Donor-Advised Funds
What Community Foundation Donors Value: The AdNet Conference 2014
On the 100th anniversary of the community foundation – as we contemplate how these crucial institutions can be even more relevant in the next century of their existence than they have been in their first – it’s crucial to look hard at what donors value.
Turns out, donors value what community…
6 Reasons to Play with Matches
The idea of coordinated giving days is gaining momentum. These social media campaigns provide an image-building opportunity for community foundations as well as opportunities to build the capacity of our grantees to raise money for themselves. Rather than providing technical assistance, project…
Urban Institute Survey on DAFs: What We Learned and Why It Matters
As many of our members already know, the Council commissioned the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy to conduct a survey about donor advised funds (DAFs) managed by community foundations. The Council is working in collaboration with Council of Michigan Foundations…
4 Lessons About Getting Started with Giving Days
Online giving days are generating huge interest among community foundations.
Giving online is increasing in double digit percentages year over year, yet in our community, many of the nonprofits we serve have barely have a website let alone a “Donate Now” button. As a result, we thought it was…
2014 Urban Institute Survey of Community Foundations
Research
On May 30, 2014, the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy conducted a survey of donor-advised funds (DAFs) operated by community foundations. All community foundations with total assets of $5 million or more were invited to take the survey. When the survey closed on June 20, we'd…
A Transformational Gift from an Unexpected Source
The Elkhart County Community Foundation's mission:
To improve the quality of life in Elkhart County by inspiring generosity.
This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th anniversary of the nation’s first community foundation, The…
Dollar-a-day giving circle creates new philanthropists in Memphis
“You can do a lot with $1.” A simple but powerful phrase at the heart of GiVE 365, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis’ dollar-a-day giving circle. Formed in 2010, GiVE 365 unites and informs emerging philanthropists to make a collective impact on Greater Memphis. Members donate $365 a year…
The Austin Giving Pledge: A Call to Action for Our Future
Austin, Texas, is the top spot to be an entrepreneur, make movies, get fit, have a dog, and eat barbeque—but as recently as a decade ago we ranked near the bottom of per capita giving. While other Texas cities, like Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, have a long history of philanthropy,…
Bringing the community together in unexpected ways: A successful online giving challenge
In conjunction with our 90th Anniversary, the Connecticut Community Foundation hosted our first online giving challenge, Give Local Greater Waterbury and Litchfield Hills in November 2013.
This post is part of the #CF100 Series of blog posts. The Council on Foundations is marking the 100th…
Columbus Survey Shows Continued Growth in Benchmarks for Community Foundations in 2013
The Council on Foundations and CF Insights today released Guideposts for Growth and Aspirations,the field’s most comprehensive report on U.S. community foundation assets, gifts, and grants. The data were collected from 285 U.S. community foundations, including those representing more than 90…
Using data and evaluation to support, not punish grantees
At the Council on Foundations Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., some funders were expressing a move toward a new way of doing business with their grantees. Accountability has long been a theme in grantmaking. It has traditionally been top-down – foundations being held accountable to the people…
The Fourth Dimension of a Great Idea
“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” Albert Einstein
Imagine this: a well-intended, charitably-inclined person of wealth creates a trust in the year 1514. This generous benefactor, deeply committed to an altruistic objective, funds the philanthropic cause without…
Tech tools and boisterous public meetings: Building support for community planning in the San Francisco Bay Area
Silicon Valley Community Foundation is in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area, close to the campuses of companies like Google, Facebook and Apple. Companies like these have made the region a leader in the global economy and a hub of innovation. The Bay Area is home to a diverse…
Rallying Support for Rural Schools
Lessons Learned
Julie Leeth, Executive Vice President for the Community Foundation of the Ozarks says many lessons emerged from the effort to develop and sustain the Rural Schools Partnership.
Here are some of her takeaways about how to get strong alignment and support behind a major…
When to Say “No” to Fulfilling Personal Charitable Pledges
Legal Compliance Guidance
Your giving program looks like a convenient vehicle for fulfilling personal charitable pledges. Here’s what you need to know about when to say “no.”
The board of the ABC Family Foundation is considering a number of suggested grants, including a contribution to the local symphony’s capital drive…
How Data Can Unearth Innovative Solutions to 'Wicked' Problems
The Community Foundations of Canada’s Vital Signs is an annual community check-up, conducted by community foundations across Canada – and now around the world – that uses data to measure the vitality of our communities.
The effort started in the late 1990s at the Toronto Community Foundation (TCF…