VCF Strategic Plan

July 1, 2009 - JUne 30, 2013

The Vanderburgh Community Foundation is a nonprofit, public charity created by and for the people of Vanderburgh County.  We connect donors with the causes they care about. We are your center for charitable investment in our community:

We help Donors Achieve Their Charitable Vision by providing assurance that their gifts are making a difference and meeting the community needs they care about most - today and forever into the future.

We help Professional Advisors Help Their Clients by offering philanthropic resources that help donors make smart and well-informed giving decisions.

We help Nonprofits Fulfill Their Missions by strengthening their ability to meet community needs through grants that assist charitable programs, address community issues, support community agencies, launch community initiatives, and support leadership development.

OUR Mission

The Vanderburgh Community Foundation exists to partner with caring people to meet community needs, For Good, For Ever.  The Vanderburgh Community Foundation enhances the quality of Life in Vanderburgh County through:

• Serving our donors by providing a flexible vehicle to carry out their philanthropic intentions;
• Building a permanent endowment by attracting charitable gifts and bequests;
• Exercising stewardship in grant making in such fields as education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development, and other civic endeavors; and
• Providing effective leadership to identify and address community needs and opportunities.

Strategic INITIATIVES

1.   Provide effective leadership to identify and address community needs and opportunities.

Objectives

a. Develop a framework for identifying significant community needs.

b. Align organizational and financial resources to support identified community needs.

c. Increase collaborative funding and awareness of targeted community needs.

Responsible Committee - Community Coalitions Committee

2.   Build foundation to attract sufficient charitable gifts and bequests to carry out the Vanderburgh Community Foundation's Mission.

Objectives

a. Explore the formation of a new committee to focus on fund cultivation/asset development.

b. Heighten the Vanderburgh Community Foundation's visibility and reputation as a significant contributor to the community.

Responsible Committee - Governance and Nominating Committee

3.   Ensure that the Vanderburgh Community Foundation's organizational model and structure enables the Foundation to execute on its Mission.

Objectives

a. Ensure the Vanderburgh Community Foundation's organizational model for sustainability anticipates and accommodates growth in the next decade.

b. Increase diversity of VCF trustee membership.

c. Continually enhance and diversify trustee and staff capacity.

Responsible Committee - Governance and Nominating Committee

4.   Serve Vanderburgh Community Foundation donors by granting to the most beneficial programs and initiatives.

Objectives

a. Align grant making with identified community needs.

b. Improve the quality of grant proposals to ensure the best programs/initiatives are recipients of Vanderburgh Community Foundation grants.

Responsible Committee - Grants Committee

5.   Provide leadership to align grant seekers to partner, collaborate and improve performance whenever possible.

Objectives

a. Develop a process to identify programs and initiatives with similar objectives.

b. Connect philanthropists, nonprofit organizations and community leaders with similar objectives, programs and initiatives.

Responsible Committee - Grants Committee

6.   Ensure that the Foundation meets or exceeds the goals of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program.

Objectives

a. Develop a program to educate Scholarship Committee members on how to evaluate applicants.

b. Align scholarship granting with the goals and objectives of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program.

Responsible Committee - Scholarship Committee

**In an effort to consistently align each of the committees' strategic initiatives and objectives, some of the items discussed in the committee meetings may not be included in this document because they are more task oriented.  Such task oriented items are very important and will be included in separate document to track the progress of each objective by task.