Volunteering - are you doing it?

In my blog Why Volunteer? I talk about the benefits of volunteering and why I do it. The Durham Community Foundation is one of the organizations I’ve dedicated my time to over the last two years and I have found it very rewarding.

The Foundation holds an important role in our region as it serves as a vessel for community support. In essence, it too, is like a volunteer. Those interested in making financial gifts to their community can do so through the Foundation. Those contributions are then invested and the returns support the unique needs of the Durham Region, while creating a lasting legacy that keeps on giving to local charities.

Community foundations are locally-run public foundations that build and manage endowment funds to support local charities and community priorities. The first Canadian community foundation was established in 1921 in Winnipeg. Today, as members of Community Foundations of Canada, community foundations are one of Canada’s fastest growing charitable movements. Their numbers have grown substantially from 32 foundations in 1990 to 168 today and their combined assets total more than $2.9 billion. In 2007, Canada’s community foundations provided more than $176 million in grants to community organizations all across the country.

Durham Community Foundation was created in 1994 by a dedicated group of volunteers. The organization has $1.3 million in assets and grants about $50,000 per year to charities in Durham Region.

By Kasia Chojecki

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK AND KEEP UP TO DATE ON EVERYTHING HAPPENING WITH THE DURHAM COMMUNITY FOUNDATION!

SIMPLY CLICK THE LINK ABOVE, AND ENJOY!!

HOLE IN WON GOLF 2010 SUCCESSFUL!

On Wednesday June 2, 2010 our annual Hole in Won golf tournament took place at the Royal Ashburn Golf Club. Many Prizes were won, and it was a great day for all who came out. A few pictures are posted here, and the rest are available for your viewing pleasure on Durham Community Foundation's Facebook page. Simply click on the title of this post, and it will link you to the Facebook page!

Why Social Media?

You might ask yourself “why would a foundation take part in social media”? To some the answer is quite obvious; to others like myself it’s taken some time to get used to. As I graduated as a marketing major in 2002, I left the school with a bag of tricks on how to communicate a message – whether it be in sales or managing a brand. My bag of tricks was filled with ideas on direct mail campaigns and TV and radio advertising. Over the past 7 years, everything has changed. Even though my bag of tricks is a still viable way to communicate, Social Media and the internet have taken us by storm. As newer generations are glued to their computers/iphones and the older generations get used to using their phones, and computers to communicate, we now use social media as marketing tool.
Our community foundation is about connecting individuals to their community. It’s about helping individuals leave a legacy to support the charity most important to them. How could we not use marketing tools that connect people to people, or people to a purpose (such as being a fan on facebook) when it’s in our mandate to make connections? Social media will allow us as a community foundation spread the word, share stories and inform the community that we are a local charity of choice. I recommend you visit this link– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8
The information will blow your mind. As I watched it, I told myself, I will never second guess why we use social media.
Why do you use social media?

(received from Darla, March 25, 2010)