| No. 96 | May 14, 2009 |
"As a new kid on the block, it was a learning experience that I quite enjoyed." Rogers Bell, DirectorRegional MeetingCFPEI representatives at the Atlantic Regional workshop of Community Foundations of Canada found it a useful investment of time and energy - and suggested others be encouraged to attend future gatherings. The meeting occurred over two days with the main focus of the Friday sessions being a workshop on growing endowment funds led by Jane Humphries, VP of Community Foundations of Canada; this was especially timely given that all charitable organizations are wrestling with investment issues resulting from the current recession. The suggestion: stay calm and be honest with your donors. The Saturday morning session was mainly on communications; the breadth of services of community foundations sometimes present difficulty in telling the community foundation story. "Community means so many things to so many people, and the world to us" said Anne-Marie McElrone, Director of Communications and Marketing, Community Foundations of Canada. Regional issues became the focus of round table discussions also on Saturday morning and provided an opportunity for each foundation to tell its story and ask its questions. Not surprisingly, investment strategies during turbulent times was a major issue. Other community foundations are moving more into developing community funds similar to the Souris Fund at CFPEI. |
CFC introduced a new leadership toolkit which provides tools to community foundations to use in their
leadership work. Tools include that of assessing current community leadership activities, assessing
organizational capacity, defining leadership goals and identifying a range of tools appropriate to
individual goals.
Regional Meetings of the Community Foundations of Canada are held every two years and move from Province to Province. Approximately 20 people participated representing all four Atlantic Provinces. Participants included both volunteer directors and paid staff. PEI was represented by Rogers Bell, our newest Director, and Donald MacDonald, our Executive Director. Community foundations, and there are about 162 in Canada today, focus on the needs and interests of the local community. They connect people who care with causes that matter. Their focus is on raising and administering endowments, the earnings from which are used in the form of grants to meet local community needs. There are 10 community foundations in Atlantic Canada. The Community Foundation of Prince Edward island was established in 1993, administers forty funds and has assets of $1 million. Further information about establishing a fund or applying for a grant is available on the CFPEI website www.cfpei.ca |