Kari McCann Boutell, President

Iowa Council of Foundations

2020 has been a year like no other. When I first had my daughter, someone told me that the first few years of her life would be the longest, shortest years. That has proven true in her first 18 months, but especially true this year. As I reflect back on all of the challenges 2020 has thrown at us, some days it felt like we’d never make it to 2021. But, as I sit here in early December looking back, in some ways it feels like the year has been a short sprint (okay, a long sprint). While we may be starting to see the “finish line” as the promise of vaccines fills the news, let’s not forget the lessons that 2020 has taught the communtiy foundation field.

• Meet donors where they are at. During Connect and our November PLC we heard so many unique ideas of how people have been connecting with their donors: virtually via Zoom, on back porches and patios, through virtual events and during online giving days. Many leaders reflected that these strategies have created new opportunities for donor development – including inviting conversation about estate planning. As we move into what will likely be some more months of social distancing, remember there are several unique ways to meet your donor where they are. And perhaps, this is a practice we can hold onto well into the future.
• We don’t have to go back to the way things were. We are creatures of habit. Our tendency when we find our new normal will be to return to the ways we have always done things. This will likely be true of our grantmaking in communities as well. I encourage you to revisit the lessons that I shared during our opening Connect session to see which of these shifts and changes in grantmaking practice that have occurred over the last several months may stick for the long-term. Consider:
  
  • Simplifying grant applications and process
  • Loosening grant restrictions
  • Extending grant periods
  • Unrestricting restricted grants
  • Providing general operating support dollars
  • Not requiring matching funds
  • Lifting traditional reporting requirements
• Community foundations are critical to relief, response and recovery in communities. For the past several years, we have learned about the roles community foundations can play in disaster philanthropy through The Funders’ Network’s PPREP Cohort. We’ve shared those lessons with you at Connect sessions, on this webinar and in our Iowa Community Foundations Initiative Disaster Philanthropy Toolkit. This year, again, community foundations proved they are critical to the success of community response. We see this in pandemic response and certainly in response following the derecho, as community foundations opened funds, coordinated volunteers, and partnered with countless organizations to meet the most pressing needs in their communities. 2021 will surely require us to continue rising to the challenge and meeting the moment. 

Take a moment. Take a breath. The tireless effort of community foundation staff, board members, and volunteers has made a lasting impact in communities throughout Iowa – in each of Iowa’s 99 counties. We look forward to working together – with you – as we prepare to enter the new year. We are grateful for your partnership.

Kari McCann Boutell, President

Iowa Council of Foundations

During this year’s COVID-19 pandemic – where over $1 billion was distributed nationally by community foundations in response to the crisis – Iowa community foundations have served as strong community partners in meeting the unique challenges each of their communities has faced. Through June 30, 2020, Iowa Community Foundations have raised and/or committed $6.7 million to COVID-19 relief, response and recovery efforts. Additionally, community foundations went beyond the money to help their communities adapt during this critical time—supporting nonprofits, schools, and small businesses through partnerships with local government agencies at the state and federal levels. We have been so inspired watching this work unfold through the state.

In addition to these fundraising efforts, Iowa community foundations also made important shifts in how they distribute grant dollars. Some of these practices may continue for the long-term, moving community foundations in Iowa toward a more trust-based philanthropic approach. Some examples of these shifts include:

• Re-allocating existing grant funds for COVID-19 relief/response/recovery; or moving remaining 2020 funding to response efforts
• Simplifying grant applications and process
• Loosening grant restrictions
• Extending grant periods
• Unrestricting restricted grants
• Providing general operating support dollars
• Not requiring matching funds
• Hitting the pause button on strategic and programmatic evaluations
• Lifting or postponing traditional reporting requirements

We will lift up the important work of Iowa community foundations during National Community Foundations’ Week November 12 – 18 and we invite you to join us by telling your community foundation’s story together with your local media partners. A reminder, the Council on Foundations has made this Toolbox of communications materials available for you use. Let’s celebrate – together – the important role Iowa community foundations have played in their communities in 2020!

Reflection on the 2020 Connect Community Foundations Virtual Conference 
by Tam Elerding, HCCEF Program Director

I have attended many Connect Conferences, and I thoroughly enjoyed this conference as much as the in-person gatherings in the past. I am the Program Director for the Hardin County Community Endowment Foundation which is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. This year I attended all sessions except the Finance Peer-Learning Circle and found that each session offered me something to consider doing at our foundation or thinking about ways we can consider doing things differently in the future.

From Susan Howlett’s session on board development and leadership I now have displayed on my computer takeaways from her session: Fundraising – Grantmaking – Community Leadership.  I think I will make this part of our board agenda – just to remind board members we are more than a grant reading board.  I also hope to be able to incorporate some of the trust-based philanthropy ideas generated from that session.  I think as we have new board members, these concepts will begin to take hold.

I also liked “attending” the Peer Learning Circles.  These sessions provided an opportunity to learn from others and exchange ideas on a specific area of community foundation work. It worked really well for small groups (using breakout rooms). I felt like this was so much better than moving from table to table in a conference room. A couple of concepts I liked that were shared by another affiliate of high impact grantmaking and also participating in or funding some county visioning to make sure we are being effective with our grantmaking and meeting needs in our area. And also the idea of moving grants from transactional to transformational!

I enjoyed the Connect Virtual Conference this year and actually liked the Zoom meetings. I do miss seeing everyone in person but this method worked very well. This conference really got me fired up!  I’m going to start working on my ideas to implement soon!

Kari McCann Boutell, President

Iowa Council of Foundations

This year, we have all been challenged to think, plan, act and interact differently. As I prepared the Iowa Council of Foundations FY20 Annual Report, I was reminded of all of the good work we have accomplished, despite the challenges this year has presented. 2020 has forced each of us to master “the pivot”. From in-person to virtual. From planned to responsive. From anticipated to emergent. At the ICoF, we certainly haven’t done everything perfectly, but we have made adjustments, where needed, to respond to the varied needs of this moment for our members and the communities they serve.

One change we have made to better support community foundations this year is through the Capacity Building Grants Program. For the next two cycles (Fall 2020 and Spring 2021), the ICoF will more broadly consider staffing capacity grant applications due to COVID-19 impacts on community foundation operating budgets. Our hope is that community foundations that need additional operating funds to sustain their current staffing (full-time, part-time or contracted) can leverage capacity building funds as needed this year. These funds can fill gaps created by decreased County Endowment Fund Program dollars for 2020-2021, as well as shifts in the economic climate. Please begin conversations now so your community foundation is ready to submit your pre-application beginning September 22. You can review the full grant guidelines here.

This is just one small example that we hope makes a big difference for community foundations across Iowa. We will continue to listen and learn from all of you as we move into this new fiscal year. If you have any thoughts or ideas to share with us, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are all in this – together.

Kari McCann Boutell, President

Iowa Council of Foundations

The Iowa Council of Foundations team is preparing to host our Connect Conference virtually for the first time this year. There are lots of new things to think about as we pull our plans together. We have been planning and hosting virtual events for many years, and in many new ways the past five months. Additionally, I had the opportunity to participate in the United Philanthropy Forum’s Annual Conference virtually last month. I learned a lot during my participation that will help inform our program, and I can also say there were several aspects of  learning that I found beneficial in a virtual format. Here are some of the key benefits to virtual learning:

• Listening. I found that listening to a speaker virtually challenged me to be more actively engaged as a listener than I might be if I were attending in-person.  If you set the conditions for your learning, there can be fewer distractions learning remotely than in a large conference room. A few things I found helpful for creating a good learning environment for myself included silencing my cell phone, turning off my email, having a full cup of coffee or water at my desk, and having a pen and paper ready to take notes.
• Questions. The ability to ask questions via a chat box function in some ways makes it easier to ask questions of presenters. You don’t have to raise your hand or speak in front of the full group. This is a helpful way for people to raise questions – even those who are not typically comfortable doing this at an in-person meeting.
• Interaction. Those of us who have been living on Zoom the past few months know that the key to success for online learning is interaction. We are working with our Connect speakers to be sure there are interactive elements to their presentations. Because of this, you can expect to interact with the speakers and content in new ways that may not always be possible at an in-person convening (polling, small group breakouts, etc.).

All in all, I enjoyed my participation in a virtual conference and we hope you will join us for the virtual Connect Conference next month. Our team is using what we have learned to make this a positive and informative learning experience for you. You can learn more and register here!