by Jennifer Meckling, Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Charitable Organization Endowment Program Director
If you're like many of our endowed organizations, you may not know where your endowment came from, what the founding board members had in mind for it or what you can do to ensure that it continues to grow and support your nonprofit into the future.
At the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, we know that your charitable organization endowment was founded and fostered by visionaries. We worked hand in hand with these champions in your organization's history who made a commitment to your future. As stewards of that forward thinking, it's our responsibility to ensure your endowment fund continues to help your organization thrive.
One of the ways that nonprofits can help ensure future sustainability is through
sound policy. Beyond just a pesky Form 990 request from the IRS, policies have innumerable benefits
for an organization - like helping create a framework for success. Effective policies establish standards for best practices like strategic planning, protecting client and employee information, determining appropriate employee compensation and investing in your endowment.
By creating a policy that directs a percentage of unexpected gifts or a portion of your annual income into your endowment, you can ensure your fund achieves the perpetual goals that your organization's leadership originally had in mind. In addition to providing support for those who will work to achieve your mission in the future, an endowment policy illustrates to your donors that you are committed to your organization's sustainability. It tells donors that in addition to good stewardship of funding today, you have the discipline to plan for the future and set your organization up for success tomorrow.
P.S. - If you would you like to share the story of your endowment or insert endowment language into your policies, contact us and we can help you with the details. Or, check out our Toolkit below to find useful tools that will help you promote and develop your fund.
Make Your Donors Aware of Your Endowment With a Post or Story Using This Sample Language:
Did you know our endowment with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation was established in 2007 with a $45,000 gift? Today, we are living the dream of that gift:
our fund has grown to over $202,000 and has provided more than $53,000 in revenue. You can be part of that legacy by donating to our endowment fund at occf.org/onlinegiving.
Is your information up to date? Help us get ready for endowment distribution day by making sure the following information is current
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