Iowa Council of Foundations

Angela Determan, Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation Advisory Committee Member

While working to become a Blue Zones Community, the governing committee of the Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation identified that we had many great organizations in Mason City, but we didn’t always collaborate as well as we could to achieve greater outcomes. Over the course of the last five years, we have grown in our partnerships including identifying the need for a volunteer center in our area. In April of 2015 the Mason City Volunteer Center (MCVC) was born and collaboration would be integral to its success.

The Mason City Volunteer Center supports the work of non-profit members with volunteer placements and promoting volunteer opportunities by emphasizing skill- and purpose-based matches and assisting cultivation of volunteers for non-profits and in our community. A primary function is to not only assist with volunteer cultivation and placement, but to provide education for non-profits to strengthen their organization allowing them more time fulfilling their mission.

The Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation receives nearly 70 grant requests annually. It was important to our governing committee that non-profits are doing everything to ensure their organizations are operationally and fiscally sound. It made sense that both the Mason City Volunteer Center and Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation desired the same success for non-profits in our area. The MCVC reached out to the Community Foundation to discuss opportunities to partner through the sponsorship of a radio program promoting volunteer opportunities and with high quality training and education events.

As we promoted The Iowa Nonprofit Awards nomination information to our members through our monthly newsletter, we realized that we really had something to showcase ourselves in an awards application. The MCVC nominated the Cerro Gordo County Community Foundation and appreciate their vision and spirit of collaboration. We couldn’t be more proud to be a role model for others to recognize the benefits of collaboration.

 

October 2, 2017

Mike Nuss, Committee Member, Ackley Community Foundation

The Ackley Community Foundation used a 2016 Connect Mini-Grant (from the drawing) to develop and establish a donor envelope campaign by expanding on a memorial envelope developed by the Floyd County Community Foundation.  The intent of the project was to:

• create visibility for the Foundation;
• educate the public on the purpose  of the Foundation;
• allow for donations of any size to create fund growth; and
• allow donors to give tp the Foundation at their convenience.

Displays and envelopes were placed throughout the community at seven churches, two banks and a funeral home. Newspaper publicity explaining the program provided additional support. Total costs for printing and the display units were $422.00. Displays were placed this past March and April.

As of the end of August, sixteen gifts had been received totaling $13,395.00.  *It should be noted that ten of the gifts were from Foundation Board members utilizing the envelopes, and a local church that had received an estate gift used the program to make a $10,000 donation to “pay it forward” to the Ackley Community.

The Ackley Community Foundation is very appreciative of the Iowa Council of Foundations grant which made the campaign possible.

September 5, 2017

Kari McCann Boutell, President, Iowa Council of Foundations

The Connect Community Foundations Conference is next week! If you’ve signed up, here are three things you can benefit from next week. If you haven’t signed up yet, here are three reasons you should!

#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; and
• Mileage Reimbursement to cover your travel costs to Newton up to $60.

In addition, each participant will also be eligible to enter a drawing for a $250 mini-grant. Four mini-grants will be awarded.

#2 You can connect with regional and national experts.

We have an incredible agenda this year featuring regional experts, Phil Purcell and Bryan Orander from Indiana and nationally recognized speaker, Kris Putnam-Walkerly. We will cover the following topics: board and staff succession planning, identifying community needs, strategies for endowment building in rural communities and much more! You will also have the opportunity to consult with Phil Purcell with individual questions regarding fundraising or legal advice 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 CF Snapsot Live! session over the lunch hour will provide an opportunity for community foundations in Linn, Clayton and Poweshiek Counties to share ideas and expertise with you. You won’t want to miss these practical ideas and tools that have been effective strategies in our state.

Please click here to access the full agenda and register today!

August 1, 2017

Denise Lamphier, Director of Communications and Development at Grinnell Regional Medical Center

 I am a matchmaker.

My goal as Grinnell Regional Medical Center’s director of development is to connect donors with the causes, projects, and needs that are important to them. Plenty of ways to support the medical center exist, from helping with capital projects like a new emergency department to funding free medical care at the Community Care Clinic for people who are uninsured or underinsured.

The hospital also collaborates with the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation. In this love connection, this incredible foundation serves as our number one destination for endowment building.

GRMC currently has two designated endowments housed within the community foundation:

1. The Grinnell Regional Medical Center Endowment Fund assures the long-term success and prosperity of the medical center, providing support for capital improvements, construction projects, large equipment purchases, special programs, and other needs.

This fund was started in 2011 with a $10,000 gift from a donor and has grown to $112,500 thanks to other generous donations. Distributions from the fund this year are helping support a $2.2 million renovation to the medical center’s emergency department, which is expected to be complete in January 2018.

2. The Grinnell Regional Mental Health Endowment fund helps provide quality mental health services to area residents and helps cover the costs of unreimbursed mental healthcare.

This fund was started in 2013 with a $10,300 gift from a donor and has grown to $116,000. In 2016, distributions from the fund were leveraged with other donations to recruit a new outpatient mental health clinic to the Grinnell community. In 2017, the distributions will support patient needs at the mental health clinic.

The hospital’s relationship with GPCF has been so successful it would make cupid blush. The idea behind matchmaking is to pair people according to their values, goals, and outlook on life. GPCF helps enhance the fundraising playbook the hospital can offer our donors by rewarding those who give to the endowment funds with a 25 percent Endow Iowa state income tax credit. This incentive makes our endowment funds attractive for donors.

The best part of this marriage? The love that will be spread throughout the community through important services for years to come.

July 5, 2017

Kari McCann Boutell, President, Iowa Council of Foundations

 I hope everyone is enjoying their summer months! The Iowa Council of Foundations is kicking off FY18 and we are looking forward to an exciting learning agenda for community foundations over the next twelve months.

We are pleased to announce one of the keynote speakers for our September 14th Connect Conference in Newton, IA, is Phil Purcell, CFRE, MPA/JD. Phil is currently consulting in philanthropy and an adjunct faculty at Indiana University Maurer School of Law and Lilly School of Philanthropy. He has over twenty years of gift planning experience and teaches courses on Law and Philanthropy, Nonprofit Organization Law and Planned Giving.

Phil’s keynote will focus on strategies for endowment building in rural communities. He will also facilitate a breakout session titled, “Partnering for Philanthropy: Effective Ways to Market to Professional Advisors and Attract More Donors”. We are confident Phil will provide resources and tools to help you effectively connect with donors and professional advisors to focus your endowment building efforts in rural communities across our state.

The full agenda will be released soon and registration will open up within the next two weeks. Please mark your calendars, share the date with your affiliate advisory committees, board members and staff, and plan to join us!