Giving Credit Where Credit is Due: Community Foundation National Standards

If the Yakima Valley Community Foundation (YVCF) received a dollar for every time we brag about the Community Foundations National Standards, our adding machines would be smoking.

I was hired as CEO when YVCF was established in 2004. Quite literally, from my very first day on the job, all I heard from my new-found colleagues around the state of Washington was this: “Comply with the National Standards as soon as you can.” They knew something I didn’t know, and I was eager to learn what it was.

Six years later, I am happy to share some advice. Despite its age, think of your community foundation as a newly christened ship about to embark on a long journey. Destination: better tomorrows.

How do we get there from here?

Think of the standards as the most up-to-date and easy-to-read map that charts the safest, fastest, and smoothest course to guide you on your voyage—an assemblage of best practices to steer you toward excellence and success.

Why do I think this is good advice?

Donors are impressed by the “seal of excellence” YVCF earned, confirming our compliance with the standards. After reading what one donor (Helen Jewett) had to say in the YVCF 2008 annual report, a gentleman dropped by my office a few months later to say he had named YVCF as the sole beneficiary of a very large estate. When I asked him why, he replied: “Helen told the community you run a tight ship. If you’re good enough for Helen, you’re good enough for me.”

Nonprofit colleagues also comment on the organizational qualities they see in YVCF. When they do, I am quick to note that we owe a great deal of our speedy advancement to the decision to act in accordance with those 35 Tabs that the Council’s Community Foundations Leadership Team forged on our behalf.

And, at a recent board meeting, a member commented that our first six years have been marked by a “squeaky-clean” record of achievement. Not two seconds went by before our director of programs added “Let’s hear it for those National Standards!”

At YVCF, everyone brags about “the standards.” We look forward to adjusting them when needed because it means we are continuously learning and expanding our horizon. And with the Council on Foundations helping us navigate toward better tomorrows, we know we are on the right course.

John Colgan is president of Yakima Valley Community Foundation