More than a year ago, we started creating a strategic plan that will guide us for the next three years. Our efforts began by listening to community leaders to uncover fresh perspectives and insights. Next, we engaged our board and staff in a series of activities, including reviewing industry trends and visioning sessions. We also considered our existing strengths and gaps, external threats, and future opportunities.
We developed a plan that acknowledges our beginnings and community engagement, while also recognizing the need to lead, innovate, and meet the technology and service expectations of our rapidly changing sector.
Since our inception in 1982, we have more than doubled our assets while collectively granting more than $2 billion into the community. Celebrating our 40th anniversary, we are proud to have cultivated deeper connections in the community through the growth of our discretionary grant programs, including the expansion of our Community Interest Funds and the Fund for Omaha; with our leadership of Omaha Gives which raised $58 million through its eight-year tenure; and through evolution of The Landscape, our data-driven community indicator resource. Even more recently, we initiated an internal equity journey, engaged our fundholders in new ways, and launched our Community Loan Fund as an impact investing option—a first of its kind in the region.
The success of these programs and initiatives gave us the ability to think deeper and differently about how we define our future success. Further, our focus on equity continues to shape how we operate organizationally, and we are committed to meeting others where they are in their equity journey, too. Adding to this are the lessons in agility we learned as we helped our community navigate the pandemic. Like all sectors, the how, when, and why we do our business transformed.
At its core, this strategic framework focuses on expanding our relationships with nonprofits and fundholders towards a goal of maximizing our internal expertise and technological resources to guide local philanthropic investments.
With this plan, our efforts will focus on:
1. Investing in Internal Capacity
2. Leading & Engaging Our Community with Focus
3. Connecting Our Stakeholders with Purpose
Aligning these three strategic directions, we can achieve our vision: a connected community of passionate philanthropists, strong nonprofits, and thriving residents.
Thank you for your tireless commitment to strengthening this community.
We also wish to thank Parlay Consulting for their facilitation and guidance in the development of our strategic planning process. We are excited to embark on this new plan, together.