2007 Annual Report - Greater Worcester Community Foundation

Letter to the Community
B
y commingling energies as well
as funds, we create common good.
Ross K. Dik, President and Ann T. Lisi, Executive Director
Our founders created an organization that enables us to
transform our community by working together. We pool
not only our assets but also our visions and energies.
We put our individual visions to work within a common,
flexible structure that enables each of us to do more than
we could on our own. At same time, the growth of our
resources—including our relationships, knowledge and
funds—expands what the Foundation as a whole can do
for the community.
One of the ways we are doing more is by deepening
our partnerships with nonprofits. As of 2007, the
Foundation’s Negotiated General Operating Support
pilot has provided three agencies with multi-year grants
that match the scale of their ambitions. Also in 2007,
the board approved grantmaking to capital campaigns,
opening a new avenue for us to strengthen nonprofits.
Our board and staff are also striving to do more
by making efficient use of our human and financial
resources. We have adopted best practices that help
us to manage our growth. For example, the board has
developed a strong governance committee and embraced
succession planning. Now, as board leadership shifts, we
can maintain continuity while giving our new chair the
opportunity to have fresh impact.
Although our staff is serving an ever-larger circle
of donors and service providers, they remain a small
group—just eleven people. They are developing skills to
provide even better services while meeting increasingly
aggressive goals. And they continue to guide the
volunteer committees who are at the heart of our model
of community philanthropy.
This personal, face-to-face interchange connects service
providers with new opportunities for growth and support
and keeps donors close to the good work—and needs—of
nonprofits serving Worcester County. By commingling
energies as well as funds, we create common good.
Thank you for taking part.
Ann T. Lisi, Executive Director
Ross K. Dik, Chair of the Board and President
May 2005 to May 2008
2 Greater Worcester Community Foundation • 07 ANNUAL REPORT