A National Milestone

I’m off this weekend to Washington DC (actually Crystal City Virginia) for my final meeting on the Standards Action Team of the Council on Foundations and the first meeting of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation National Standards Board.  A number of words come to mind – “maturation”, “formalization”, “transformation”, “validation”, and “whew”.

Community foundations took a bold step in 2000 by adopting the first ever National Standards for US Community Foundations.  While we were mostly all similar, this was a significant step to ensure that community foundations employ critical policies and effective practices.  I joined the Standards Action Team in 2001 and have been engaged in the arduous process of confirmation for the 700+ community foundations across the nation.  During the past five years we’ve seen almost 563 community foundations agree to comply and  463 successfully demonstrate compliance.  Most of the rest are still in the review process.

As the field prepares for reconfirmation in 2010 (certification is good for 5 years, so the first group to comply in 2005 will need be reviewed again in 2010), the fields decided that National Standards needs to be housed in a permanent organization, the National Standards Board.

As one of the few “senior members” (referring to my time on the committee NOT my age), I’ve agreed to serve on the National Standard Board for a two year term to assist with the transition.  And I have to say that I’m feeling very proud of what we all have accomplished.  In a time where scrutiny is paramount, community foundations are well poised to demonstrate our integrity through transparency of what we do and how we do it, as well as our voluntary commitment to compliance with National Standards.  The process has been far from easy but I firmly believe that the donors, grantees and communities served by the field of community foundations in the United States can rest a little easier because of the rigor of the process. 

These two days will be a passing of a baton of sorts, and hopefully a milestone in the history of community philanthropy.

A good GPS

Managing a community foundation (or any other business) in this economy feels a little like driving through multiple poorly marked detours without a map.  Sometimes you think you’re on the right track but can’t be sure.  Thank goodness for my global positioning system (GPS).  I pride myself on having a pretty good sense of direction, but I don’t know what I’d do without my trusty “map in a box”.  Google maps are great until you hit that unexpected closed road and then things get really interesting.  But my trusty GPS always helps me find an alternate way to get to where I’m going.  The same is true for some organizations.

I’ve never been a huge fan of linear strategic planning, particularly in the world of community foundations.  The “do this – then do this” type plan works in some situations until something unexpected throws the thing offtrack.  I think community foundations need their own GPS and for the past few years we’ve been working on just that, a Goal Positioning Strategy.  The foundation certainly has our goals and strategies, but we also exercise our organizational flexibility by imagining what might be and how we might react.  I honestly believe that the scenario work we did at our Board Retreat last August helped us react quickly to the economic downturn of the 4th quarter of 2008.

I don’t know when the community will receive its next big bequest nor when this recession will end or when the next will begin.  But I’m thankful to work with a board and staff that recognize that our community foundation isn’t driven as much by our own intentions as it is by opportunity.  And a good organizational GPS certainly helps.