Iowa Council of Foundations

Kari McCann Boutell, President

Iowa Council of Foundations

The Endow Iowa program celebrated its 15th Anniversary with a proclamation signing in Governor Reynolds’ office on December 20, 2018. The program began in 2003 with $2 million in tax credits available. Demand for the tax credits has continued to grow and since 2013, $6 million has been available annually through this program. The Endow Iowa Tax Credit is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to donors who make a gift to a permanent endowment fund, established for the benefit of Iowa charitable causes, at a qualified community foundation in Iowa. The program is utilized by a wide range of donors, including individuals, businesses and financial institutions, with a majority of donations at the $1,000 level or less.

Benefits of this program are many and include keeping charitable dollars in Iowa to assist nonprofits, charitable causes and communities across the state. Since the inception of the Endow Iowa Tax Credit program, Iowa community foundations have leveraged more than $264 million in permanent endowment fund gifts. The contributions were made through 35,732 donations. These dollars will continue to grow in endowment funds in perpetuity, improving lives for Iowans both now and for years to come. Last year alone, Endow Iowa funds at Iowa community foundations granted $17.7 million to nonprofits and charitable causes in the state.

The program is administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) in collaboration with the Iowa Council of Foundations (ICoF). Thank you to the community foundation leaders who were able to join us for the proclamation signing at the Capitol and to each of you for being a part of the success of this program over the last 15 years. Pressing on in the new year!

Pictured (L to R): Nicole Brua-Behrens, Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation; Charla Schafer, Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine; Kristi Knous, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines; Rebecca Krohn, Siouxland Community Foundation; Diane Ross, South Central Iowa Community Foundation; Governor Kim Reynolds; Shelly Maharry, Community Foundation of Johnson County; Kari McCann Boutell, Iowa Council of Foundations; Stephanie Snyder Hausman, Community Foundation of Carroll County; and Donna Dostal, Pottawattamie County Community Foundation

Kari McCann Boutell, President

Iowa Council of Foundations

As we transition into the final two months of the year, many of you are working on your year-end giving communications. Many community foundations have fine-tuned their processes over the years, but some of you may be considering this outreach for the first time – or have not found the right strategy to connect with your donors, just yet! Below are some considerations as you put your plans and communications tools together for year-end.

#1 Share stories of your success from the year.

Annual reports are the most common place for organization’s to reflect on the previous year and share highlights from their work. However, don’t forget to share your success in your year-end communications. Demonstrating your impact through donor stories, grant highlights or an overview of your community leadership work might help spark ideas for donors on ways they want to contirbute to or through your community foundation.

#2 Connect donors to funds that already exist.

Your family of funds include agency funds, designated funds and field of interst funds that donors can contribute to. Many community foundations also launch leadership or initiative funds to leverage funds for their key priorities. Instead of making a general ask at the end of the year, use your family of funds to demonstrate the variety of ways donors can contribute to existing funds to support existing work. This may be eaiser for some donors to connect with as compared to developing a new idea on their own.

#3 Think bigger than year-end mailers.

Traditionally, year-end appeals have been sent via snail mail. In recent years, organizations have embraced a variety of communications channels to help tell their story and make “the ask”. Videos, social media, e-communications and blogs can be used to connect with donors without an envelope. These approaches can help your organization stand out from others. You may also consider sending your appeals at another time of year. For example, an appeal at the beginning of the year to encourage endowment gifts that are Endow Iowa eligible might be a way to differentiate yourself from other giving avenues.

Wishing you great success with your year end outreach and strategies!

Sunni Swarbrick, Executive Director

Story County Community Foundation

The 2018 Connect Community Foundations Conference offered a full day of relationship building, connecting over conversations, learning, sharing resources and expanding my curiosity to how we can continue to elevate the work that we are doing to make our impact in Story County.

As I am coming upon an exciting first year at the Story County Community Foundation, the conference provided the opportunity for me to reflect on the success of our progress and growth in Story County, and provided a reminder of the incredible community of leaders, experts and resources that we have across our state. I left the conference feeling equipped, inspired and energized:

• Equipped with tools, resources and new ideas to carry out into our work as we take the next steps forward with our strategic planning.
• Inspired with creative marketing ideas to implement in our print + electronic platforms, and new ideas on how we share our donor stories and connect our communities throughout Story County.
• Energized to implement strategic changes that will offer a transition to focus on action versus process among our staff, committees, leadership team and collaborative community partnerships.

I enjoyed the day of learning, meeting and connecting with so many of you. What left me feeling most fulfilled was at the start of the day, when I sat down with my coffee and took a moment to take in the room — filled with exciting energy, engaging conversations and the collective community that we all share. The collective community of leaders and experts across our state that are committed to the work that we are doing to improve the quality of life in our communities today and into the future.

Kari McCann Boutell, President

Iowa Council of Foundations

The Connect Community Foundations Conference is in two weeks! If you’ve registered, here are three opportunities for you at the conference. If you aren’t registered, here are three reasons you should register today!

#1 You can connect to funding opportunities.

If two or more people from your community foundation or affiliate attend Connect, you are eligible for:

• Idea Implementation Grant funding which provides funding to your organization to help you implement a program or project idea that was inspired by something you learned at Connect. This year, grants up to $1,500 will be available!
• Mileage Reimbursement to cover your travel costs to Johnston up to $75 per community foundation.

In addition, each participant will be eligible to enter a drawing to win one of four $250 mini-grants. Finally, the Fall 2018 Capacity Building Grants program will open at the conference. You can learn more about the process and how to apply!

#2 You can connect with state and regional experts.

We have an incredible agenda this year featuring regional experts Ben Wincester from the University of Minnesota Extension and Nancy Beers, Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Ben will talk about ways we can reshape the rural narrative in our communities and beyond. Nancy will share information on roles community foundations can play in preparedness, response and recovery efforts in their communities. We will also pull from expertise within our great state this year learning from:

• Angela Fogt, Faegre Baker Daniels and Gordon Fischer, Gordon Fischer Law Firm
• Lynn Gaumer, The Stelter Company
• Jason Neises, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
• Stacy Van Gorp, See What I Mean Consulting

There will also be several community foundation peers sharing about their work throughout the day!

#3 You can connect with your peers from across Iowa.

You will have an opportunity to network and learn from your peers throughout the day. The networking lunch will give you an opportunity to select a topic of interest to you to explore with your peers. Additionally, new this year is a Marketing Exchange, where you can view tools and communications resources community foundations are using across the state to educate their donors and demonstrate their impact. Finally, we will close the day with our CF Snapsot Live! session, highlighting the role community foundations can plan in economic development. You won’t want to miss these practical ideas and tools that have been effective strategies in our state.

We look forward to seeing you on September 18!

You can now access the full agenda and register here.

Karla Twedt-Ball, SVP Programs & Community Investment

Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

Editor’s note: This post is excerpted from a Guest Editorial in The Gazette on June 2, 2018. Karla Twedt-Ball has led disaster preparedness initiatives at the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation since the 2008 flood.

As we [Linn County and specifically, Cedar Rapids] approach the 10 year anniversary of the 2008 flood, we reflect on what we have learned about disaster preparedness and emergency response over the past decade.

First, and foremost, we have learned there are critical components to effective disaster response. We know that many of our community’s nonprofit organizations serve as much-needed immediate responders. Providing them with access to the funding and support they need to stay operational is essential. These nonprofits ensure our neighbors, and especially vulnerable populations, are clothed, sheltered and fed when the unthinkable happens.

We have also learned that it is crucial for all communities in the county have a plan, be connected, and be aware of coordinated efforts. In Linn County, Linn Area Partners in Disaster (LAP-AID), a coalition of organizations that seeks to increase resilience and minimize the impact of emergencies and disasters, facilitates preparedness and response.

Nonprofit organizations and disaster networks are also significant during small-scale disasters — low attention events that have a substantial impact on individuals and businesses, but are not declared disasters and therefore do not receive government aid.

When disaster strikes, no matter the size or scale, communities need to act fast. We know it is essential for emergency services and community resources to be able to address the needs of citizens immediately following a disaster, but what is less known is that the ability to raise funds to recover financially is also time sensitive. Research by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy demonstrates that most charitable donations following a disaster are made within the first few days. Communities that have developed a fundraising plan in advance of a disaster have an advantage over those that have not.

The Connect Community Foundations Conference will feature a panel discussion on this topic with Karla and other members of the PREPP (Prepardness, Resiliency, Emergency Partnership) Cohort as well as Nancy Beers, Director, Midwest Recovery Fund from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

To access the editorial in its entirety, click here.