There are so many mentions about the Mountainview project in various threads so not sure which one would be the best to ask my question, so figure I'd start an easy to spot thread. Question: RCSC is a 501c3 org. right? So what happens if someone wanted to donate $ for a specific club. Let's say a donor wanted to donate $ for a new theater so the Sun City Players could have a place with all the bells and whistles they want. Could that kind of dedicated funding be done?
The SC FOUNDATION is the c3 vehicle for such donations. That has long been my position. The Foundation would, could or should be the perfect vehicle for helping raise funds for special projects. I asked that question at a Foundation Board meeting about a year ago when there were issues about the dog park and there "was no funding." I suggested maybe the Foundation could establish a special fund for a specific fundraising activity - it was met with a pretty emphatic no - not what we do. Except that type of fundraising, for RSCS facility support, was part of the original Articles for the Foundation. Their mission has obviously changed.
Is it their mission that's changed, or has it always been a myopic vision of doing something they felt comfortable with? Don't get me wrong, doing the background checks on those requesting assistance is challenging, but most people out and out hate fund raising. Bruce A is correct, Helen T funneled donations for lawn bowling through the foundation. The attorney's agreed it was perfectly fine and as i have reported before, we made one bold attempt to become a funding arm of all projects RCSC related. It would have taken a Herculean effort and the attorney working with us suffered a number of family health issues and that was that. Too bad, as it had enormous potential. The IRS letter of application as a 401 c3 requested the foundation be able to do anything and everything (summarized) in the "best interest of the membership." Those on the foundation board who disliked Helen's donations wanted a percentage off the money she donated to be used to help members pay their lot assessments. The argument against that was that any money she donated would be used to benefit the membership and reduce the costs and potential increase in yearly fees. It is interesting to note, i don't know of another single instance where what Helen did was repeated. Bottom line from her was somewhere between 3 quarters to a million dollars; though not all of that was run through the foundation.
Therein lies the problem. The members on the Board wanting to use donations for something other than a donor's designated purpose! It takes WORK, but with a little thinking, all they needed to do was establish a DESIGNATED fund so people could make donations for such a purpose. The key to operating a foundation is having people on the board that have BEEN associated with Foundations, have an attorney or two, that the Foundation is a member of the Council on Foundations so they can get FREE advice, and people that understand the goal of philanthropy. This current situation is such a lost opportunity. Being a former Foundation CEO and knowing what is possible makes me shake my head. People give for reasons that make them happy, for things they love. Sometimes they like recognition, but most people don't care....they just want things to get done in the community they care about. It's pretty simple.
Thanks everyone for all the insights! Wow, just wow re: the lost opportunity, but it also shows that designated funding via the Foundation may be worth revisiting....
Just so I'm clear, operating a Foundation within the rules is not easy - not for the faint of heart. It takes work and a ton of commitment, especially when it is all done with volunteers. But, the rewards can be worth it. But once the basics are soundly established, it is common to find that resources are available, at least for a part-time employee in the beginning. There are so many resources available in the Foundation world, a Board and its fundraising committee does not have to reinvent the wheel. There are numerous resources that provide guidance for the various necessary standing committees. Foundation financial management software is available that tracks everything a Foundation needs to manage donor records, every essential financial reports, etc.
