Muskegon Community Foundation: For Good, For Ever.

$1 Million Challenge

$1 Million Dollar Endowment Challenge Met

Foundation Focus Newsletter - Spring 2008

When it comes to campaigns, the folks up in Mason County know how to build capacity for their community. Often leading the charge is the board of the Community Foundation for Mason County. Two of their past successes include the West Shore Community College Ice Arena and the Ludington Waterfront Sculpture Park. 2007 was no exception - in fact, it was a break out year for the Foundation.

“We had a goal of reaching $7 million in assets by 2007,” explained Board Chair Tom Paine. With assets of $4.3 million, Paine and fellow trustee Budde Reed enthusiastically began to schedule some lunches. The response to their first invitation “knocked their socks off.” They were told to not waste time on a lunch, but to just sign me up! “We discovered that many of the people we talked to felt honored to be asked and thanked us for calling,” said Paine.

In less than four months, they raised over $2 million from 11 donors – one million of which will go into the Foundation’s unrestricted fund. Reed, well-known as a champion fundraiser, feels the Foundation can move the needle even higher. “The board has made another goal to be at 10 million by 2010, but why wait until then?” Paine adds, “This is a great example of what can happen if we all work together toward a collective good. Honestly, it’s a fun place to be - to speculate on where we will go from here.”