New strategic plan will expand generosity in our region
By Sue Hafkemeyer / President and CEO
This summer, I wrote about the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s community-driven plan to build our mission in the coming years. That plan was born in a series of conversations with more than 200 community members and clarified through small working group discussions with community members, board members, and Community Foundation team members.
Now, I’m proud to announce that our 2024-2026 Strategic Direction and Plan has been unanimously approved by our board of directors. This plan would not exist without the contribution of community members; they guided us in thinking about what we want the Community Foundation—and the region—to look like in the future.
The plan is focused on one central goal: helping community members find meaningful ways to express their generosity and support the effectiveness of the nonprofit sector so all Quad Citians have the opportunity to thrive.
How do we do that?
We’ve broken this central goal into four strategy-based priorities, focusing on key audiences, donor connections, and organizational capacity building.
To increase engagement among donors and community leaders, we’re committed to providing more opportunities for young people. This will happen through programs like Teens for Tomorrow and by opening more board, committee, and volunteer leadership positions to people under the age of 50. We’re also committed to making philanthropy more accessible for everyone. Already, we’ve lowered the threshold for opening a donor advised fund to provide this giving vehicle to more people, including young donors.
To advance our philanthropy programs, we will more deeply engage local business leaders and encourage giving to and through the foundation by sharing the stories of the individuals and organizations transforming our region. We will also work to strengthen our relationships with rural communities and Quad Citians who may no longer live here but have a heart for the place they once called “home.” This commitment will be reflected in our future staffing additions and our continued collaboration with our geographic affiliates across the region.
Our work would not be possible without our region’s incredible nonprofits. To strengthen the capacity of that sector, we will continue to shape and grow funding opportunities for local organizations and devote resources to help them build their individual missions. Critical to this priority is our newly founded Center for Nonprofit Excellence, which will be guided in large part by an advisory council of nonprofit stakeholders. We’re going to continue to prioritize work that’s for nonprofits, by nonprofits.
And finally, an idea that came up repeatedly in our community conversation is that “we all win when everyone does better.” To us, that’s what equity means. We’re going to focus on partner collaboration and DEI initiatives to help build a more equitable community. This commitment to equity will factor into our decision making, our community education initiatives, and the metrics we track and transparently share. You can already see this commitment shaping our work at the Community Foundation. This year, we launched the Clean River Advisory Council, a community project that elevates a diverse range of voices to improve the health of our river and our river communities.
Together, these priorities represent a comprehensive approach that will reach more donors and help them express their generosity in an effective and equitable way throughout the region. Local nonprofits are going to have more resources and opportunities; our mission will support theirs. And we commit to being transparent on how we’re doing and how you can support your community.
In 2024, we will celebrate 60 years of partnering with our community to transform the region through generosity. This plan will guide us into a future of donor-driven transformation. I hope you’ll join us as we head toward a bright future for the Quad Cities.