Money Matters. But...

People matter more.

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining my fellow cohorts for the John Mutz Philanthropic Leadership Institute where a dynamic group of leaders from various sectors met with us for an inspiring day focused on equitable leadership.

Pamela Ross from the Central Indiana Community Foundation shared those powerful words with my class: “Money matters. But people matter more.”

Time and time again, philanthropy calls for donors and dollars to creatively tackle complex problems in our world. An admirable goal, of course. However, how successful are we at addressing the roots of those issues if we aren’t listening to the people most affected by this work? It can be easy to focus on graphs and data points to substantiate progress, but the impact on the people may tell a very different story.

The idea of being “people-centered” wasn’t totally out of line with the other non-profit leaders, corporations, and government agencies that shared their thoughts on leadership. In fact, they all agreed that when our work is focused on people, true transformational change is possible.

That’s why when an organization receives a grant from the Community Foundation, that partnership extends far beyond the number in front of the dollar sign—we want to work together to bring the greatest impact. Let’s dive deeper and uncover stories to learn how this work really affects people.

When you become a donor of the Community Foundation, we work together to bring your charitable dreams to fruition. Your story is your legacy… we would be honored to help you share it! For more information, call Lucy Dold at (574) 583-6911 or visit www.cfwhitecounty.org.