Community Foundation Week Sample Op-Ed

Replace all bracketed and highlighted text with your foundation’s information before distributing.

Community Foundation’s are supporting...

[BY-LINE]

[OPEN WITH A SPECIFIC STORY. DESCRIBE ONE PERSON, FAMILY, OR ORGANIZATION, THE CHALLENGE THEY FACED, AND WHAT CHANGED. NAME THE OTHER PARTNERS WHO HELPED — THE RESIDENTS WHO ASKED FOR IT, THE LOCAL AGENCY THAT CAME ALONGSIDE. YOUR FOUNDATION SHOULD BE ONE PART OF THE STORY, NOT THE HERO OF IT.]

That story, and many others like it, is why community foundations matter. From November 12 to 18 we mark Community Foundation Week, a chance to look back at the year and say plainly what we did and how. You may not know your local community foundation by name, but you have probably felt its work.

That is because [YOUR FOUNDATION NAME] is one of more than 960 community foundations across the country that bring donors and residents together. We help the people who live here support the places they call home.

[HIGHLIGHT YOUR FOUNDATION’S COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP. PICK ONE CAUSE YOU WORK ON, EXPLAIN WHY IT MATTERS HERE, AND DESCRIBE WHO YOU BROUGHT TOGETHER TO ADDRESS IT. BE CONCRETE ABOUT WHAT THE MONEY PAID FOR.]

Being clear about that is part of the job. People trust what they can see. When we say we funded a food program, we mean the meals that went out, the driver who delivered them, and the kitchen that stayed open on weekends. When we make a decision about where resources go, residents and the organizations closest to the work are the ones helping to shape it. [ADAPT THIS PARAGRAPH TO YOUR OWN PRACTICE. IF YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE OF HOW A DECISION GOT MADE, USE IT HERE.]

As the giving season begins, people from every background will look for ways to give back to the communities that have supported them, and they will want that giving to count. Many will choose a community foundation because it is rooted in one place and accountable to the people who live there.

A gift to your local community foundation is an investment in the future of your community. We like to say that community foundations are “here for good.” At [YOUR FOUNDATION NAME] we are not thinking about the next election or the next business cycle. We are thinking about the next generation, and the one after that.

That is a long horizon, and it is one we share with everyone who lives here. During Community Foundation Week, I hope you will join us in recognizing what this community has built together and what we can still grow. [CLOSE WITH A SPECIFIC INVITATION: AN EVENT, A WAY TO GIVE, A WAY TO GET INVOLVED.]

For more information on Community Foundation Week, visit cof.org/cfweek and follow #CommunityFNDWeek.