Engaging for Good – 2018 Annual Report
You know an organization is on solid footing when new levels of success are expected each year. 2018 was no different.
2018 Board Chair Ken Petersen (l) and President/CEO Dan Baldwin
We granted a record $18.7 million. Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) donor advisors are more active than ever, utilizing their funds to make significant investments into Monterey County. Scholarship funding took another huge leap to $1.3 million with the help of many new partnerships. While investment markets didn’t do us any favors, especially at the end of the year, the CFMC experienced robust giving.
The generosity of Monterey County residents continually amazes us.
Perhaps the true sign of the CFMC’s maturity is that we measure ourselves – our effectiveness and impact – in new ways. 2018 saw the advent of our Community Impact Investment program, in which we invested a small portion of our long-term portfolio in community development finance organizations who will then loan our capital to start-up farmers or women entrepreneurs. The portfolio receives a guaranteed return on these placements. Or our Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s Next Steps for Small Nonprofits, which finished year two of a three-year program to help small and emerging nonprofits gain capacity and expertise that will be vital elements of their sustainability.
And there is the largely behind-the-scenes community leadership work in areas of homelessness, affordable housing, the 2020 Census and support of many of our community’s vital nonprofits. This confluence of philanthropy and community impact was eloquently tied together in Leon and Sylvia Panetta’s Distinguished Trustee acceptance remarks at the annual Celebration of Philanthropy.
None of this happens without a committed, engaged board of directors and staff. The energy, intellect and passion that goes into the successes of your community foundation are possible because of the people who work at it every day. Healthy nonprofits have strong boards and great staffs, recognizing best practices and appropriate boundaries. Working as partners.
Perhaps the primary driver is our sense of responsibility to the stewardship of assets, the honoring of each donor’s intent and our commitment to leveraging these resources into maximum benefit for Monterey County. In other words, we are driven by our desire to build “Healthy, Safe, Vibrant Communities.” We are Here for Good.
We hope you’ll enjoy reading how we worked to accomplish this in 2018.
