CFNSB to Hold Technical Assistance Calls on National Standards Program

The CFNSB will hold a series of technical assistance calls for foundations that are or will be undergoing confirmation or reconfirmation processes under the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations (National Standards program). Registration is required, but there is no fee to participate. The calls will begin with a short presentation followed by Q-and-A session. Visit the Council on Foundation's professional development Web page and scroll down to register for any of the following calls:

• June 25: Confirmation 1.0, for community foundations that are interested in beginning or have just started the confirmation process.
• July 22: National Standards, for community foundations that are interested in learning more about the National Standards.
• August 26: Reconfirmation 1.0, for community foundations that just received their notification of license expiration or that will receive notification within six months.
• September 9: Reconfirmation 2.0, for community foundations that are within 6–9 months of submitting a reconfirmation record book for review.

 

 

Partnership with GuideStar Offers New Benefit for Compliant Community Foundations

Community Foundations National Standards Board is pleased to announce an exciting new benefit for those in compliance with the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations—recognition of your accomplishment on GuideStar.org through placement of the National Standards Seal next to your organization's listing. More than 20,000 people search GuideStar.org each day—offering a significant increase in visibility of the National Standards program and your foundation’s compliance. Reflecting common focus on accountable and transparent practices for both charitable organizations, this new collaboration is a natural fit.

If you have been granted license to use the National Standards Seal for your website and documents, the National Standards Seal will appear next to your organization’s listing.  

IMPORTANT: To keep the National Standards Seal on your listing beyond November 30, 2009, however, you must update your organization’s complete profile on GuideStar. Don’t miss the opportunity to reach countless new stakeholders with this sign of your accountability, transparency and excellence.

 

National Standards announcement to the community foundation field

Since the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations were first established in 2000, we have experienced a sea change in the environment in which we work: drastic changes in the economy, changes in the laws affecting how we do business, even changes in the ethical issues we confront.

Such dramatic transformations have affected the National Standards and as a result, we must ensure that our Standards continue to be updated to reflect current realities. The Community Foundations Leadership Team and its Standards Action Team, with the much appreciated guidance from many community foundation peers, has been giving extensive consideration, analysis and debate to this issue for several years.

The Community Foundations Leadership Team and its Standards Action Team are pleased to announce several major new developments for the National Standards program:

• Updated National Standards and Key Elements
• Redesigned confirmation process for those undertaking National Standards for the first time
• Creation of a new, more streamlined reconfirmation process for those community foundations already in compliance with National Standards

All of these have been designed to better answer community foundations’ needs, now and into the future.

 

Why Standards?

Community foundations have led the way in setting and adhering to National Standards. Our Standards have unified us, giving us a strong voice on legislative issues, providing an excellent platform for best practices, and assuring our communities that we have the visionary leadership to serve them well. And our Standards have set an example for others in our field, serving as an indicator of our commitment to excellence.

But Standards are not and cannot be set in stone. The past year has reinforced the fact that our National Standards must continually be reviewed and revised to remain relevant. And, given the current legislative and regulatory environment, Standards are critical to promoting transparency and accountability.

 

Highlights of the new process

The Standards Action Team took every opportunity to streamline the process and cut costs while maintaining the highest level of quality. Here are a few of the highlights of the new process:

• Reconfirmation procedures have been streamlined, making less work for you and requiring fewer documents for you to submit.
• You will be notified one year in advance of your reconfirmation submission date.
• The National Standards will cover new areas, such as geographic component funds (affiliates), human resources, whistleblower policies, and others.
• The National Standards have been updated to reflect new realities, such as policies and procedures related to the Pension Protection Act affecting donor advised funds. Community foundations who began the process in 2007 have already demonstrated compliance with these elements.
• Audits are no longer required for community foundations with assets under $5 million; a financial review will be required instead.
• A new Technical Assistance plan will be offered in partnership with the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers.
• A new National Standards website will contain easily accessible resources, tools such as sample documents and guidelines, and a series of on-demand webinars to help those participating in the program.
• To coordinate and centralize all these developments, a permanent Community Foundations National Standards Board is being created as a supporting organization of the Council on Foundations. The CFNSB is led by a board of directors comprised of your peers in the community foundation field.

 

A new pricing structure

When the National Standards process was launched in 2000, we had a number of national funders, such as the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation covering the costs of the confirmation process. This funding is no longer available. Consequently, beginning in 2009, community foundations applying for confirmation or re-confirmation will be required to assume the full financial costs. For reconfirmation, the cost is $1,800; for confirmation, the cost is $2,000. This fee covers your foundation for a five-year period. Given economic realities, we have developed two payment options to enable community foundations the flexibility to make payments over time.

As of this writing, over 450 of your peers have been confirmed in compliance with National Standards and the program is widely considered an enthusiastic success, particularly given the changes brought about by the Pension Protection Act and ongoing legal and regulatory scrutiny. To continue these successes and the self-regulatory model, we heartily encourage you to go through the re-confirmation or confirmation process at the appropriate time.

Rest assured that more information about the National Standards processes and the new Community Foundations National Standards Board will be forthcoming. On behalf of all of us at the Council on Foundations, Community Foundations Leadership Team, Standards Action Team and, soon, the Community Foundations National Standards Board, we stand ready to help you understand and implement this next stage of the growth of the National Standards program.

 

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