Trust, Our Most Important Asset

Earning your trust is precious to all of us at the Community Foundation of Western Nevada. From our outstanding board, to our dedicated staff, and the policies and practices we have put in place, we work hard every day to be good stewards of your powerful generosity. We are transparent. The Community Foundation lists our financials, tax returns, audit, board members, and policies on our website.  We listen, always remembering that we have two ears and one mouth.  We learn about the individual goals and preferences of every donor that gives and every charity that serves.  We use information effectively and efficiently so we can meet all known needs, comprehensively. A lessor-known tool that has helped us achieve a high level of service and high ideals is the National Standards.  In 2005 a compliance process was developed by the Council on Foundations so community foundations could become “certified”. The Community Foundation chose to undergo the rigorous process to qualify. These standards are a roadmap for establishing and implementing legal, ethical, and effective practices that withstand the scrutiny of donors, government and media.  They also provide a framework for documenting, communicating and providing training and technical assistance to advance best practices.  The National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations provide community foundations with a way to distinguish themselves from entities that provide similar services such as donor advised funds and scholarship funds. No other grantmaking bodies or foundation types have worked together to identify sound polices and accountable practices to be measured against. Meeting these standards is a daily challenge due to the additional work it involves, but we do it because we know that it not just enough to achieve our annual goals, not just enough to follow our internal policies, and not just enough to follow ethical standards. If you have time, it’s worth it to glance over the list of the standards.  You may find some of the work we do to earn your trust reassuring and perhaps surprising. Your trust is everything to us. We appreciate your continued support and if you have any suggestions about how we can improve our services or make other changes or efforts to become more trustworthy, please give me a call.  We are only successful if your goals are achieved, and that can only happen if you trust us enough to give us the privilege of helping you. We connect people who care with causes that matter. Chris Askin, President & CEO