November 29, 2022
In this season of giving, Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation (GPCF) and the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation (CDAF) are filled with gratitude and thanksgiving about the 2022 We GIVE campaign. The twelfth annual giving campaign for Poweshiek County raised a total of $146,387 among 65 funds supported by both non-profits. CDAF President and CEO, Julie Gosselink stated, “We Give allows donors to vocalize and support those projects they are passionate about, and it allows GPCF and CDAF to live out our missions of encouraging philanthropy and connecting donors with the organizations and initiatives they care about within our community.” Over $34,000 was donated during We GIVE to various CDAF funds such as the Giving Gardens, Grinnell Food Coalition, Imagine Grinnell and its projects, P.O.W.E.R. Kids, Poweshiek Housing Assistance Fund, S.H.E. Counts, Strong Foundation, Tiger Packs, and the Vosburg Music Fund. All gifts given to the CDAF Administrative Operating Fund were matched dollar for dollar by CDAF Board and Staff.
Nicole Brua-Behrens, GPCF Executive Director comments, “We Give empowers both donors and non-profits by drawing attention to initiatives and needs throughout Poweshiek County that might otherwise be overlooked. By connecting generous donors with giving opportunities, our Foundations are facilitating impactful change for our communities. We are so grateful to steward over $112,000 given to GPCF funds during the month of October.”
GPCF hosts 100 funds to which donors can make gifts. Of the 54 GPCF funds that received gifts in the month-long campaign, endowed funds were a donor favorite. “Over $76,000 was donated to endowed funds at GPCF this year,” reports Brua-Behrens. “Endowed fund gifts are important investments for the future. These gifts grow in perpetuity and provide annual disbursements to sustain organizations.” The Montezuma Food Pantry, Drake Community Library, Mayflower Human Needs, Grinnell Area Arts Council, Grinnell Regional Medical Center, and the Dr. Kevin W. Sterk Elementary Student Needs are each endowed funds that collectively received nearly $34,000 from 77 gifts. “Each of these funds offer long-term support for pillars in our community. Our communities are made better by their existence, and we are proud to be able to support them,” continues Brua-Behrens.
Gifts to endowed funds grow over time and help support operational costs for these important causes each year. GPCF Board President, Dr. Patrick Cogley, stated, “Though a donor may think of their gift as a one-time donation, by giving to an endowed fund, their gift will continue to serve the community far beyond the month of October and for years to come.” Even though October is over, Dr. Cogley encourages all philanthropists to think locally as the year draws to a close. “The We Give campaign is launched in October, but donors can continue to give via the We GIVE forms through December 31.” Donation booklets and forms can be picked up at the Foundation Offices if needed.
The TT Cranny Renovation Fund Campaign received $16,682 during We Give which will support the next round of improvements to the Grinnell High School stadium including the entrance, restrooms and press boxes, and the scoreboard and sound system. The Grinnell-Newburg School Foundation, Grinnell-Newburg Dollars for Scholars, and several scholarship funds collectively received over $15,000 to support education, teachers, and students.
GPCF offered several matching opportunities for donors during We Give, two of which still have funding available. $9,557 was distributed via matches among three GPCF funds, the Dr. Kevin W. Sterk Elementary Student Needs Endowed Fund, the Michael J. Manatt Community Center Endowed Fund, and the East Poweshiek County Ambulance Endowed Fund. “Challenge dollar matches from the GPCF Board and donors greatly extend the impact of donations from community members,” said Brua-Behrens. “Donors give to funds addressing community needs which they feel are most pressing, and with dollar for dollar matches we are able to double the financial resources dedicated to those important causes.”
Two matches still have funding available – the GPCF board is matching dollar for dollar any new endowed donor advised funds that are established between before December 31, 2022, up to a maximum of $500 per fund. An anonymous donor is matching $2.00 for every dollar donated to any of the following endowed funds benefiting the Brooklyn community through December 31, 2022: Brooklyn Community Foundation, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Volunteer Fire Department; Citizens Scholarship of BGM-Dollars for Scholars, Michael J. Manatt Community Center, and the East Poweshiek County Ambulance funds.
Other non-endowed funds garnering widespread support this year include LINK, which provides after-school and summer programming as well as mentoring, PALS, the no-kill animal shelter in Poweshiek County, Station Clubhouse, which provides support services to adults living with mental health disabilities, and the GPCF administrative operations fund, which supports ongoing operations at the community foundation.
Donors to any of the more than 100 funds, campaigns, and capital projects of the Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation and the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation may specify which funds they wish to support and send checks to The Foundation Offices, P.O. Box 344, Grinnell, IA., 50112, donate online at www.greaterpcf.org or www.ahrensfamilyfoundation.org or contact the Foundation Offices at 641-236-5518
The Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation supports local initiatives and partners with GPCF to provide back-office support services via its Community Support Services (CSS) program to achieve greater efficiency and increased organizational capacity by sharing office space and administrative services. The Greater Poweshiek Community Foundation is a non-profit organization that assists donors in supporting local non-profit organizations to make life better for people in the area.
