| Local organization accredited with rigorous philanthropic standards |
| St. Cloud, Minn. – CommunityGiving is pleased to announce that they have recently received reaccreditation with the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®, the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® establish legal, ethical, and effective practices for community foundations everywhere. CommunityGiving and its partner foundations have been accredited with the National Standards of U.S. Community Foundations® since 2006. To receive accreditation with National Standards, CommunityGiving and its partner foundations submitted policies and procedures to a rigorous review of 26 National Standards in six key areas of community foundation operations, including donor services, investment management, grantmaking and administration. “Meeting the National Standards benchmarks is a rigorous, comprehensive process,” said Randy Royster, Chair of the Community Foundations National Standards Board. “This accreditation is a significant accomplishment that indicates CommunityGiving and its partner foundations demonstrate a commitment to transparency, quality, integrity and accountability as it carries out its mission.” “National Standards says that we meet the most rigorous standards in philanthropy and is a promise to the communities we serve that we’ll continue to do this good work together,” says Bruce Pohlig, chair of the CommunityGiving Board of Directors. CommunityGiving and its partner foundations offer a range of charitable funds, allowing donors to advance a cause, support an individual organization, provide flexible support for community needs or recommend individual grants. “It is important to our donors and fundholders that we meet National Standards,” said Steve Joul, President & CEO of CommunityGiving. “When people make a charitable bequest or establish a fund, they are putting their trust in us. They are counting on us to manage the investment wisely, honor their charitable wishes and, in some cases, provide lifetime income to a loved one. The National Standards accreditation says our house is in order.” CommunityGiving is a collaboration of community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies that maximize the impact of our donors. The core foundations working with CommunityGiving include the Alexandria Area Community Foundation, the Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation, the Community Foundation for Carver County, the Central Minnesota Community Foundation and the Willmar Area Community Foundation. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers nearly 850 funds totaling more than $150 million and has granted over $132 million back into the community. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org. |