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The Columbus Foundation - a model for communitiy foundations
If you are from Columbus, you know this already. The Columbus Foundation is an outstanding community foundation. Lisa Courtice invited me to speak at their 2008 celebration and I had a chance to see up close the work of this foundation.
First off, I was really impressed by Doug Kridler, President of the Columbus Foundation. With a substantial civic and volunteer background, Doug understands that a one of the most fundamental things that a community foundation does, is to support local nonprofits. He emphasized, to a crowd of nonprofits - "Our effectiveness is your effectiveness." I saw this commitment to local nonprofits in conversations with many of their staff. Their PowerPhilanthropy initiative seeks to provide more information and thus direct more giving to local nonprofits.
The Columbus Foundation does well on the donor side as well. I had the pleasure of meeting one of their donors, Shirle Westwater. She just had her 90th birthday party. She is a devoted donor and past board member of the Columbus Foundation. She's proud of the fact that people know her as the woman who asks people to donate. She's particularly proud of the fact that she got asphalt donated for the parking lot and trees for the courtyard of the beautiful Columbus Foundation campus.
The foundation seems to be loved by many of their donors. In fact they are currently the 9th largest community foundation in terms of assets, and most of those assets are unrestricted grants to the foundation. It's a high sign of trust that their donors give so much directly to the Columbus Foundation.
I spoke in my presentation there about the origin of the word philanthropy - which translates loosely to "love of mankind'. And about the uniquely American tradition of philanthropy with its citizens coming together to form voluntary associations. It is embedded in our history. The first "corporation" in this country, was a nonprofit one - Harvard College. The first civic institutions - fire station, library, city council - were all formed as voluntary associations to which people gave their time and their money. And gave it out of love. Shirle started to tear up when she talked about what philanthropy meant to her. "It's a real joy to give," she said with a big smile. Wow, what a way to continue our country's history of philanthropy and what a great testament to the community nurtured by the Columbus Foundation!
by Perla N.
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