The Good Exchange reports back from the UK Community Foundations (UKCF) Conference
By Ed Gairdner, COO and Julian May, Business Development Manager, The Good Exchange
The 2019 UKCF Conference kicked off in Glasgow this Monday (9th September). At the UK’s largest gathering of professionals involved in local giving and philanthropy, speakers included Alice Beveridge of Tree Knowledge, Sara Llewellin, CEO of Barrow Cadbury and Fabian French, CEO, UK Community Foundations.
The relevance of Community Foundations in today’s society formed a large part of the discussions held at this year’s event. An interesting point raised by the chief executive of the Nebraska Community Foundation is whether there is too much focus on Foundations themselves rather than the communities they serve. And as another Community Foundation put it, “is the role of convening more important than grant-making or is the ability to convene a by-product of the ability to award grants in a local community?”
In my view, there is a great need for regional leaders up and down the UK, to ensure that social needs are addressed, particularly at a time when local government funding remains under significant strain. Many of the Community Foundations we work with are the embodiment of their communities and embrace their leadership role, yet many Foundations across the country still struggle with building and establishing their profile. Real-time funding by local Foundations is growing year-on-year and is driving tangible benefits to local people; with greater awareness, the possibilities are endless!
Commentators on the third sector frequently make claims that funding is being levelled more at local communities as donors wish to have visibility of the impact of their giving, especially at a time when trust in larger charities is waning. A collaborative approach to charitable funding and volunteering has arguably never been more important than it is today. Therefore, Community Foundations remain ideally placed to continue to be the facilitators and mediators to work with community groups to identify and address these needs. This provides them with a unique position to focus on matters of national importance but at a community level. This local knowledge and the ability to award grants locally does give Community Foundations the right to have an opinion and to drive action from groups working in their areas – whether charities seeking funding, volunteers or other grant-making organisations, local donors and businesses – for the collective good.
For Community Foundations looking to boost local engagement and raise their profile, technology can be used to great effect. This is particularly important in order to reach younger generations. Today’s Generation Z have been raised in the digital era and have come to expect the organisations they engage with to be relevant and innovative, which is challenging the traditionalists in the third sector to evolve. And as one Community Foundation remarked to fellow delegates, “doing things differently can unlock other programmes of funding and opportunities”.
In times of significant societal change, Community Foundations are best placed to provide leadership and support to their communities. But to do so effectively means embracing digital advancement to unlock philanthropic giving and to appeal to the next generation’s desire to make a difference in society.
