THOUGHTFUL GIVING FOR
STRONGER COMMUNITIES
AND BETTER LIVES
As part of an increased focus on stewardship, the East Tennessee Foundation has launched a series of workshops designed to better engage our diverse constituencies, including donors, advisory boards, professional advisors, and grantees.
We kicked off this effort with our “How to Grow Your Endowment” event, hosting our nonprofit investors at locations around East Tennessee and on Zoom to discuss growing their ETF organization endowments and the importance of stewarding donors. Angelia Nystrom, ETF VP of advancement & chief legal counsel, spoke on increasing endowments through philanthropic giving, tax-wise giving techniques for donors, and how the ETF can facilitate these types of charitable gifts. Lisa Ford, director of strategic engagement & stewardship at ETF, worked with our guests on creating effective endowment appeals and best practices for stewarding donor relationships.
In July, the ETF staff gathered our affiliate fund advisory boards at four locations across East Tennessee to discuss all things affiliate funds and distributed a new Affiliate Fund Handbook. The ETF President & CEO Keith Barber shared insights about the importance and role of affiliate funds in our strategic vision of philanthropy in the region. Nystrom walked advisory board members through the legal landscape of affiliate funds, and Katharine Killen, VP of programs and COO, and Ashley Butler, director of competitive grants, led lively discussions on strategic grantmaking. These events also officially introduced our new Director of Regional Advancement Dara Worrell.
Along with being educational and informative for the ETF and our partners, these sessions also led to increased networking and collaboration among our partners. Nonprofit leaders who had not previously met engaged in discussions about opportunities to work together to tackle needs in their communities. Our advisory board members for affiliate funds across East Tennessee were able to exchange ideas and strategies for community building. The ETF is proud to play a part in these collaborations.
In all, the ETF connected with 58 individuals from 35 different organizations and advisory boards through this effort. Another 190 individuals across East Tennessee have attended specialized planned giving workshops presented by the ETF.
Stay tuned for more workshops on topics such as donor advised funds, strategic grantmaking, financial stewardship, and charitable gift planning. If you are interested in hosting a workshop, please contact Lisa Ford at lf***@*tf.org.