As we enter the first month of a new decade, I can’t help but to think of the reasons I love January. I find myself looking back on the prior year, making tweaks for the upcoming year as well as taking in all the goodness that surrounds us. I like to take what I call the triple R approach; reflect, reset and rejoice.
Reflect – 2019, our 25th anniversary serving donors, nonprofits and the community as a whole, we made lots of progress. We started the year launching our new brand, complete with revisions to our name, logo, mission and tagline. Our programs including 100+ Women Who Care and the Community Grant Program reached new records awarding grants to 28 organizations, totaling $113,500. Our return on investments through the third quarters was 13.7% and in the fourth quarter we surpassed the $5 million mark for assets under management. We closed out the year with a successful annual appeal to ensure we have adequate resources to operate raising $60,089 as well the best ever Extreevaganza generating $78,000 for the Community Fund.
Reset – With a successful 2019, we are taking a close look at our operations making plans to build on the momentum and make tweaks to better serve you as we magnify our mission, while keeping our own capacity in mind. We are implementing a new strategic plan built around four goals:
- Steward and grow assets to ensure financial health and sustainability for the county
- Build sound operations
- Cultivate a culture of philanthropy in Otsego County
- Strengthen community through leadership, grant making and collaboration
As the rush of the giving season is behind us, January is the perfect time to hunker down and start making progress on these goals.
Rejoice– While not often a work associated with this quiet, wintry time of year, I can’t help but to be filled with excitement as I think of the year ahead. Our tagline connect to what matters is a simple yet accurate summary of my daily work as I answer emails from nonprofit organizations excited to share their new ideas as well as correspond with donors who want to give back to causes close to their heart. Thanks to the 1283 donors who contributed to funds in 2019, especially, the 83 who generously gave to our year end campaign, it looks as though in 2020 our mission will be more impactful than ever before. Thank you to each and every one of you for being part of this joy!