Building for the Future:
Creating a Non-Profit Endowment Fund
The Community Foundation is an ideal vehicle for building an endowment to help any non-profit organization better meet current challenges and provide long-term stability for the future of the organization. The Community Foundation provides investment oversight of the funds and many other services.
What is an agency endowment?
An agency endowment, which grows through gifts from generous donors and investment income, is a permanent pool of charitable dollars whose earnings benefit a specific organization. Only a portion of the earnings are spent for purposes determined by the nonprofit’s board, or in some cases, the wishes of the donor.
Who should create an endowment?
Organizations with an outstanding track record of service to the community, strong leadership and management, financial stability and accountability, a committed and diverse pool of donors, board and staff commitment to the effort, and the capacity to engage in this long-term fundraising strategy are the best candidates for endowment development.
Why does your organization need an endowment?
An endowment demonstrates that your organization has made a long-term commitment to your mission. It provides an additional source of annual income. Endowment earnings can be used each year to help fund operations, programs, and unanticipated needs.
Who can establish an agency endowment with the Foundation?
An agency endowment can be established by a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization or by a donor of that organization.
How do you set up an endowment?
Your board can readily establish an endowment with the Community Foundation by completing an agency fund agreement and making an initial contribution of at least $5,000.
How can you build your endowment?
- Select a committee to plan the effort, fundraise, and meet with potential donors.
- Create an endowment building plan which includes responsibilities of staff and board, strategy for building the endowment, an investment policy, a spending policy, a gift acceptance policy, a marketing plan and a donor recognition plan.
- Seek donations of cash, appreciated securities or planned and deferred gifts.
- Encourage donors to include your organization in their wills.
- Become educated about endowment building and planned giving. Staff and Board must be able to explain the difference between annual fund, capital fund and an endowment.
- We can help simplify the endowment building process.
BoardStrong
BoardStrong’s mission is to help nonprofit organizations achieve the highest standards of board leadership, governance and oversight. This is done by providing nonprofit board training, consultation and educational resources. They also offer an online recruitment platform that helps organizations find talented board candidates from outside their networks. BoardStrong is a subsidiary of the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON).
Mid-Hudson Valley Community Profiles
The Mid-Hudson Valley regional profile provides a wealth of information to help inform decision-making and planning in order to drive positive community change for the seven-county region as a whole. This web tool includes 59 separate indicators that provide insight into the trends of our community over time. This project includes data on communities in Orange, Sullivan, Dutchess, Ulster, Columbia, Greene and Putnam counties and is a great tool for grant writing and program research. Funded by the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan along with partners Dyson Foundation, Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley and United Way of the Dutchess Orange Region, we encourage organizations and community members to utilize this valuable tool.