--- title: Community Philanthropy Update - July 2025 --- The 2024 CF Insights Annual Survey is now open! Help the field and your organization make more informed decisions by submitting your data. | | | --- | | | | --- | | Greetings Friend, The FY 2024 CF Insights Annual Survey is now open!  When you participate in the CF Insights Annual Survey, your organization will have a place on the annual community foundation rankings, so you can compare distribution rates, fundraising performance, grant volumes, and more against real-world benchmarks. Not only that, you'll be helping support the field with deep insight into our sector’s health and sustainability. Hundreds of community foundations like yours participate in the CF Insights Annual Survey each year, helping to build a valuable understanding of field-wide trends. The most recent CF Insights report for fiscal year 2023, for example, showed that the field’s collective grantmaking total was higher than its fundraising total for the first time in 20 years of collecting and reporting this data. The data goes even further and can enhance real-world decision-making — the Wichita Foundation uses CF Insights data to make informed decisions about how they allocate resources to strengthen their organization. Participate in the FY 2024 CF Insights Annual Survey by October 3! Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions, and thank you for helping to create a stronger, more informed community.  In partnership, David Rosado Senior Advisor, Community Philanthropy | | --- | | Upcoming Events Leading Across Differences Peer Learning Circle July 30 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Building Trust With Policymakers Using the Science of Storytelling July 31 \| Virtual \| Webinar Public Policy Action Network August 4 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Community Foundation Donor Services Meet-Up August 20 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Member Communications Briefings August 20 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Summer Member Policy Briefing August 26 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Legal Matters for Community Foundations September 9, 11 \| Virtual \| Training CF Insights Office Hours September 24 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Plus Member Peer Connections October 23 \| Virtual \| Peer Event Building Together 2026 May 4-7, 2026 \| In-person \| Seattle | | --- | | Resources You Can Use Apply to join the CF National Standards Board We're now accepting applications to join the Community Foundations National Standards Board! Since 2009, the Community Foundations National Standards program has represented a community foundation's commitment to going above and beyond what is required Submit our brief online application form by August 15, and the Community Foundations National Standards Board Nominations Committee will contact you to discuss your interest in the program and board. Legal Question of the Month with Senior Staff Counsel Remy Barnwell Question: If we serve as a fiscal sponsor for an organization that wants to make payments to a non-501(c)(3) organization, can we do that? If yes, are there any specific requirements we must follow? Answer: You can definitely serve as fiscal sponsor to an organization that wishes to make distributions to a non-501(c)(3) organization provided that the distributions are for a charitable purpose. Just like other distributions that your foundation makes, distributions from fiscal sponsorships must serve a charitable purpose regardless of the type of organization receiving the distributions. You will want to exercise due diligence with distributions to non-501(c)(3)s to ensure the assets are used for the agreed upon purpose, but otherwise there is nothing new to consider. Council members are able to send their questions to our legal team for expert advice and analysis. You can take advantage of this member benefit by becoming a member today. CF Insights Highlight Participating in the CF Insights Annual Survey Enhances the Value of Plus Membership  If your community foundation has an upgraded Plus Membership, you have unlimited access to disaggregated CF Insights benchmarking data. Participating in the latest Annual Survey by sharing your fiscal year 2024 data not only helps build a broader awareness of field activity, it also lets you directly compare growth and performance of your own community foundation to peers without a need to wait for the snapshot report to be published. Participate today and generate peer reports directly from the CF Insights data platform today. If you’re ever interested in learning more about Plus Membership or CF Insights, visit cof.org/cfinsights, or email cfinsights@cof.org Leading Locally All Year Long Our Leading Locally All Year Long webinar series explores topics designed specifically for community foundations and place-based funders, including some of our most popular sessions from Leading Locally 2025! Even though the conference is over, the learning continues. All webinars are free for people who attended Leading Locally. Check out the full schedule. This series kicks off on July 31 with Building Trust With Policymakers Using the Science of Storytelling — a free webinar that will help you use stories and data to communicate the value of philanthropy and charitable giving. It builds on research from “Philanthropy’s New Voice,” the largest study of narratives in philanthropy, which examined what types of stories are more likely to build trust, what policymakers want to know from foundations, and how to describe the work foundations do clearly and transparently. Register for the free webinar on July 31. Philanthropy Exchange Conversations for You Recommended ERPs/CRMs for Community Foundations Fund File Check List New Fund Welcome Packets  News Articles The Chronicle of Philanthropy: GoFundMe Enters the DAF Game: What It Means for Everyday Giving The NonProfit Times: Feds Seeks Overhaul of Public Service Loan Forgiveness The Atlantic: An IRS Regulation Change That Could Sow Societal Division The Chronicle of Philanthropy: Philanthropy’s Trigger Words — and How to Make Your Message Clear | | --- | | | | --- | | Keep in Touch! Share your organization’s impact story with us at communications@cof.org. View this email as a web page. | | --- | | Shared purpose. Collective voice. Greater impact. Council on Foundations \| 1255 23rd Street NW, Suite 200  \| Washington,  DC  20037 You received this email because you are subscribed to receive emails from the Council on Foundations. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive. View our Privacy Policy. 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