A couple who have always given generously, Jackie and David Marlin found that The Neighbors in Need Fund allowed them to maximize the impact of their giving.

Jackie and David Marlin have always been givers—donating their time and money. Over the years, they have supported the education and the arts. When The Community Foundation responded to the recession by setting up The Neighbors in Need Fund and soliciting donations to support emergency services, the Marlins responded to the call. “There’s no question our neighbors are hurting. We want to help those who are less fortunate,” Jackie says. “Now is the time to provide the basics,” says Marlin, adding that she can always give to education and the arts, and still does. “What good is an education, or music lessons, if you don’t have food to eat, a roof over your head or clothes to wear?”

The Marlins, who established a fund at The Community Foundation several years ago, felt that through Neighbors in Need, their modest donation could make a bigger impact than if they gave to a nonprofit on their own. “There is power in numbers,” Jackie explains.

The Marlins arrived in Washington, DC in 1961 when David came to work as an attorney in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Jackie, who most recently served as director of Harvard University’s preschool, wondered how she could top that experience. The answer came in the form of a call from The White House, inviting her to teach the country’s most famous preschooler: Caroline Kennedy.

In the following years, the Marlins raised three children while continuing to pursue careers in civil rights and early childhood education. Jackie also co-founded the Levine School of Music, where she has served on the board for many years.

In 2007, after downsizing to a smaller home, the Marlins found themselves with a small pot of money. Their friends, Rick and Nancy Gould, suggested that they look into setting up a donor-advised fund at The Community Foundation, allowing them to continue to contribute to their favorite charities with added tax benefits and administrative support. “In other words,” says Jackie, “it was a more convenient way to do what we had always done. It turned out to be the right decision.”

So when The Community Foundation sounded the alarm late in 2008, the Marlins made an additional donation to the Neighbors in Need Fund. “…, we wanted to do something for The Community Foundation which, in the short time since we had set up our fund, has done so much for us. We wanted to show our appreciation. I trust The Community Foundation will do the right thing with our money,” she said.