It is with great pleasure that we announce the publication of a new report, “21st-Century Tools for 21st-Century Community Foundations.” You can download the report for free from the GuideStar website.
A lot has happened since the Cleveland Foundation, the world’s first community foundation, opened its doors on January 2, 1914:
- The number of community foundations in the United States now exceeds 750.
- Community foundations are located in every state and in both urban and rural areas.
- Community foundations vary greatly in size. Some have assets of less than $100,000. Others have assets exceeding $1 billion.
- Community foundation business models have expanded.
- Community foundations face competition from other giving vehicles, such as commercial donor-advised funds and consumer donor portals.
What hasn’t changed is community foundations’ commitment to identifying and addressing needs in their respective locations.
Given the tremendous changes in the community foundation landscape—and the tremendous variety within that landscape—we wanted to identify tools that can help community foundations continue to play a vital role in local philanthropy. With input from Central Florida Foundation, Council on Foundations, Exponent Partners, and Foundant Technologies, we’ve pinpointed sites, software, and applications that can help community foundations:
- Keep up with developments in the community foundation landscape
- Connect nonprofits with donors
- Tackle grantmaking mechanics
- Evaluate effectiveness
- Increase grantmaking efficiency with integrated systems
Some of these tools are available for free. Others require a subscription or purchase.
Whether you’re with a small community foundation that has limited technical resources or a behemoth that boasts a sophisticated IT department, we hope you’ll find “21st-Century Tools for 21st-Century Community Foundations” valuable.
The preceding post is by Suzanne Coffman, GuideStar’s editorial director.