submitted by Kevin Hoffman
Club Member and Past President Bob Sorge (left) and Tom Linfield (right) of the Madison Community Foundation (MCF) gave an informative, eye opening and thought-provoking presentation on the tangible benefits of non-profit capital projects on the Madison area.
Bob gave background information on the MCF and the financial resources directed into the community. MCF distributed about $29M in grants in 2020 that were largely directed by individual fundholders. The MCF was also able to help other non-profits in the area leverage another $114M in resources from outside agencies for a total impact of $143M. In addition, to create an authoritative reference for making informed giving decisions, the MCF has spent the recent past developing capabilities for researching and evaluating area non-profits. The result has been the Greater Madison Nonprofit Directory which can be found on the MCF website. This is a resource open to all community members.
Tom covered the impact of capital campaigns on the Madison area by pointing out that buildings quickly become a community asset elevating the area surrounding the structure and becoming a center of development in the neighborhood. New buildings also transform the non-profit’s capacity for services and development of resources to benefit the community. Think about the impact that libraries, schools, health centers, community centers and affordable housing (to name a few) has on a given area. There are about 15 building campaigns a year. The financial impact is large not just for the physical buildout, but it also creates momentum within the non-profit for increased services, outreach, performance space, work efficiencies, and hosting/meeting space. Once complete, this allows the non-profit entity to leapfrog to the next level to the community it serves.
If you missed our meeting on December 8, you can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QybkuIpEtT4&t=5s.
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 