Curt Detjen, president and CEO of the Community Foundation, and  Jon Stellmacher, chairman of the Community Foundation Board.

By Curt Detjen, President and CEO

The fiscal year that concluded in June 2020 was one of the most disruptive in memory for the Community Foundation. It was also a year for which we are most proud of our donors, nonprofit partners, board and staff.

Emergence of the global pandemic in early 2020 changed the world. It has proved a tremendous, ongoing challenge but it also ushered in a time where people and organizations showed their best selves. Your Community Foundation helped our region support organizations serving those most affected and in need of help through the COVID-19 Community Response Fund. Our United Way Fox Cities friends collaborated with us, and our community provided the resources – in spades! Thank you!

Delivery of our mission has continued thanks to a skilled staff and wise board of directors and a progressive community of caring, generous investors in solutions. There are many silver linings, improvements of necessity that will continue even when life returns to “normal.”

Our year will also be defined by investments made to drive our mission:

• Hiring an Outsourced Chief Investment Officer charged with the dual mandate to manage assets to support today’s philanthropic purposes and to ensure we will have resources tomorrow to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead of us.
• Comprehensive rebranding to help the community better understand our unique role in this region and invite the many opportunities to partner with the Community Foundation for current and long-term impact.
• An office expansion and renovation to provide much-needed meeting and staff spaces that support our role in convening, educating and collaborating to bolster quality of life in our region.
• We’re discerning how we will address diversity, equity and inclusion – both internally and in how it interacts with, supports, and leads in our community. Listening and learning come first. And we will reflect and set a course to do the right thing, consistent with our stated values.

Like you, we care about today and tomorrow. As your partner, we will work hard to address priorities such as continued vigilance in light of public health and economic uncertainty, defining and fulfilling our role in addressing equity and social justice, incorporating survey input into our service supporting philanthropy, and refreshing the focus of the Community Foundation’s strategic plan. We will pursue these and other initiatives in the spirit of continuous improvement to drive us forward as we foster a flourishing future for all in our region.

We’re grateful for all the ways you support the Community Foundation, entrusting us with your generous gifts and with your confidence in us as a valued partner.

Check out our report to the community! What does a Community Foundation do? Glad you asked! Learn more here.