#44 | Is your local community foundation a friend or foe?

I will confess that I once had a very competitive perspective of the role that community foundations play in relation to other charitable organizations. However, as I have become more aware of the lack of fundraising capacity among small nonprofits, I have begun to see the community foundation as a friend rather than a foe for those organizations that want to raise more meaningful gifts. I now see them as especially helpful as mentors and advisors to aspiring fundraising CEO’s.

My recent conversation with Julie Buck aligns with this change in my perspective. Julie wants to ensure that local nonprofits in rural Grundy County, Illinois have as many advantages as those located in the big city of Chicago just 65 miles away. Instead of being a barrier to funding, Julie wants her local organizations to recognize that she can play a strategic role in significant giving decisions and that she can assist them in meeting the expectations of major donors who are inclined to make very siginficant and often complex gifts.

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