Community leadership is so important to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks that it’s one of our four core values, framed as “Collaboration creates solutions.”
This work, supported largely by the annual Founders Fund campaign, takes many forms. Some projects are perennial, like the Community Focus Report for Springfield & Greene County produced for the 10th time in fall 2021. Others are one-and-dones — or sometimes a two-and-done, with the two “First Response” reports capturing Greene County’s leadership lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic for historical perspective.
When the CFO noticed the extent of the “great resignation” among local nonprofit executives in 2021, we asked a local consulting firm to delve into reasons and recommend solutions to improve how directors and boards work together. Our expertise in rural philanthropy and charitable response to natural disasters brings requests ranging from book chapters to conference speakers.
This commitment to leadership encourages all of us to belong to our communities. Both on and off the job, CFO staff members serve on civic, education and community boards and projects. Volunteering helps us gain more insight and develop stronger relationships, which makes the CFO better at being “the” place for philanthropy across our large region.
