‘The Phil’ makes first grants in Joplin
With its mission of disaster recovery complete, the Joplin Regional Community Foundation shifts to high-impact grantmaking
In the years following the tragic tornado of May 2011, Joplin Regional Community Foundation — then the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri — was focused on helping its community heal. By 2016, the affiliate foundation had distributed $13 million for disaster recovery efforts.
“After that, the board wanted to figure out what to do next,” says Pete Ramsour, foundation coordinator for JRCF. After learning about the power of giving circles from Wendy Steele, founder of Florida-based Generosity Matters and keynote speaker for the CFO’s 2016 Affiliate Appreciate Conference, the wheels began to turn. Board member Susan Satterlee, whose family members attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, suggested a model similar to a philanthropic group with limited membership from that city.
In January 2018, JRCF board member Bryan Vowels convened the first committee meeting for the Philanthropic Society, lovingly referred to as “the Phil.” They outlined their vision for the group: Build a sizable high-impact grantmaking fund by limiting membership to 100 with annual dues of $2,000 for individuals or $2,500 for families. A small portion of the dues would be set aside for the affiliate’s endowment. They set a modest goal of recruiting 15 members by the end of its first year.
By the time the calendar turned over, they had recruited 54 members and built a grantmaking pool of $135,000.
On June 19, members of the Phil selected the first grants: Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences’ Joplin Campus and Jasper County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) each received $50,000 grants to address issues relating to children’s health and child abuse reduction. Those community issues were decided upon by members of the Philanthropic Society based on the recommendation of One Joplin, a community partnership involving many key agencies.
The Phil now has 58 members going into its second year. When the group reaches full capacity, members will have right of first refusal to retain their exclusive membership, which can be passed down to successors.
The immediate success of the Philanthropic Society has already prompted the committee to create new plans for the donations. The group intends to issue endowment-building challenge grants for area agencies, encouraging long-term sustainability for organizations important to the Joplin region. Next year, the dollar amount of grants awarded should be even greater.
“The goal for the Phil was high-impact grantmaking,” said Ramsour. “With $50,000, an agency can do a lot more than just pay the utility bill. That can truly fund a program, which in turn creates new employment and volunteering opportunities that can really impact a lot of lives in our community.”
This story was originally published in the summer 2019 edition of “Passion & Purpose,” the CFO’s annual magazine. You can read the full publication here.
