WHEELING — The Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley wants the next generation to see the needs in the community and perhaps leave some of their wealth here even if they move away from the area.

Susie Nelson, executive director for the foundation, noted she spends a lot of time talking with donors about their legacy. She tells them how leaving just a little part of their estate could positively affect the community “they live in and love, and how important that is.”

The next generation of donors are in that Baby Boomer generation, and the foundation is “waiting for that trickle down,” she said.

“We are in the middle of the largest transfer of wealth that this country has ever seen,” Nelson noted. “That is wonderful. It is going to be passing from one generation to the next.

“But many in that next generation have already moved out of our region,” she continued. “We’re hoping that people will recognize that and decide to leave a little of their wealth to an economic vehicle like the Community Foundation so that it doesn’t all leave our area.”

Nelson added the role of the CFOV is “to facilitate philanthropy.”

“We do that by working with donors who want to be charitable. They want to set up something more permanent than just giving at the end of the year to nonprofit organizations they care about,” she said.

Instead, the donor seeks to set up something permanent that will make a long-term impact — not just on one organization, but on one or more nonprofit organizations in a certain field of interest they might want to support.

Nelson is a Wheeling native and graduate of West Virginia University who holds a degree in sports management. Her first job was with the Wheeling Thunderbirds and later the Wheeling Nailers doing marketing.

Later, she moved on to work for the city of Wheeling in marketing and communications. It was in that role that she began to serve on several nonprofit boards and became involved with them both as a board member and as volunteer.

Nelson has served as executive director of the CFOV since 2007, and she noted the foundation and its donors are trending away from scholarships right now.

“For a lot of people, the first thing they think about when they think about philanthropy is setting up some philanthropic fund or scholarship,” she continued. “But the great thing about setting up funds at the Community Foundation is that there are 100 different ways you can support education without setting up a scholarship. Supporting an individual’s education is great, but a scholarship only impacts usually one student once a year.

“But a lot of times I will talk to donors about donating to help an entire classroom or an entire school — or maybe inspiring some kids to learn something differently, or learn something they wouldn’t have normally learned. ”

Nelson said she often suggests establishing a fund to provide tutoring, or partnering with the public sector to provide grants.

The donated money could be used in a classroom that is teaching science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, concepts, and to provide supplies to help students learn in a hands-on way, she added.

Nelson added that there also is a lot of room to donate in areas outside of education.

“There’s a lot of need in our region, and a lot of basic needs with issues relating to homelessness, mental illness and kids in crisis,” Nelson continued. “I think people — donors especially — are recognizing this. People are very interested and invested in solving these big heavy issues we have in the region.

“I think there’s a lot of hope there and an avenue for philanthropy to be helpful in those areas — possibly more so than in the past.”

The Community Foundation facilitates more than 500 grants and scholarships each year, according to Nelson.

“When we print checks every week, it’s exciting to see where our donor’s philanthropy is going into the community and the impact it is making,” she said. “It is energizing, and it’s inspiring to be able to tell the stories behind what is people’s philanthropy and their generosity.

“I don’t have enough opportunities to do that, because it is so special. It’s amazing work.”

That’s not to say she doesn’t have some misgivings about what could happen with philanthropy in the region over the coming years.

“With what just happened with the potential freeze of federal dollars for our nonprofit organizations — that has me concerned,” Nelson said. “That doesn’t affect our funding directly, but a lot of the nonprofits we serve rely very heavily on federal funding.

“We may be asked, along with other philanthropic organizations, to help fill any gaps if such a scenario should ever occur. We have to look at different ways for us to help with that. When there is a crisis, philanthropy is relied upon and expected to respond in a way that’s helpful.”