Lincoln provided an ideal location for a young family, and the Regional Center offered an opportunity for Ray to be on the leading edge of mental health resource development.
What was meant to be a three-year stint at LRC turned into more than 27. In addition to a variety of clinical and administrative roles at the Center, he helped develop mental health clinics in several Southeast Nebraska counties. He was a founder of the Lincoln Samaritan Counseling Center and taught in the Counseling program at Doane University for 20 years.
From preschool students to adult learners – Carolyn invested her time and talents as a teacher in some capacity for her entire career. She developed curriculum for public education, churches, businesses, nonprofit organizations and universities.
After more than 70 years together, Ray and Carolyn’s philanthropy mirrors their personal and professional paths.
Faith has always been an important part of their lives together. They invest their generosity in their church while also supporting basic needs, early learning and the arts and humanities.
As Carolyn puts it, “the things that make us human.”
Early on, Ray and Carolyn turned to the Lincoln Community Foundation as the home for their charitable giving. They’ve established their legacy plans and several funds including their donor advised fund, field of interest funds and a Lincoln Forever Fund. The latter provides long-term flexible support for the future needs of our community.
“We may not know what the future will bring, but we trust that the Foundation will continue to have a pulse on the needs of our community when we’re not here,” said Ray.
For the past several years, Ray and Carolyn have also utilized Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from their IRAs to support their favorite causes.
The federal government requires you to withdraw and pay taxes on a portion of your fully taxable IRA fund balance when you reach a certain age. However, by using a QCD, those funds may be distributed directly to charitable organizations without paying taxes on the amount transferred.
“As our financial advisor pointed out – why pay taxes when you need to take required distributions, if your estate plan calls for major charitable gifts,” explained Ray. “By donating our required distributions, we save taxes and get to see benefits of our giving now. It’s not a hard process once you learn the basics.”
With Give to Lincoln Day just around the corner, Ray and Carolyn plan to take advantage of an IRA QCD to support the 15th annual event.
Give to Lincoln Day appeals to Ray and Carolyn’s outlook that community care is a common bond among people of all socio-economic and cultural levels.
“I think one thing that makes Give to Lincoln successful and sustainable is that the Foundation encourages and makes it possible to give small gifts,” shared Carolyn. “People can give what is comfortable for them and know that their gift combined with others can have a significant impact.”
Ray and Carolyn encourage folks to take the first steps on their giving journey by starting small and leaning into the expertise of the Lincoln Community Foundation.
“Get to know the team at the Foundation and let them get to know you,” said Carolyn. “They can help you tailor your giving to what is right for you.”
“Growing up in small towns, we feel that Lincoln has that same culture of people helping people,” Ray continued. “We’re a small town at heart. Carolyn and I have been provided with some incredible opportunities here and we’re proud to give back to the community that supported us.”
Learn more about utilizing IRA QCDs for this year’s Give to Lincoln Day.
