Looking Back: 2020-2021 - (Wow, didn't see that coming!) - Grand Bend Community Foundation

Looking Back:
 2020-2021
(Wow, didn’t see that coming!)

Just the Facts
•   Total dollars raised for COVID relief-- $121,065
•   Total dollars raised in 2020- $354,226
•   Total dollars granted in 2020- $256,065
•   Next largest granting year 2005- $167,000
•   Endowment as of December 31 - $3,129,541
•   Expense ratio– 1.78%
•   Endowment as of May 5 2021- $3, 341, 143

A Hard-working Board!
•   Six Board meetings, five executive meetings
•   15 grants meetings
•   3 finance meetings
•   6 Relationship Development meetings
•   2 ad-hoc re-branding committee meetings
•   1 ad-hoc impact investing meeting
•   Three virtual special events

Responding to COVID
• COVID relief fund established March
                  2020
   • $10000 in matching funds from
      Foundation, $5000 from Rotary
• Stay-at-Home-Gala, a partnership with
            Rotary, held May 2
     • Raised more than $85,000
 • Joined Canada Emergency Support
       Fund in May, granted $70,000
  • Attended GBACHC and UWPH
      COVID meets, new partnerships

Stay-at-Home Gala
• Nearly 350 tickets sold
• More than 50 individuals and organizations
  donated $500 or more.

South Huron
  Vitality Fund
• $40,000 endowed, $10,000
  flow-through in 2020
• $50,000 endowed in 2021
• First grants made June
  2020
• Second grants April 2021

Truly Grand!
• Very successful Scotch tasting,
           40 attendees
 • 27 new Grand Men in 2020,
              total 41
 • Cooking demo, speaker for
          Grand Women
   • Virtual Valentine’s Eve
   February 2021, 120 attendees
  • 71 Grand Women in 2020

Raising Awareness
  •   15 MailChimp emails January 2020-May 2021
  •   Open rate for last four nearly 50%
  •   Grant stories on website, FB
  •   59 FB posts so far in 2021
  •   January 2021- FB reach of nearly 6000, engagements of more
      than 500
  • Media releases in May, August, November 2020, January, and
      March 2021 (all placed in Lakeshore Advance)
  • Vital Conversations – GB with 50 plus participants, SH with
      30

Raising Awareness

Focusing our message
•   The Sunset Community Foundation (formerly Grand Bend Community
    Foundation) works to build vibrant, inclusive, and just communities.
•   Our mission is to help donors and organizations make a difference in our
    communities, now and forever. We hold most donations in permanent
    endowments, using a portion of the income to support local charities.
•   Grand Bend Community Foundation became Sunset Community
    Foundation to reflect its broader geographic reach. We look forward to
    partnering with donors and communities throughout Huron County and
    beyond to fulfill our mission.
•   The funds raised in Grand Bend will remain in two Grand Bend
    Community Funds, as part of the Sunset Community Foundation, and
    granted in accordance with Foundation policies.

A Big Decision
“Moved that the Grand Bend Community Foundation change its name to the Sunset
                           Community Foundation”

Bringing our
new brand to
    life

New fund

• Huron Entrepreneur
  Fund
• First foray into impact
  investing
• First Huron County-
  wide initiative
• Now at $11,500

Impact
“During COVID we were so blessed to be able to
continue to do our part to help end food insecurity.
One of the comments made to us by clients who
had never had to access a food program like this
before, was how they didn’t feel judged or ashamed,
they only felt love and support.” -Andrea
Loohuizen, Executive Director, The Community
Table.

Impact
“As a result of this project, the community has learned
valuable information about a rare, fragile, and valuable
ecosystem right in their backyards. They have gained
information to solve a decades long issue with
shoreline erosion and infrastructure damage. The
community can look to Pinery Provincial Park staff for
guidance and will see the Rolling Boardwalk project as
an example of balancing recreation and ecological
integrity.” ~final report

Impact
• “At Grand Bend Place we want
  to serve the needs of our
  community. The Sunset
  Community Foundation
  recognized and supported our
  vision, and through their
  financial support, audio visual
  components in the Fellowship
  Hall are now in place for post-
  COVID times.” – Bob Illman,
  Chair, Grand Bend Place

Impact
• “Whether through crisis call support,
  counselling through our healting
  program, play therapy, or a care package
  filled with needed items, the funding we
  have received from the Sunset
  Community Foundation enables our
  agency to continue to support the most
  vulnerabhle in our county.” -Krista Evely,
  Manager of Fund Development, Huron
  Women’s Shelter, Second Stage House
  and Counselling Services

Impact
“The Old Ausable Channel is a major
  factor in the natural environmental
health of our community, and it needs
our help to survive. To this end, we are
     using the Foundation’s grant to
    purchase aerators to increase the
oxygen levels vital to aquatic life in the
   channel and installing native plans
along the river to strengthen the bank,
 control erosion and provide shade.”-
   Duncan Croft, Southcott Pines Park
             Association

Working with our CF Colleagues
•   Emergency Community Support Fund
•   Unclaimed Property initiative
•   Canada Healthy Communities Initiative
•   Monthly peer meetings, webinars
•   Gift planning course
•   Fund Development course
•   Strategic planning (June 2021)

The road ahead
• Strategic planning in June
• Bylaw review and update
  in September
• Ongoing relationship
  development (especially
  face to face after
  pandemic!)
• Ongoing awareness-
  building