On January 2, 1914 The Cleveland Foundation was born. Its founder, Fredrick H. Goff envisioned this community foundation as an endowment that would pool philanthropic gifts for the betterment of Cleveland. Shortly thereafter, community foundations were created in Chicago, Boston, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Buffalo. Today there are more than 700 community foundations in the U. S.
Over the past decade, community foundations, through the Council on Foundations, has developed Standards Certification which provides the public with assurances regarding each foundation’s operating systems, policies and practices. Their slogan, ‘for good for ever’ points to their unique focus on endowment building ‘forever’, while their grant making provides the ‘good’ which benefits their respective communities.
In a recent article “What’s next for Community Philanthropy: Making the case for change” by Gabriel Kasper, Justin Marcoux and Jess Ausinheiler, the authors challenge community foundations to meet “quickly evolving trends “ by ”looking outward, looking around, looking inward, and getting to action”. As we all know, these are the components of good planning, requiring time and engagement of the salient parties.
At TW&B, we can assist community foundations and other nonprofit organizations in planning and designing strategies to improve fundraising results. Our consultants have the experience, insights and objectivity to help you advance your mission for a greater impact. Contact us for more information on how we can assist your organization.