A life of light keeps shining: Kayla Marie Adsit
The Kayla Marie Adsit Memorial Foundation Fund was founded in 2009 with the vision that one day, all school-aged children in Fort Collins will have equal access to a quality music education. Eric and Lisa Adsit opened the fund 14 years ago to honor their daughter by helping children access opportunities to participate in music.
Kayla Marie Adsit
GroupGives: How a culture of philanthropy drives impact
GroupGives presents a check to Loveland Habitat for Humanity.
$1 million dollars is a substantial sum. Invested in the right projects, it’s even more impact.
The Group Real Estate recently celebrated the incredible milestone of more than $1 million donated to community projects through GroupGives– The Group’s philanthropic fund at the Community Foundation. GroupGives grants funds to organizations and projects that support GroupGives’ mission: We believe every person deserves a place to call home.
Trust-based philanthropy leads to impact
If you’ve supported a charitable organization for years, and perhaps even served on its board of directors, you are likely familiar with the basic concepts of “trust-based philanthropy,” even if you’ve never heard the term.
As a devoted supporter of nonprofits you love, you know an organization’s greatest chance of success happens when its leadership and staff can deploy resources in ways they believe will best fulfill the mission. This translates into nonprofits placing a high value on “unrestricted” donations, meaning the organization can use the dollars in whatever way it sees fit.
An example of why unrestricted dollars matter, grossly oversimplified to illustrate the point, is when a donor writes a check to a food bank and instructs the money be used to purchase canned goods. Meanwhile the food pantry’s leadership knows what they really need is to fix the roof or hire a staff member to help sort food before the pantry will be in a position to accept more canned goods.
Unrestricted gifts are only one component of trust-based philanthropy. The broader model is designed to increase the impact of philanthropy by encouraging collaboration, communication, and information-sharing among stakeholders, including not only donors and the nonprofits they support, but the community as a whole. The fundamentals of trust-based philanthropy make sense, such as listening to community stakeholders and reducing the administrative burdens on nonprofit organizations who receive funding.
Trust-based philanthropy is nothing new to the Community Foundation. In many ways, the work of the Foundation already embodies these principles:
- deeply understanding the needs of the community
- building relationships across all stakeholders
- helping donors maximize the impact of their charitable giving
- establishing permanent support for the community to address future needs
- connecting donors more deeply to the causes they care about through personal service and education, and
- leading through critical community issues.
We are grateful for our trust-based community of supporters.
Donor advised funds advocacy, a Foundations on the Hill 2023 recap
In late February, our President and CEO, Kristin Todd, represented your Foundation during the 20th annual Foundations on the Hill advocacy week in Washington, D.C. The event brought more than 260 philanthropic leaders together to visit with members of their Congressional delegations and speak with a unified voice on the lasting impact Foundations make in the communities they serve. Kristin joined a group of 12 presidents and leaders from other Colorado-based foundations for this special visit.
Highlights of the trip included informing Colorado’s Congressional leaders on the importance of the philanthropic sector, raising awareness of our legacy work in Northern Colorado, and inviting elected officials to consider us thought leaders and subject matter experts as they navigate future bills or legislation that affect donor advised funds and charitable contributions.
While local foundations have a lot of support where they work, it is critical to reach beyond our borders and ensure elected officials are knowledgeable and informed to support (or oppose) legislation that impacts the unique and vital role charitable giving plays in America. For example, a recent bill targeted donor advised funds, seeking to dismantle key aspects of this important philanthropic tool through the Accelerating Charitable Efforts Act, or ACE Act. The Bill was introduced in February 2022, but thankfully lost momentum in the House of Representatives. However, it is expected to be reintroduced in this Congressional session, hence the priority to educate and advocate with our elected leaders now.
Foundations on the Hill was presented by United Philanthropy Forum, in partnership with the Council on Foundations and Independent Sector.
Foundation’s 2022 Impact Report
In 2022, the Community Foundation refocused efforts to drive lasting community impact through collaboration and philanthropy. We invite you to explore highlights of the past year through our interactive impact report.
Mark your calendars for May the fourth (be with you)!
THANK YOU TO OUR 2023 CELEBRATION OF PHILANTHROPY SPONSORS
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Upcoming Events
Celebration of Philanthropy – May 4, 2023
Legacy Society Ice Cream Social – July 19, 2023 (stay tuned for details!)
Breaking Good News NoCo
Showcase your success in our newsletter, on our website, and on social media
Good news is contagious, and we want to celebrate YOU! We invite 501(c)(3) organizations that serve Northern and Eastern Colorado residents to share a success story through Breaking Good News.
Through the support of Community Champions, the Community Foundation brings people and resources together to spark change, channel passion into action, and explore solutions. Learn more about Community Champions.