A Message from the Chair

Here are some of the things that CoFo has been up to during the last year:

• 2024: the beginning of our 40^th year
• Lily Matching Grant
• Gift VIII
• Readi 2.0
• ARPA $$$
• Stellar Grant Research
• Don Wood Foundation
• Collaboration Hub with 6 nonprofit partners
• 2^nd Cohort of Third Path
• Questa Loan Program
• The Academy at Slingshot
• ICI and the Community Listening Sessions
• Partnership with the United Way and their Community Partner of the Year
• Asset Mapping with Marion Design Co and Taylor
• Committee Policy Revisions
• Fund Changes, Closures and New Funds
• Back-office accounting services for 2 other community foundations
• 4 new Board members
• The Pulse
• In addition to the normal board meetings, committee meetings, grants, scholarship season, 990 season, monitoring national standards, and 511.

What does this mean? CoFo is leading our community in ways that we never thought possible in 2012 when I first served as Board Chair. It is great to see how the hard work back then has paid off now. Let me start with a quote from the Gospel of Matthew in reference to the mustard seed: “Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

This is a different organization than when I was last President. In 2012, CoFo hardly had a policy in writing with little organizational structure; 4 full-time employees, and $19 million in assets. Now, CoFo is Modern nonprofit–tech savvy with communication, data, and software. CoFo is Responsive to our donors and community as shown by the new funds, fund changes, and policy revisions. CoFo is Sustainable as shown by increasing staff by 50%, our investment policy decisions (alternative investments) by the Finance Committee; our successful grants with Lily, all under Sherri’s watchful eye.

Despite a declining population, a struggling local economy, and a difficult political climate, CoFo now has 6 full-time employees, over $30 million in assets with 415 Funds. Our community, donors, and nonprofits are perched in the branches of our growing tree.

How did this occur? In part through our commitment to Strategic Planning, which occurred with Jim Klusman several years ago and CoFo never looked back. Rather than coming up with a strategic plan for a single point in time, we learned how to strategically plan on a permanent basis. Now we are constantly reviewing our goals, challenging our ideas, and putting plans into action. It has also occurred through the hard work of each Board member and Committee member. Finally, the success of CoFo has been made possible by Dawn and her staff.

Each Board Chair has the opportunity to provide direction and leadership to this team. It has been a privilege to lead all of you for the last year. Serving in this capacity reminds me of the Latin phrase Primus Inter Pares, which means first among equals. Thank you all for your efforts to improve our community. If I am lucky enough to be around in another decade, given our current trajectory, then I hope to see CoFo with 9 employees and $50 million in assets. Good luck to Cory as he begins to lead us for the next year. Thank you.