This week I'd like to focus on a question I hear regularly from donors: what portion of an individuals contribution goes to funding the Surrey Foundation's administration costs?  In one of my original columns we talked about what a community foundation is and that they are non-profit organizations.  In general, many foundations in BC are run by a dedicated board of directors and a group of volunteers.  Some of the larger foundations have staff, but for the most part, foundations are run by unpaid individuals.

That being said, even a non-profit without paid employees needs funds to operate and help realize their vision.  The Surrey Foundation set up an Agency Endowment Fund under administration, to support is own purposes in perpetuity.  Investment income earned from this fund goes to support the various works of the Surrey Foundation, including marketing of other existing funds, costs of administering our community grant program, and so on.  The remainder of our annual costs are covered by our annual major fundraising event, corporate and other sponsorships, and a modest fee that each existing fund pays toward the costs of managing the fund.  So, 100% of each endowment fund donation goes immediately to the fund it's designated for.

Community foundations play a role in helping a local community thrive, and many of the endowment funds we manage support various local non-profits and projects.  Giving to a community foundation's Agency Endowment Fund means you help the organization, as a whole, complete its mission to enhance the quality of life in a community.

As I've said in the past, it's not always easy to decide which initiative to support or what area of need to focus your giving on.  An Agency Endowment Fund provides another option for individuals and is just one of the many funds set up at community foundations.  In my next column, we'll discuss the use of Agency Endowment Funds by other charities to support their own specific work.