Our Vision and Values
Our vision is to provide our community’s not-for-profit sector with a sustainable and ongoing source of funding with which to carry out their valuable work.
We endeavour to promote excellence in philanthropy to enable our community to flourish.
We bring donors and charities together to provide for community needs today, tomorrow and forever.
We will nurture and build on our community’s strengths and assets. Communities are strengthened by initiatives which increase the capacity of organizations and individuals to respond to challenges and opportunities, develop local leadership, promote self-reliance, emphasize prevention and mobilize civic participation and resources.
To be strategic in all our activities, we need to know our communities well. This involves spending time in community consultation, making ourselves available for discussion, being active participants in the community, monitoring local and national trends and being aware of the impact of change in our communities.
Because of our broad mandate to nurture a vital community, we will bring together people with different ideas and points of view and create opportunities for respectful dialogue on issues of importance to our communities.
Since more can be accomplished when we act together, we will form, encourage and support partnerships among individuals, neighbourhood and community groups, service clubs, foundations, professional advisors, businesses, governments, the media and others, based on shared vision and mutual responsibility.
We believe there is strength in diversity and that our communities will be better served when we understand different points of view and engage the broader community in our deliberations and decision making.
We will strive to continually improve our skills as grantmakers, making a visible and lasting difference in our communities through a granting program that is balanced, flexible, creative and responsive.
As we build and invest permanent endowments and other assets for our communities now and in the future, we will help our donors derive the maximum possible benefit and satisfaction from their giving by learning about their charitable goals, providing them with information about ever changing needs, integrating their goals with community opportunities, and providing flexible giving options. We will value and champion philanthropy.
We will evaluate our activities to improve our skills and knowledge and we will share key findings with others.
We will engage in practices that are open and accessible, fair and objective, flexible and timely as we work with grant seekers, donors, volunteers and others in the community. This is essential to our role as credible and reputable stewards of community resources.
Because our fund development, grantmaking and other community leadership activities are interdependent, we will commit and balance our human and financial resources among them.