The Grateful Giver: Nancy Boebel

When Nancy Boebel’s business, Cream City Marketing, located in Lake Mills, began to take off in the early 2000s, she decided it was time to give back.

She was already doing pro bono work for several organizations and writing checks to support her favorite causes, but felt it was time to do more.

“I was just very grateful to be successful and wanted to use that success to help others,” she says.

After researching the idea of starting a family foundation and deciding it would be too time consuming for a busy entrepreneur, she googled charitable giving in the area and discovered Madison Community Foundation. The search led to a meeting with MCF’s donor engagement staff, and Nancy opening a number of donor-advised funds, one in the name of her new grandson, Charlie, and several after her business including the Cream City Charities Fund.

Now that Charlie, 11, and his sister, Liberty (Libby), 8, are old enough to understand the meaning and impact of charitable giving, Nancy will soon give the children the opportunity to choose their own favorite causes to support.

“I think it’s a good time for them to start making annual donations from the fund,” she says. “That’s what I intended when I set it up—to help teach them the value in helping other people.”

Nancy recently strengthened her own commitment to philanthropy by leaving a planned gift to support A Fund for Women and the Community Impact Fund as part of her estate plan. She did so by choosing to designate MCF as a life insurance beneficiary, one of the many ways to give in addition to cash and other personal assets such as retirement accounts, stock, and real estate.

As for her advised funds, Charlie and Libby will one day advise their permanent named fund, and through her estate plan she will direct distributions from the other fund to support A Fund for Women and the Community Impact Fund. 

Nancy Boebel, daughter Erin Ylvisaker, and granchildren Libby and Charlie.

In addition to the ease and feel-good benefits of giving through MCF, Nancy says she values the relationships she’s built with staff and other donors, the engaging and informative annual dinners and Legacy Society events, and the overall spirit of philanthropy she shares with everyone involved.

“It’s such a community of generous, thoughtful people and I think that’s really comforting in this day and age,” she says. “No matter your walk of life—whether you are an average person or a wealthy person—everyone associated with MCF values philanthropy.”

Daughter and business partner Erin Ylvisaker says she appreciates the feeling of satisfaction her mom gets from her relationship with MCF.

“MCF is great because you can be generous in a lot of ways,” says Erin. “It’s brought her a lot of joy.”

Ever the entrepreneur, Nancy adds: “I also appreciate the accountability. You know that when you’re contributing through MCF that your money is going to the place it’s supposed to go.”

“MCF is just really an important part of my life.”