Supercharging philanthropy

by Sue Hafkemeyer
President and CEO

The Quad Cities Community Foundation is guided by our community-shaped strategic plan and our incredible board of directors who lend their expertise and vision to direct our cause and grow our mission in the region. Throughout the year, we take a moment to gauge our progress and share what we have learned with one another—something we did just a couple of weeks ago.

For me, it is an opportunity to think about not just what we do, but how we do it—and the impact we hope to have. That has never been more the case than this year, as we have supercharged our efforts across the Quad Cities region and beyond. We are working harder than ever to guide regional philanthropy through leadership, trust, community input, and a collective spirit of generosity.

As we look ahead to the remainder of 2024 and prepare for the future well beyond that, I’d like to take a moment to share some of our exciting progress and meaningful wins with you, our community of donors, and nonprofit professionals who make our transformative mission a reality.

As you’ll see, there is more happening than ever before. But it isn’t just about more. It is about how we are doing our work: through collaboration, engagement, and innovation.

In just the first half of this year, your Community Foundation:

  • Welcomed nearly $6.4 million in new gifts—compared to $2.5 this time last year

  • Awarded $6,320,028 in grants—$450,000 more than this time last year

  • Enhanced our corporate philanthropy program—and hired a dedicated team member, former Board Chairperson Jean Moran—to engage more local businesses in charitable giving

  • Joined regional affiliate partners in a strategic planning process that will create unique plans for growing their local missions

  • Been trusted with six new estate commitments totaling $5.2 million

  • Engaged more than 450 nonprofit professionals and volunteers in our Center for Nonprofit Excellence workshops

It’s important to remember the people behind these numbers, too. The 450 workshop attendees are 450 deeply community-minded people who took new knowledge back to their organizations. The $6.3 million in grants supports dozens of local organizations working to help neighbors with everything from food insecurity to health access. And the $6.4 million in gifts is a grand total made possible because of generous people just like you.

This is just a glimpse of what we have accomplished—with your help—to ensure a strong, powerful, motivated nonprofit sector that transforms the lives of our community, one donor, one grant, one training, and one story at a time. I am grateful for your continued support and partnership in this mission.

Will Van Camp