This #CFWeek, We Celebrate More than 25 Years of Local Philanthropy
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of blogs to mark Community Foundation Week, which occurs November 12 – 18. We encourage community foundations to engage with the Council all week via social media using #CFWeek. Be sure to tag us @COF_ so we can retweet your stories of local impact!
For more than 25 years, Community Foundation Week has raised awareness about the important role community foundations play in addressing local needs, as well as supporting long-term solutions to persistent challenges critical to communities and central to the interests and passions of donors.
The Council is delighted to provide the field with a range of resources to raise their profile in celebration of #CFWeek, from November 12-18. In my role as Director of Community Philanthropy, I work fervently to promote the agenda of community foundations, in solidarity with the field, and in recognition of the powerful role community foundations play in shaping local philanthropy, with an increasingly global reach. The recent mobilization of support across the country to aid our peers devastated by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, the Northern California Fires, and the recent horrific shootings and acts of terrorism demonstrates the vast power of the community foundation network.
Whether it is to advocate, amplify, or strengthen on your behalf, the Council remains committed to ensuring that community foundations shine within the philanthropic sector. Just as the Council has done since it was first established in 1949 by community foundations, we remain committed to the operational excellence, innovation, and expansion of philanthropy through community foundations.
As you celebrate the accomplishments of your community foundation this week, we proudly stand with you. And, we are also preparing a suite of offerings for community foundations next year. The Council will tackle many evolving issues in 2018—helping move into previously uncharted territory for community foundations.
A small sampling of the upcoming agenda includes:
New Research and Key Findings for Community Foundations:
- Download Disruption to Community Foundation Business Model paper
- Download Global Giving by U.S. Community Foundations paper
- Council-Commonfund Study of Investments Report—field’s most comprehensive and authoritative study on investment and governance policies and practices.
- Salary Tables and Benefits Report—as well as the Benchmark Central Tutorial on our learning management system. For more information and to request an enrollment code, email communications@cof.org
Upcoming Activities for Community Foundations
- Nov 12-18 – Community Foundation Week | #CFWeek
- Nov 15 – Legal Webinar: Gearing up for Year End
- Nov 30 – New Ways to Engage | Webinar
- Dec 5-6 – CEO & Trustee Retreat
- Feb 5-7 – North American Community Foundation Summit
- Mar 18-21 – CFUnited Conference
- April 11-12 – Public Policy Summit – Philadelphia, PA
2018 Legal Matters for Community Foundation Workshops
- March – Legal Matters for CFs workshop – San Antonio, TX
- June 28 – Legal Matters for CFs workshop – Milwaukee, WI
- July 24 – Legal Matters for CFs workshop – Raleigh, NC
- Sept 27 – Legal Matters for CF workshop – Hartford, CT
2018 Community Foundation Excellence Courses
- CF Excellence – Fundamentals course
- (Denver, March 7-9 | Baltimore, July 18-19)
- May 16-17 - CF Excellence: Finance course – Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Community Foundation Excellence – Affiliates online course
Future Events:
- CF Business Innovations & Digitalization Topics
- Jan 23 – Data: Not a Four Letter Word | Webinar
- Feb 15 – Digital & Cyber Security: Risks & Solutions | Webinar
- May 23-24 – Economic Prosperity: Southern Philanthropy (Spartanburg, SC)
- Aug 22-23 – Economic Prosperity: Midwest Philanthropy (Minneapolis, MN)
- Sept 12-13 – HR Summit, Denver, CO
One opportunity in which I hope you’ll participate is the inaugural North American Community Foundation Summit, a bold, innovative approach to explore the multifaceted issues impacting our local communities. Consider joining us on Feb 5-6, 2018 in Mexico City. For a deeper dive into this exciting opportunity, stay tuned to our blog posted at the end of the week specifically on the Summit.
Community Foundation Week, created in 1989 by former president George H.W. Bush, continues to be a moment in which the field collectively recognizes its influence and impact on behalf of communities throughout America.
As local, place-based institutions, you form a powerful and persuasive force in lifting the human condition and opportunity for all—to make a difference in what matters to them in ways that remain personal, yet universally meaningful.
The Council congratulates community foundations, and we look forward to another year of celebrating your deepening hold on the soul of community philanthropy at home and abroad.
