Donor Resources

Designed especially for Community Foundation donors, this section contains a wealth of continuously updated information to inform your giving and assure effective grantmaking.

Local Resources

Better Money Project - Information System (BMP-IS)
BMP-IS has been developed for use by funders, strategic planners, health and human service providers and others interested in the effective allocation of resources for health and human service programs in Polk County.

The Community Foundation encourages donors and nonprofit organizations to learn more about federal, state, and local sources of funding for health and human services and the way in which these funds are aligned to community priorities.  To access the Better Money Project - Information System, click here.


NOTE: URL is http://bettermoneymis.org

Central Iowa Funders Forum
The Central Iowa Funder’s Forum (CIFF) was created to meet an expressed need for a forum in which colleagues in organized philanthropy could share common interests, concerns and lessons learned. Membership is comprised of key representatives from private foundations, community foundations, corporate foundations and corporate giving programs, grant making public charities, bank trust departments and significant individual donors. For more information, contact Mica Slight at the Community Foundation at (515) 883.2629.

Iowa Council of Foundations
The Iowa Council of Foundations (ICoF) was founded in 1998 by representatives from Iowa foundations and corporate giving programs.  The ICOF plays a leadership role in advocation for philanthropy. It strives to help elected and appointed officials, the media and the general public understand the benefits of charitable giving.  In addition to its members, the ICoF serves the larger nonprofit community by linking agencies to grant-making opportunities and the public, which is served by these grant recipients and their efforts toward enhancing various aspects of Iowa communities. The ICoF also serves the donors who generously contribute to the various foundations or funds in Iowa.

Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center
The Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center is a University of Iowa interdisciplinary collaboration to make more accessible educational and service programs focused on strengthening the operational capacity of Iowa nonprofit organizations. The center works collaboratively with government agencies, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. The center creates new knowledge through activities and provides information and training resources to help nonprofit organizations and interested persons throughout Iowa. 

Other Resources

Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance Standards for Charity Accountability were developed to assist donors in making sound giving decisions and to foster public confidence in charitable organizations.  The standards seek to encourage fair and honest solicitations practices, to promote ethical conduct by charitable organizations and to advance support of philanthropy.

Foundation Center
Estimated giving by the nation's 707 Community Foundations rose to a record $3.6 billion in 2006, according to Key Facts on Community Foundations, a report released by the Foundation Center.  The full report can be downloaded by clicking on the link listed below in archived articles:

Guidestar
Guidestar encourages nonprofits to share information about their organizations openly and completely. Any nonprofit in their database can update its report with information about its mission, programs, leaders, goals, accomplishments, and needs—for free. Guidestar combines the information that nonprofits supply with data from several other sources.

Archived Articles   National Insights and Trends  
Archived Articles ARCHIVES >
Donor Bill of Rights

05.19.2008  -    ...


Key Facts on Community Foundations

09.27.2007 ...


National Insights and Trends ARCHIVES >
Charities: a rosier 2010?

GAAP Web - Currently, the focus on recruiting for charities is on those roles that rely on income ...


Issues That Matter ARCHIVES >
Our Permanent Library of Information

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Animating the Newspaper Business, or 'Z-Philanthra', Journalism Superhero!

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As reported by the Philanthropy News Digest, the New York Foundation for the Arts has begun a new ...


Change Exchange

Changing times require creative action. The transition our society is amidst necessitates new ...


All-Star Federal Philanthropy Team?

Herald the news: Congress has authorized a Social Innovation Fund housed at the Corporation for ...


Would You Like Some Ketchup With That Pen?

I know everyone who's reading this blog has one thing in common: they're counting the moments ...


Irvine Foundation President Encourages Transparency

Tip of the hat to James Irvine President James E. Canales (pictured) for writing in an op-ed a ...


The Philanthropist

Last night, I had the pleasure to see the poorly-reviewed, yet undeniably masterful play, The ...


If We Could Only Have A Glimpse At Tomorrow's Headlines Today

Philanthropy New York held a panel discussion in New York City last week with the catchy title, ...


The Federal Trade Commission Announces "Operation False Charity"

It's always important for donors to be aware of to whom, exactly, they are giving their ...


Clean Water -- A Forgotten Glass Ceiling

Recognizing the value of good information for discerning donors, John Sauer submitted his latest ...


Economic Justice for All!

Recently, I've been working on the campaign of Mark Winston Griffith, who is running for City ...


Greening The Cities' Roofs

The PhilanthroMedia team spent Monday filming one of the Drum Major Institute's Marketplace of ...


Jobs for Change

Back in the day, before this global economic apocalypse, folks who wanted to move from the ...


Beware- Local Food is Getting a New Definition

The advent of the "green" movement has seen an uprise in the attention paid to small, local ...


1915 Grand Avenue ~ Des Moines, IA 50309 ~ PH 515.883.2626
Email: info@desmoinesfoundation.org ~ http://www.desmoinesfoundation.org
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