Community Foundation of Tompkins County

Philanthropy Magnified
April 2015
A Message from our CEO, George Ferrari
CEO George Ferrari

Many local nonprofits host their annual meetings in the months of April and May. Some are well attended, others not so much. Universally, agencies get excited about seeing people new to them attend these events. I encourage you to go to a meeting of an organization that interests you to learn more about their accomplishments and future plans. Take a friend and go get inspired together. Pick an agency, to which you might consider making a new donation. Explore a group, at which you might want to volunteer. Create a new community connection. You will feel energized, they will appreciate you, and our entire community will benefit from more people getting even more involved. We hope to see you at our annual meeting, May 18.

 

As always, keep connected by visiting our website at www.cftompkins.org

Celebrate Service

By Amy LeViere, Donor Services Officer

 

National Volunteer Week and National Library Week

April 12 - 18, 2015

 

Our community celebrates the many volunteers and donors who contribute their time, talent, and treasure. National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing, and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. This past weekend, the Lansing Community Library, in partnership with Lifelong, hosted an afternoon program centered around questions on our culture's perspective on aging and the possibility of promoting change in our communities. Libraries continue to play an important role as a community center of sorts.

Marlaine Darfler and Amy LeViere
Marlaine Darfler and Amy LeViere
Barbara Barry and Julie Berens
Barbara Barry and Julie Berens
We are pleased to recognize Marlaine, Barbara, Julie, and many other supporters of both the Community Foundation and the Lansing Community Library.

To make a gift to the Friends of Lansing Community Library Fund, the Lansing Community Library Endowment Fund, or another one of the many funds of the Community Foundation, visit our website.
A Night on the Town Broadway Extravaganza!
broadway
By Janet Cotraccia, Program Officer


Running to Places, Cayuga Vocal Ensemble, Community School of Music and Arts, Hangar Theatre, Kitchen Theatre, Civic Ensemble, Ithaca Ballet, Ithaca Community Choruses, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Ithaca Festival, State Theatre, Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts, Discovery Trail, Tompkins County Public Library, Newfield Public Library, Southworth Library Association, Lansing Community Library, Ulysses Philomathic Library.

What do these organizations (and many more) have in common? They are all part of the rich tapestry of arts and cultural organizations that have received grants from the Community Foundation of Tompkins County.

In honor of our 15 year anniversary, we invite you to join in celebrating our local arts organizations, who have helped us succeed. Bring your family and enjoy a free reception after the performance. We could not have come this far without the loyal support and hard work of each member of the community.

This event will feature choral members from Tompkins County vocal ensembles, accompanied by a 50 piece orchestra in addition to favorite soloists Geoff Peterson, Mark Lawrence, and Sally Ramirez, as well as the talented youth of Running to Places Theatre Company. Our directors for the evening are the fabulous Baruch Whitehead and Joey Steinhagen.

Mark your calendars and come celebrate with performances of your favorite Broadway selections!

June 6th, 7:00pm at Ford Hall, Ithaca College (reception following the event)
Foundations Fall Short in Giving Grantees Advice on Evaluations, Says Report
Credit: Alex Daniels, Chronicle of Philanthropy
Two-thirds of nonprofits don't get guidance from grant makers about how to use data to measure their performance, even though most foundation support comes with a demand that grantees evaluate their work, according to a report released Monday.

Almost all of the 138 nonprofits surveyed by the Center for Effective Philanthropy collected information to gauge their performance. But 64 percent of the organizations said they did not receive any support from foundations on how to marshal the data they amass.

 

Only 39 percent of the nonprofits said they have had "at least a moderate" amount of discussion with foundations about assessment.

 

"Nonprofits are really trying and making an effort, but they can't do it alone," said Ellie Buteau, the center's vice president for research and the study's author. "They need and want more help from foundations, and they're looking for other types of support, not just the money,"

 

That finding is surprising, Ms. Buteau said, given her organization's 2013 study of foundation CEOs, three-quarters of whom said they were already providing such advice.

 

GrantStation Access
The Community Foundation now has access to GrantStation and we would like to share it with you!

GrantStation is a tool for non-profits, educational institutions, and government agencies that helps these groups find both private and federal grantmakers in their local area, for a specific area of interest, or for a specific project.

GrantStation is very user-friendly and operates using both simple and advanced search features. As a grant seeker, you can simply search within an area of interest or for a specific keyword, or do a more intricate search and find exactly what you are seeking.

There are also many resources provided by GrantStation to aid in the grant seeking process. GrantStation is divided into four sections: Search, Write, Learn, and Read. Each of these sections will help you in different ways and guide you toward writing better grants to the right people.

To give GrantStation a try in our offices or to conduct more thorough research, reserve a one-hour GrantStation time slot by contacting our Administrative Assistant, Matthew Fisher:

(607) 272-9333
In This Issue
News and Events
Community Foundation Annual Meeting: Creating Community Connections
  • May 18, 2015
  • 5:30pm
  • Loaves & Fishes
15th Anniversary Events
  • June 6, 2015
  • 7pm
  • Ford Hall, Ithaca College
  • November 7, 2015
  • Saturday evening
  • Celebrations
    2331 Slaterville Rd
    Ithaca, NY 14850 
2015 Philanthropy Learning Exchanges
(continuing education credits available pending content approval)
Matchmaking: Are Your Gifts Having the Impact You Desire?
Using Charitable Assets in a Socially Responsible Way
  • June 17, 2015
  • 12pm for professional advisors
  • 5pm for donors
Financial Planning 101 for Young Professionals
  • Sept. 22, 2015
  • 12pm for professional advisors
  • 5pm for donors
Who We Are
2013 Annual Report

Click here to view our latest report,
Learning to Give, Giving to Learn.
What Are Community Foundations?

Community Foundations are not-for-profit organizations founded and staffed by people who are dedicated to seeking out what is needed in our community and what is valuable about Tompkins County and to helping those valuable assets grow important results. We understand our community's needs and help you to turn your charitable passions into results-oriented philanthropy. We show donors how to make gifts go further and accomplish more.
New Board Member Spotlight: Stephen Pope
Stephen Pope
Stephen Pope
Financial Administration Committee

Stephen is the Sibley College Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Cornell University, where for the past 33 years he has been teaching and conducting research in fluid dynamics and combustion. He was born and educated in England, and came to the U.S. in 1977, first to Pasadena, CA, then to Cambridge, MA, and finally to Ithaca in 1982. When his two children were younger he was active in the Ithaca School District and served twice as President of the PTA at both Boynton Middle School and Ithaca High School. Since then he has been actively involved in a number of community organizations.

Stephen and his wife Linda live on Ithaca's South Hill and enjoy its natural beauty and walking on its many trails. Stephen is excited to be joining the board of the Community Foundation and intends to make the most of this opportunity to assist the Foundation in achieving its goal of using philanthropy to enhance the lives of those who live and work in Tompkins County. 
Meet the Board and Staff
 

Board of Directors

 

Chair

Alan Mathios

 

Vice Chair

Randy Ehrenberg

 

Secretary

Sandra Dhimitri

 

Treasurer

Diane McDonough

 

Immediate Past Chair

Robin Masson

 

Richard Banks

Mary Berens

Susan Brown

Tom Colbert

Fabina Colon

Ross Feldman

Marcie Finlay

Bob Jewell

Sara Knobel

Robin Masson

Philip McPheron

Alice Moore

Bill Murphy

Susan Murphy

Stephen Pope

Ron Poole

Nancy Potter

Kevin Shreve

Carol Travis

Lucia Tyler

Baruch Whitehead

Stephanie Wiles

 

Incorporating Board

Jeff Furman

Howard Hartnett

Bill Myers

John Semmler

Diane Shafer

Robert Swieringa

 

Staff

Click on a name to send an email.

  

Chief Executive Officer

George Ferrari, Jr.

 

Chief Development Officer

Nancy Massicci

 

Program Officer

Janet Cotraccia

 

Donor Services Officer

Amy LeViere

 

Administrative Assistant

Matthew Fisher
Community Foundation of Tompkins County | (607) 272-9333 | info@cftompkins.org | http://www.cftompkins.org
200 E. Buffalo St.
Suite 202
Ithaca, NY 14850

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