For Vance Heyer, Greater Nebraska is the place for young people looking to chart their own path. The Ainsworth native sees unfolding opportunity not just in his hometown, but in every corner of the state.
“People are bringing their jobs with them,” Heyer said. “It’s a matter of where we want to call home.”
Heyer lived in Lincoln while studying at UNL, then moved to Kearney. While he found much to like about both cities, the belonging he felt in Brown County kept calling him back.
“Living in those communities and returning to visit, it became clear to me that the small-town, neighborly environment was attractive to me,” he said. “Also, there was opportunity here.”
Organizations like the Brown County Community Foundation Fund (BCCFF) are working to ensure Greater Nebraska communities remain vibrant places to live, work, and play. Heyer has been a member of the organization’s fund advisory committee since 2019. The Fund has contributed to many important community projects, including the Ainsworth Child Development Center, which provides parents and families with peace of mind that their children will receive high quality early childhood care.
Heyer’s dedication to Brown County’s ongoing success led him to designate BCCFF as a beneficiary on his life insurance policy, specifically the fund’s unrestricted endowment. He credited NCF’s Director of Gift Planning, Todd Mekelburg, along with other Nebraska Community Foundation staff members, for illustrating the power of planned giving at training events and through meaningful conversation.
Planned giving could have an incredible impact on Greater Nebraska, according to NCF’s Transfer of Wealth Study. In Brown County alone, $272 million will transfer between generations during the next decade. Just five percent of that amounts to $14 million. Nebraska Community Foundation’s Five to Thrive campaign encourages Nebraskans to consider designating just five
percent of their estates to their local affiliated fund. That seemingly small amount, if endowed, could be a giant boost for community-building endeavors.
“The unrestricted endowment has the most bang for your buck, by far,” Heyer said.
Statewide, more than $100 billion in Nebraska wealth will shift generations in the next 10 years. Over 50 years, the figure swells to $950 billion. The wealth may be held in real estate, securities, retirement accounts, and other assets. Our Nebraska hometowns can thrive even if only five percent of the transfer of wealth is contributed to community endowments through charitable giving. Over the next 10 years, that’s $5 billion—in the next half-century the figure balloons to $47.5 billion. Think of what our communities could achieve with that amount of money.
Across Nebraska, estate gifts are boosting the impact of belonging efforts. Noral Wait’s gift to Seward, for example, has established an endowment for youth engagement. The generosity of Rudy Elis is still felt throughout northeast Nebraska as his gift empowers young Nebraskans to pursue careers that maximize their talents.
Brown County has benefited from the dedication of countless residents eager to see their corner of the world thrive. Thanks to them, the fund’s unrestricted endowment is strong enough to support big projects. Heyer plans to continue their work.
“I just want to be part of that community legacy.”
