Total transactions represent the number of gifts and grants processed annually (including supporting organizations). The average transaction size represents the total dollar value of gifts plus the total dollar value of grants divided by the total number of transactions.
Gifts per capita is calculated by dividing the foundation’s total gifts (including supporting organizations) by the population of the foundation’s service area. The service area is defined by each community foundation.
The distribution rate is calculated by dividing the foundation’s total grants by total assets (including supporting organizations) at the end of the foundation’s fiscal year. The percentage of total assets in donor-advised funds (Percent Total Assets DAF) is the total amount of IRS-classified donor-advised funds divided by total foundation assets.
The following is a list of Annual Survey participants sorted by asset size, supplemented by publicly available information where available.
Larger community foundations tend to maintain relatively complex operating models, requiring a higher number of specialized staff who will be less likely to manage donor funds. (n=192)
With assets having grown across the field in FY19, expense-to-asset ratios remained virtually unchanged from the previous survey year.
Larger community foundations achieve an economy of scale that results in typically lower ratios than for smaller community foundations, though operating model differences at individual community foundations will have an impact on this metric. (n=209)
Field median: 2%
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Though operating budgets continue to increase across the field – the median increase among Columbus Survey participants was 5.7 percent over FY18 levels – there was a slight decrease in the number of respondents who reported operating expenses in excess of revenues for the second consecutive year – 24 percent, down from 26 percent in FY18.
It is typical for two-thirds of operating expenses to go toward staff capacity, regardless of the size of the community foundation.
Averages were used to total 100%. (n=209)
Administrative fees charged for the management of donor funds continue to be the main driver of community foundation operating revenues. On average, Columbus Survey participants earn 70 percent of their operating revenues from these fees. There will, however, be differences in the extent to which community foundations of different sizes depend on different sources of revenue.