July 2022
Greetings Local Leaders!

As most of you know, Maggie Sullivan left MCF last month for an amazing adventure. Her new husband, Daniel, was offered a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity with the US State Department that will take them both all over the world. Maggie is part of the MCF family, and while we will miss her dearly, we are thrilled about this experience of a lifetime.

During this transition, I will be your MCF contact for your LCF needs. You can reach me through email at elisa@mtcf.org or by phone at 406-441-4953. We are in the final stages of the hiring process, and I am excited to introduce you to the new Local Community Foundation Program Officer in the coming weeks. Through this transition, we remain committed to supporting all of you, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything.

As we look to the future of the LCF programs, we are excited to continue to support each one of our LCFs, as well as bring new programming and opportunities to engage, share, and thrive. Stay tuned for more to come!

We are excited to bring on a new team member and when we do, we will be so happy to introduce them to our amazing LCF community.

Sincerely,
‌
We’re Moving the LCF Convening to Spring 2023
As we near fall, we are all excited by the approaching giving season. However, we also know how busy this season gets for those who work in philanthropy. With this in mind, along with staff transitions, we have made the decision to move our LCF Convenings to the Spring 2023.

We hope that this gives all of us plenty of time to plan for some much-needed time together. We have some amazing new content to share with you and we are looking forward to the Convenings. In our Fall Local Leader, we will provide you with more information about the Spring Convenings and ask for your feedback on the upcoming events.  
Applications for Re-Imagining Rural Now Open
Applications are now open for 2022 Reimagining Rural. Due August 9th!
Our small towns are the heart of Montana. Reimagining Rural brings rural community members together to hear positive and inspiring stories of thriving small towns and helps them take action to create a more vibrant future for their town.

Dates and Speakers for 2022:

Help your local leaders get energized and re-think what is
possible by participating in the 2022 Reimagining Rural Virtual Gatherings.

  • Thursday, September 8 – Montana’s own rural “Brain Gain”. Reframe your view of rural with "Brain Gain" research that shows rural is changing, not dying. Tara Mastel, MSU Extension Associate Specialist, will share a new way to look at the changes happening in our rural towns.
  • Thursday, September 22 – The Idea Friendly Way to Get Things Done. Becky McCray and Deb Brown’s “Idea Friendly Method” is a revolutionary way to accomplish a lot with little money and no committees! Becky and Deb are back by popular demand.
  • Thursday, October 6 – Success in a Small Town. A small Montana town success story accomplished by volunteers and things they already had will be featured to inspire your community members to imagine what is possible.
Moving In, Moving Out, and Moving Over:
The Future of the Rural Housing Supply
MSU Extension is hosting a webinar on August 16th from 11:30 am-12:45 pm to discuss the housing shortages in rural communities with Ben Winchester, Rural Brain Gain Author and Reimagining Rural Keynote Speaker.

Major demographic shifts have forever changed the face of rural communities which has resulted in a housing shortage. In the next 20 years, nearly three-quarters of rural owner-occupied housing will turn over as seniors and baby boomers move out. A broad examination of the trends related to these moves – such as workforce housing, a tight labor market, and changing residential preferences – will be discussed. 

This webinar will help you better understand the housing situation in your community and give you some ideas on what you can do to help address the challenge.
Consider hosting a “Watch Party” in your community

If housing is a concern in your community, this might be a great opportunity to gather folks together to watch this and start a conversation about it. Anyone affected by the housing shortage would be great to invite, in particular, economic development professionals, school board members, school administrators, hospital administrators, employers struggling to hire people, realtors, and local government leaders.
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MCF loves sharing your stories and events. If you would like an event to be highlighted on our Facebook page please email Kristin Williams, Communications Associate, at kristin@mtcf.org.