Unfortunately, we do not have the time to appropriately assist all area nonprofits in all of these areas, so we thought that through the blog we would respond to new questions as we can, and offer the responses to some Frequently Asked Questions we have considered in the past, when there is not a “fresh” question coming to us.

So, here is a start:

Where do I find board members?

Before we attack the “where,” we must consider the “what.” It is important to know what you need–what are the skills needed to propel your organization forward? Are there pieces of your strategic plan that require certain skill-sets? Do you have people with a knowledge of marketing, finance, the law, the community? Do you have the advantage of a diversity of backgrounds and ideas?

Once you know what skills and attributes you need, you can look for such individuals in a variety of places. Consider those who volunteer for your organization, as they are already committed to your work enough to give of their time. Similarly, donors are a potential source of board members for the same reason–current commitment. Business leaders have a wealth of skills, along with knowledge of the economic environment. The graduates of local leadership programs are often looking for just such an opportunity. And retirees not only have tremendous experience to bring to the table, but also a little extra time to share. Members of the clergy, former elected officials, and even the spouses of former board members are possibilities. And if success is not yet found, ask all of those who have declined to serve for some suggested names.

I hope this helps. Please respond with your successes, other suggestions for finding board members, and even those things that did not work well for you.

And if you have a question for a future blog, please respond with that as well. Remember that nonprofits have many similarities, and perhaps we can all learn together. Learning and improving are among the everyday matters that make EVERY DAY MATTER.

Denise K. Spencer

And what if opening the financial door to your vision could happen for $2500 (to open a non-permanent fund), or $5000 (to open a permanent endowment)? Did you think you needed tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to begin? Isn’t it wonderful that you need not be Bill Gates to start?

Here at the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, we often have people arrive at our door who are struggling with what to do and how to do it, as well as what to expect financially. Sometimes they know pretty much what their vision is—what they hope to accomplish. Sometimes they have a fledgling thought, but have not been able to put any real “foundation” (pun intended) under it. But sometimes they don’t have a clue.

Perhaps a parent recently passed away, and the family wants to do something in this person’s memory. Scholarship funds come to mind.

“Maybe we could set up a scholarship so someone could study chemistry (or business, or education, or nursing, or…), since that field was so important to Dad.”

Or, “Dad used to volunteer through his service club when there were projects dealing with kids. Maybe we could do something for youth.”

Or, “Protecting the environment was an issue about which Dad was always concerned. Couldn’t we do something about that?”

In working with our professional staff, directional visions like these can be turned into concrete plans, fully-developed, and begun at whatever level of funding is comfortable.

Perhaps it is something as simple as supporting a special church or school or nonprofit with an annual grant. Perhaps it is supporting clean water initiatives that have promise. Perhaps it is funding workforce development programs, or wellness efforts. Generally speaking, any good, charitable idea has an opportunity to be born and to grow within the nurturing arms of the Community Foundation.

Someone’s vision was to create Operation R&R, providing a vacation/respite for servicemen/women and their families on Hilton Head Island. Another vision was to remember the people and lessons of Mitchelville, and to create a place to celebrate them. Providing for the environment and the health of Island residents by providing sewer service to all, whether or not they can afford it, is an amazing vision—slowly but surely progress is being made. The wonderful sculpture exhibition that appeared at Honey Horn last fall started with a thought that continues to grow and expand—and a vision that sculptures will be planted like apple trees across the Island over time for all to enjoy.

What is YOUR vision? What could be accomplished if only YOU, with the help of the Community Foundation, refined your thoughts, invested some dollars, and perhaps encouraged others to help? The sooner you get started, the sooner an important difference can be made. Recognize that EVERY DAY MATTERS, and that for the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, making what you imagine become reality is an EVERYDAY MATTER.

Denise K. Spencer

There is relief-based philanthropy (charity), which provides for the basic needs of those in poverty. There will always be needs of this type, and as the middle class shrinks, and jobs remain scarce, more and more people require this type of assistance. Housing and utilities, food, medical care, child care, clothing, basic school supplies—these things all fall into the category of basic needs. Many area nonprofits seek to assist individuals and families with these issues, and are deserving of support. If your heart leads you in this direction, there are many places to give. But the obvious weakness here is that tomorrow, and next week, and next year, these needs will still be there for the majority of those served.

Then there is improvement-based philanthropy, which can be described by the old “teach a man to fish” idea. Here, philanthropy is used maximize a person’s ability to rise out of poverty, or to prevent him from falling in from the start. Generally, mechanisms for this include things like providing education and training, mentoring, employment services, drug and alcohol treatment and the like. And there is the hope that progress is being made at reducing those in need of the services of relief-based philanthropy. And again, the mission of many organizations aligns with this concept and if they align with your own philosophy of giving, they could use support. And yet, there are weaknesses here also: People served must be physically and mentally and emotionally able to embark on this journey; they must be motivated or knowledgeable enough to find such services, and they must have access (transportation, media or Internet access) and sufficient resources to keep body and soul together while trying to make this rise to the next level. It is hard to go to school if you have to hold down three jobs, or if illness robs you of energy, or if you can’t travel there.

Also, consider reform-based philanthropy–that which recognizes significant societal issues that require considerable societal change (equality, obesity, air and water quality, access to health care). Solutions here often require a great deal of money, the cooperation and hard work of many working in concert, and governmental assistance. Many believe that all charitable resources should be used toward this end, because in this category is the hope for a permanent “fix” to the major ills that thwart progress and overall societal health. Again, many fine organizations are laboring in these fields, and have accomplished much and have a vision for further accomplishment. And yet…there is little agreement about what reforms should be undertaken, how to achieve them, and in fact, proposed solutions are often in direct contradiction to one another. Worst of all, those most directly impacted are most often not consulted.

The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry faces these questions every day. And we support solutions in all categories, and spend significant time doing the research and due diligence to inform our decisions. But I would dare to say that each of you, when you consider a charitable contribution, is also a grantmaker, and that you face the same questions. What type of philanthropy speaks to you? How do you determine the highest and best use of your dollars? What sources do you draw upon to inform your decisions?

We encourage all to take philanthropy and charitable giving seriously, to understand their own beliefs about what works, and to research options carefully, just as they would do for any other major expenditure. And know that your Community Foundation stands ready to assist. Your thoughtful giving is one of the EVERYDAY MATTERS that makes EVERY DAY Matter.

Denise K. Spencer

That evening, the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry had its Patron Party—the kickoff event for our Inaugural Public Art Exhibition on Hilton Head Island.  Many of the artists whose work was on display were in attendance.  What a blessing to have a casual opportunity to visit with them and discuss their passion, their muse, and their art!  It was inspiring to hear from them directly about the pieces on display, about their reaction to the event and to Hilton Head Island, and, in fact, just to meet artists of this caliber.

These sculptors are most certainly ROCK STARS of the highest order!  After reviewing 339 entries, a skilled group of jurors chose 20 sculptures from all over the country to be displayed in this competition/exhibition.    These sculptures are magnificent!   Frankly, I am very glad I am not on the jury to choose a piece for purchase for the Island, as I have developed a love affair with a number of the pieces.  I will hate to see any of them leave our little corner of paradise.

There is a lot of good news.  First, these pieces have been beautifully positioned and displayed around the perimeter of the amazing Honey Horn Plantation as the guests of the Coastal Discovery Museum, and will be available for the public to view through the end of December.   Second, a People’s Choice award will be given, and everyone who wishes to participate may vote for their favorite piece.  Tell your friends to visit the exhibition and they too can vote for their favorite online at www.hhipublicart.org.  This award will be announced on November 10, 2011.  Third, virtually all of the pieces are for sale and so if you have a spot in mind that is just crying for just the right sculpture, there is hope!

It is only fair, in writing about our Rock Stars, that I tell you who they are.   Here is our own Hall of Fame:  Maria Artemis (Atlanta, GA), Jorge Blanco (Sarasota, FL), Jonathan Bowling (Greenville, NC), Bill Brown (Linville Falls, NC), Mark Chatterley (Williamston, MI), Kevin Eichner (Hilton Head Island, SC), Tom Holmes (Greeley, PA), Hanna Jubran (Grimesland, NC), Rollin Karg (Kechi, KS), Stephen Kishel (Bluffton, SC), Mark Kurcke (Wilmington, NC), Todd McGrain (Ovid, NY), John Merigian (Superior Township, MI), Kim Radochia (Beverly, MA), Barton Rubenstein (Chevy Chase, MD), Michael Shewmaker (Hilo, HI), Paula Smith (Rock Hill, SC), Kenneth M. Thompson (Blissfield, MI), Bill Wood (Fairfax, VA), and Valeria Yamamoto (Bay Harbor Islands, FL).

So, treat yourself.  Come to Hilton Head Island’s Coastal Discovery Museum and see the work of this amazing group of sculptors.  Come to see the significant effort of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry– its volunteers, sponsors, donors and friends– to bring beauty, education and appreciation for the arts, and yet another significant attraction for visitors to enjoy in our amazing community.  Art, afterall, is one of the EVERYDAY MATTERS that makes EVERY DAY MATTER.

Denise K. Spencer

President and CEO

How many Invisible People make my life better?  There are those who do the dishes and sweep the floors at the restaurants I frequent.  There are those who stock the grocery shelves and those who grow the vegetables I enjoy.   Some construct the clothes I wear.   There are those who transcribe my doctor’s notes, who worked on the line that produced my beloved Ford, and those who provide childcare to my friends’ babies so they can work.  Now that the dam has broken, I could go on for days listing all the people I don’t know but who are important to my life.  Do they make a living wage?  Do they have medical care or health insurance?  Do they have a roof and a cool place to rest on a hot day? 

I challenge us all to consider the connectedness of humankind, and the many that touch our lives without our giving them a second thought.  What can we do to assure that their labors are appreciated? By supporting the nonprofits that provide service to the underserved, we are at least making an attempt to do something to deserve the blessings their hard work provides to us. 

Support some of the many fine nonprofits in the area, including your Community Foundation.  We use our knowledge of the sector to make grants to solid organizations doing good work.   And in the future, when we do so, I’ll be considering the Invisible Woman, and many others like her.  Her work may be an everyday matter, but supporting those who may be helping her is one way to make EVERY DAY MATTER.

Denise K. Spencer

The Community Foundation just undertook a campaign on Facebook to give an unrestricted grant to the nonprofit organization that received the most “votes” in a short period of time, and the grant would be in an amount up to $1,000 based on the number of “likes” our page had received by the end of the contest period.

First, let it be said that we were pleased to make the grant to the American Red Cross, which has a proud history of doing good work and providing good service here in the Lowcountry. We congratulate them on not only receiving the most votes, but more importantly, for being the type of organization that causes people to want to come out and vote for them!

Second, all of the nonprofits who showed that they were worthy of support by having people come out to vote for them should be proud. The cheerleaders who voted lent their names to these causes (most important indeed), and helped to give them all additional publicity with the growing number of people who “like” the Foundation’s Facebook Page. This vote of confidence is an important indication of the worthiness of each of these organizations.

Finally, by growing the number of those who “like” our page, we are better able to communicate with those who support the nonprofit sector in the Lowcountry, keeping them apprised of important items of interest in the sector.

It has been a win-win-win for nonprofits, for those interested in the nonprofit sector, and for the ability of the Community Foundation to continue to improve our service. Not bad for a $1,000 investment…and a relatively easy way to make EVERY DAY MATTER.

Denise K. Spencer

Think about it—our grantmaking program is a collaboration with both the hard-working nonprofit organizations we fund and the donors who established or contributed to the funds providing the grants.  Yes, we create a knowledge base assuring intelligent decision-making about specific projects to fund, and we maintain sound investments to grow the available dollars.  Yes, we provide the structure and the staff and the technology.  But at its core, the work is a massive collaboration among donors, nonprofits and the Community Foundation.

Our scholarship program’s success is due to the donors with the vision, passion and resources to establish scholarship funds, the quality students who have a strong motivation to improve their lives  through education, and the volunteers who serve on selection committees and make the difficult choices.  Caring counselors direct student applicants to us, and parents cajole their young people to meet the deadlines.  Yes, it all happens with much more ease and efficiency due to the scholarship section of our web site, our staff, and our expertise, but again, it is a collaborative effort.

Our special initiatives like the upcoming Public Art Exhibition (September 24-November 5, 2011) are also colossal collaborations.  In that particular case, the Town of Hilton Head, the Hilton Head/Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, the Concours d’Elegance, and many others including sponsors, donors, artists, and volunteers are our collaborators. 

Likewise, the Together for Beaufort County effort which has been a major part of our work is BY DEFINITION a collaboration of government, nonprofits, education and the community-at-large, all working to create major improvements in significant community indicators.

So, if anyone wonders why collaboration is one of the criteria utilized in our grantmaking process, they need simply to look at the model we value.  And if anyone wants to become part of an organization which is also defined by collaboration:  “building community by connecting people, resources and needs,” then please join us.  There is always room for more folks who are willing to make EVERY DAY MATTER!

Denise K. Spencer

Those donors who come to the Community Foundation to possibly set up a fund are generally either going through this same philanthropic soul-searching, or have done so recently and have determined with specificity what they want to support. I have, during the course of my career, helped a number of individuals and families to make some of these difficult philanthropic decisions.

I remember one person who had recently lost a family member for whom swimming was a great passion. All he could think of to do in memory of this person was to set up a scholarship fund for someone who wanted to be in competitive swimming in college. By the end of our conversation, he had instead set up a fund which supported a local summer swimming program for at-risk youth. He was so excited! The fund was going to help many more than one student a year, and had the potential to give motivation to kids who often found it to be in short supply. While scholarships funds are indeed wonderful, there are also many other kinds of funds which can help in a myriad of different ways.

Another family was worried about a particular nonprofit organization that they gave a $1,000 gift to almost every year. They knew that the organization depended on that gift, but they also felt that the organization would not handle a larger gift well by investing it and leveraging its use over time. They set up a $25,000 endowment fund to support the organization, with instruction to the Foundation that an annual gift of available spendable be sent to the nonprofit. Generally that gift was $1,000 or more—and this gift would continue long after the family was no longer around.

One retiring Chairman of an organization set up a “Leadership Endowment” to provide for board and staff training—a budget item often deleted in difficult financial times. It would not be deleted if the money came annually from the Foundation with the caveat that it be used only for this purpose!

So, have you done your “philanthropic soul-searching?” What has been your passion throughout your life? What problem needs a solution? What cause needs help? How creative can you be in establishing your legacy? Know that when you are ready, so is the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. We are able to assist with brainstorming, research, or just capturing on paper your charitable desires.

And don’t wait too long to consider these things. Every day matters.

Denise K. Spencer

Well, here’s the situation.  You are somebody.  I am somebody.  We are somebody’s who can make a difference. 

How?

1)      Decide what is most important to you.  Are you appalled by young people dropping out of school? Are you distressed when the oyster beds are closed?  Do you ache when you see a homeless person on the street?  Do you cringe when you see another shooting reported in the news?

2)      Consider the options for involvement.  Is there a volunteer role for you?  Should you run for office?  Can you join a nonprofit board or advisory committee?  How about just befriending that teen in your neighborhood who seems angry or lost?  Do you have resources to contribute?

3)      Make a commitment to DO SOMETHING.  If you have trouble getting to this step, call the Community Foundation  of the Lowcountry.  We can help you think through what is important to you—what are your passions.  We can help you list a myriad of available options that address your concerns.  And we can support you as you move into a commitment stage.  After all, the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry goes through these steps on our own as part of our daily work.  And we know that it will take every good idea, every set of willing hands, and every available dollar to address the critical issues that face us here in the Lowcountry. 

4)      Don’t wait.  Every day matters.

Denise K. Spencer

It is the same with philanthropy. A small gift added to a number of other small gifts can create a strong and vibrant pool of resources that can make a real difference in the communities we serve. And if those gifts are pooled into permanent funds, then we know that over time our individual gifts are never spent but are invested for the long term and will continue to give back year after year after year. It is exactly this premise that fuels the “Touch Tomorrow” campaign. “Touch Tomorrow” is actually a set of permanent funds, each serving a specific geographic area, and each advised by people committed to that area. As these funds grow, the impact also grows, and more and more critical needs can be addressed in each community.

Give where you live. Understand that your $10 or $25 or $50 or $100 gift to the Touch Tomorrow fund of your choice (Hilton Head/Daufuskie, Bluffton, Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, or Colleton) will make a difference for that community in the long run. Or perhaps like me, you recognize the value of being a resident of the Lowcountry-at-large, and wish to support that larger effort through our Touch Tomorrow Endowment Fund for the Lowcountry area. But know this. Whatever effort you choose to support, your gift, regardless of size, will be a gift of significance. Small really can make a big difference.

And this is one of the everyday matters that makes every day matter.

Denise K. Spencer