When managing investments, “Fail to plan; plan to fail” is axiomatic. Community foundation operational culture is rooted in this concept, in part because managing assets is a key to our success.

Yet when it comes to the policy assets on our ledgers, we often fail to plan.

Arguably, we should be leveraging our policy assets every year, for return on donors’ investments in our mission. Whatever our starting point, Fall is an important time to start thinking about our potential policy impacts and naming potentially smart targets. When we don’t, we leave earning potential on the table.

Community foundations have fairly extraordinary policy leadership potential - and we see the need to provide it.

Our communities are fraying in various ways - yet want to stay strong. Community foundations have the missions, perspective, and relationships to help shape the policies that will strengthen our communities. Our proximity to those we serve, and our unique 501c3 advocacy power, distinguish us from corporate DAF managers, private foundations, and others.

This policy leadership potential gives us a crucial advantage in the evolving philanthropic marketplace. So why don’t community foundations consistently plan to deliver concrete impacts on the policy issues at the heart of their missions?

In the past year, I’ve worked and spoken with over 50 community foundations across the country about their interests in – and questions about – exercising their policy leadership.

The leading challenges are that engaging our policy leadership potential is somewhat new, different, and more complicated than standard community foundation practice. Enabling policy progress requires expanding upon the traditional organizational vision; updating strategic approaches; and enabling the entire organization to succeed in new ways. In short, change is hard.

Yet despite these challenges, community foundations are increasingly engaging their policy leadership potential because we know it's our responsibility to help lead toward policy solutions. As the gaps in income, equity, and opportunity continue to grow, it's increasingly apparent that grantmaking alone cannot ensure the strength of our communities.

These community foundations – with growing support from their boards – see that if they are to truly enable their communities’ strength, they have to provide the many forms of policy leadership to which our field is particularly suited. I.e., Convening stakeholders; elevating community voices; connecting with elected officials; educating the region; enabling nonprofit advocacy; and more.

They recognize that when we start showing up in key policy meetings on our priority issues, we're able to see how we can smartly add value to existing efforts to strengthen our communities. And that with our significant capabilities, relationships, and credibility, we can make a unique difference.

As importantly, our field can increasingly see how to engage in policy leadership in ways that strengthen our organizations as a whole. That’s because when we plan, show up, and smartly add value on policy targets we’ve set, we can demonstrate our successful engagement on our policy priorities, in terms directly related to our policy goals and mission.

This is attractive to our donors, potential donors, and the community at large. It’s helpful to our policymakers who want to advance needed policies, but need public support to feel comfortable doing so.

Being intentional about our policy targets also enables us to see our policy progress; learn from our engagements; develop relationships; bolster our organizations’ understanding and confidence; and establish solid footholds for even stronger policy progress in the future.

Policy leadership advances our missions - and most importantly, fosters the strength of the communities we serve.

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Whatever your community foundation’s present policy hopes, Fall is an important time to begin framing your policy plans and targets for the year ahead. To this end, you might find it valuable to take a little time this week to sketch out (what could be) your community foundation’s rough policy goals for 2024.

Think about your organizational priorities, your potential to engage, and the main pathways for positive policy impact. Whatever your starting point, think: “What would count as meaningful progress a year from now?” That can guide the goals you initially identify, however rough they may be.

With this step alone, you’ll begin to put your community foundation on its way to developing a plan. (Or deciding not to, which is also good to know.)

With continued attention and exploration, that set of ideas can prove positive for both your community and your organization in the year ahead. And if nothing else, it’ll get you and your colleagues thinking about the possibilities – and seeing the potential next steps forward.

If you’d like to explore your community foundation’s potential policy plans for the year ahead, I’d be more than glad to talk with you. I have decades of experience in organizational policy planning with partners in states across the country, and a long track record of success.

Please feel free to select a time here if you'd like, and we can explore where you’re at, where you want to go, and your wisest options for getting there. There’s no commitment at all, and I’d be happy to help. (If you know me, you know I love this stuff!)

In any event, I hope you enjoyed your summer. And will keep thinking about your community foundation’s policy potential in the year ahead…