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The Luverne Area Community Foundation will host an open house in its new location in the Palace Theatre building next week.
The event is designed to show off the recent renovations in the 100-year-old space and to remind the public what LACF is all about.
"We provide the framework for charitable giving," said LACF director Emily Crabtree.
"We link people with their passions … We help people realize their charitable goals and help them figure out their legacy footprints."
For example, Crabtree said donor advised funds allow givers to participate in the grant-making process.
"If a charitable need comes up that matches this interest, we can call the donor and advise them of this opportunity to give," Crabtree said.
The fund is already set up with LACF, which can allocate dollars at the donor's discretion. "It's like a charitable savings account," Crabtree said.
She said options like these allow people to plan their charitable giving beyond one gift at a time and think about where they'd like to leave their legacy.
Also, she said LACF serves as a funding host for 20 non-profit organizations, such as the Rock County Historical Society, in the community. "We accept money on their behalf," Crabtree said.
In addition to these donor options, LACF (which began as the hospital foundation) has a 31-year history of gifting money to local charitable groups and causes.
For example, in its last spring grant cycle, LACF gave over $35,000 to 14 local causes — with local being the key word.
LACF's motto is "Give where you live," and all of its charitable efforts are focused on causes in the Luverne area.
And in order to make sure 100 percent of donations are allocated to charities, LACF has benefitted from a small group of "VisionVesters" who have each committed to giving up to $5,000 per year for five years to help cover overhead costs.
Among these costs is the new office space in the Palace building on the corner of Main Street and Freeman Avenue.
The space originally served as the Palace Sweets soda fountain and cafe, and its original mosaic tiles and tin ceiling have been preserved in the renovation process.
In addition, Crabtree said the space has been improved with new heating and cooling and more efficient insulation.
The result, she said, is a grand historic space with all the benefits of a "greener" heating and cooling system.
"Having a community foundation housed in a historic building — what a perfect pairing," she said.
Crabtree is in the office from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. When she's not there, the office is manned by staff with the Blue Mound Area Theatre board, which manages the Palace Theatre.
That person also mans the desk and phones for the Palace Box Office, which used to operate out of the Carnegie Cultural Center.
Crabtree said having a physical space downtown has been good for LACF to educate the public on its mission, since she used to work from her home.
"It's amazing the incredible number of people who come in from the street to ask about us," she said. "Nobody would ever come to my house for that."
The space is also used by the LACF nonprofits who meet there.
"I love working here on the corner, downtown, feeling the pulse of what's going on," Crabtree said. "I feel much more connected."
The LACF open house will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, with tours of the new space and refreshments offered.