Newsletters

Community Philanthropy Update - November 2024

Thursday, November 21, 2024 - 4:05 pm

Natalie Ross

Greetings Friend,

As co-chairs for the Council’s Community Foundation Advisory Group, we are excited to share a new way the Council is working to better support community foundations!

A shared reflection from our Advisory Group was that the sector lacked a centralized source for trusted information, tools, and guidance for community foundations. It should be easier for our staff, board members, and the media to quickly understand the reach of our field, how key policy priorities and legislative changes might impact us, and the breadth of resources, trainings, publications, and peer connection opportunities the Council and others make available to us — all in one place.

We are thrilled that the Council has responded to this feedback by creating a new Center for Community Foundations.

When we got a sneak peek of the Center, we saw how useful it will be for:

community foundation staff and board members to learn about key policy issues
new hires to find resources and learning opportunities
community foundation staff to find opportunities to connect with peers

The Center will also be a place to see what's new and emerging within the field, and serve as an avenue for those unfamiliar with our work to learn more about the many ways we support our communities. Whether you’re experienced or are just starting out in this field, there will be something there for you.

Throughout the Center, you’ll see real photos of the communities many of us serve, a reflection of our diversity as a field. We invite you to explore the Center, take advantage of the resources you’ll find there, and keep an eye out for familiar places and landmarks. We also welcome you to share feedback on how the Council can continue to strengthen its support for community foundations.

Best,

Your Community Foundation Advisory Group Co-Chairs

Kristi Knous
President
Community Foundation of
Greater Des Moines

Heather Peeler
President and Chief Executive Officer
ACT for Alexandria

PS — Want to help spread the word about the resources available to the field in the Center? Check out this easy toolkit with ready to go social media and newsletter text and images.

Upcoming Events

DEI Roundtable: Fostering Staff Wellbeing: Equity-Driven Policies

December 5 | Virtual | Peer Discussion

National Standards Monthly Session - December 2024

December 11 | Virtual | Webinar

Looking to 2025: What Does a New Congress Mean for Philanthropy?

February 11 | Virtual | Webinar

Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Fundamentals Course - Virtual

February 12-13 & 19-20 | Virtual | Training

Legal Matters for Community Foundations - Virtual

March 18 & 20 | Virtual | Training

Practice and Purpose of Policy

April 8 & 10 | Virtual | Training

Leading Locally 2025

June 10-12, 2025 | Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | Sector Event

New Member Spotlight

Welcome to the community foundations that have joined as new Council members since our last newsletter! We're excited to have Fond du Lac Area Foundation, The Somerville Foundation, and Stanislaus Community Foundation as new members.

Resources You Can Use

Legal Question of the Month with Staff Counsell Remy Barnwell

Question: Can a donor make a required minimum distribution from an inherited IRA to a donor-advised fund?

Remy-Barnwell-1 Answer: A donor may make a required minimum distribution (RMD) to a donor-advised fund. The restrictions that exist around IRA distributions to donor-advised funds only apply to qualified charitable distributions (QCD), which allow donors aged 70 ½ or older to transfer assets directly from their IRA to a charitable organization without having to recognize the amount of the distribution as income.

If the individual who inherited the IRA is younger than 70 ½, they are not eligible to make QCDs from this account anyway and there would be no issue with the donor directing the RMD to a donor-advised fund. If the donor is older than 70 ½, then they will need to decide whether they prefer the more tax-efficient option of making a QCD (in which case the money could not go to a DAF) or if they prefer to contribute to a DAF (in which case the distribution cannot be treated as a QCD).

Council members are able to send their questions to our legal team for expert advice and analysis. You can take advantage of this member benefit by becoming a member today.

CF Insights Highlight

Reassess Your Community Foundation’s Admin Fees with CF Insights

Did you know that we offer a way to evaluate your community foundation’s admin fees so that you can ensure you’re generating the earned revenue needed to sustain your operations while creating the flexibility needed to invest in emerging areas of mission-aligned work? With the Activity-Based Costing toolkit, you can assess the performance of your donor products to make informed decisions and improve sustainability. Actionable insights include breakeven fee and minimum fund size by product, and how those compare with peers.

Visit our website to learn about how Activity-Based Costing can help you, and about how we can support you through the entire process with our consulting services.

2025 Training Schedule Just Announced

The full 2025 training schedule is now live on the Council's Events Page! Join us for a Community Foundation Excellence (CFE) Fundamentals, Legal Matters, or Practice and Purpose of Policy training next year to level up your skills. Registration is open now for the trainings in the first half of the year, and will open in the spring for the rest.

Start making your plans now!