After school literacy program in Tijuana, Mexico.

For Sara Oswald, the idea of international charitable giving raised many questions and concerns. How to begin? Where to begin? How to find a viable program - run by people who were really making things happen? As she sorted through these questions, Oswald felt nervous and worried. But as someone who had dedicated her life to teaching, Oswald knew her specific area of charitable interest was education and libraries. She also knew she wanted to focus on Tijuana, Mexico and do more than simply write a check. Beyond that, Oswald needed guidance.

After contacting the International Community Foundation about her interests, foundation staff worked extensively with Oswald to identify meaningful, viable charitable giving opportunities by taking her on a series of site visits in Tijuana.

“We explored, we learned, we visited schools and libraries” explained Oswald. “We learned about the world of education in Tijuana.” The visits helped Oswald identify specific programs in Tijuana that she felt comfortable and enthusiastic about funding. Oswald then established a donor advised fund through the International Community Foundation called “Opportunities for Kids International.” “Because of how comfortable I felt with the International Community Foundation, I went forward,” said Oswald. That was five years ago, and since then Oswald has continued to expand the programs she funds through the foundation. “The International Community Foundation knows how to listen to donors and they went out of their way to make my charitable giving experience meaningful for me,” said Oswald. “They managed the paperwork and logistics, but even more than that, they managed the whole idea of what I wanted to do - because it can be huge and overwhelming.” “So many people don’t want to get involved with international charitable giving,” Oswald added. “They think it’s complicated or scary and they don’t want to give foolishly, but the International Community Foundation made it work for me.”