Tell us what the Rockland Community Foundation is and why it is important to the citizens of RocklandCounty.

Fleming: It is probably best to start with a look at community foundations in general.

As with all community foundations, the Rockland Community Foundation is a non-political, independent operated organization that exists as an umbrella organization for philanthropy and charitable giving in Rockland.  It is donor driven. With our first bequest, a gift from the Andrew Norman estate, the Foundation established six initial funds: The Environment Fund; The Arts Fund; The Andrew Norman Social Justice Fund; The Women and Girls Fund; The Education Fund, and The Health and Human Services Fund. In addition, Board members have contributed to form the Founders Fund.

There are nearly 800 community foundations across the United States and many more across the world. In the state of New York there are 17 community foundations, with Rockland being one, if not the only county in New York State not to have one or being a part of a regional community foundation before now.

Two nearby foundations are the Orange/Sullivan Community Foundation which in just six years and has built its endowment and funds to more than $6 million and 120-plus funds operating underneath it. The Community Foundation of Dutchess County has been operating since 1969 and has nearly $30 million in its endowment and hundreds of funds. Both of these foundations are making a positive impact in their respective communities every day. The Dutchess Foundation is one of the key sources of funding of nonprofits in the county there.  Our neighbor to the south Bergen County also has a community foundation as does Westchester County.

As the name implies, community foundations are about the community in which people live. Most often their funds, mostly from endowments and gifts, comes from private individuals or families who live or have lived in the county and want to give back to make it a better place. Funds also come from corporations, businesses and organizations that call the county home and have an interest in seeing it prosper.  Unique to most community foundations is that their grant making is focused primarily, if not entirely, on the community.

In the case of the Rockland Community Foundation, we are 100 percent focused on Rockland County. It is in our bylaws and stated in our giving guidelines that all our resources will fund only programs and projects that provide betterment in Rockland County and it is long overdue.

Byrne:  As Dennis mentioned, from what we know Rockland County is the last of the counties or regions in the state of New York to establish a community foundation. We may be a bit late to the party but we are confident and enthusiastic that the Rockland Community Foundation will flourish here and someday be a major contributor to the quality of life in Rockland and a major funding source for nonprofits.

The Rockland Community Foundation is a fully registered and compliant 501c3 nonprofit entity and operates under the state and IRS guidelines for community foundations. The idea of a community foundation in Rockland has been in the works for more than a decade. Three years ago private funds from a donor were made available to conduct an extensive feasibility study that revealed unequivocal support for a community foundation in Rockland.

Dennis took the leadership role in assembling a Board of Directors and the framework for the foundation began. Today, we have 11 Board members who are some of most committed and well respected individuals in Rockland, and we are in the process of doubling the Board size within the next 12 to 18 months.

We spent the past year developing a communications and marketing campaign for the Rockland Community Foundation, which funds were made possible through a grant secured by State Sen. Thomas Morahan.

The goal of the Rockland Community Foundation is to work hard to build a sizeable and sustainable endowment so that the Foundation can carry out its mission to provide funds and resources to nonprofit programs and projects that are most important to the people of Rockland County.

So the Foundation is not part of Rockland County government?

Byrne: That is correct. We are completely independent, and operate with an all-volunteer board and staff, including myself.

Is the Rockland Community Foundation a member of a larger regional or national “parent organization?”

Fleming: Unlike some nonprofit agencies in the county that are arms or subsidiaries of national organizations, the Rockland Community Foundation exists solely and independent of any parent organization. That means there are no funds sharing or percentages paid to a national or regional office. All funds that come to the Foundation are 100 percent kept here for use in the county.  We are here just for donors and just for our county’s residents.

How does the Foundation operate?

Byrne:  We are essentially a nonprofit umbrella organization that provides a trusted place where people or organizations that want to give and help others in Rockland can contribute and or set up their own nonprofit funds.

We basically manage restricted and unrestricted funds and contributions.  Restricted funds are set up for contributors who want to earmark funds to a specific cause, need or interest. For example, a scholarship fund for education or a fund to specifically help the homeless in Rockland. Unrestricted funds are contributions to the Foundation in which the Foundation Board decides where to earmark the funds. For example, contributions could go directly into the six existing Foundation funds or to new funds established by the Board and donor to meet current or future needs of Rockland citizens.

One clear advantage of having funds under the Rockland Community Foundation is the potential of earning more return on investment. All monies under the Foundation are professionally invested and managed by The Strata Group of Citigroup Smith Barney.  Monies are essentially pooled together for investment but are individually tracked by each Fund. In the case of the restricted funds, the Fund “owner” has discretion over that fund and receives a statement tracking its performance and balance. The fee is 1.5% for The Strata Group and 1% for the Foundation. The Foundation has available for review by interested parties its Investment Policy Statement.

In special cases, the Foundation provides the flexibility to have funds within the Foundation managed by outside or third-party investment companies. This is at the discretion of the Board and the donor.

The Rockland Community Foundation is operated by volunteers, which includes a Board of Directors, an Advisory Board and special advisors, and a part-time Executive Director. The Board of Directors meet once a month and provide Foundation goal execution support on an ongoing basis.

How does the Rockland Community Foundation differ from other social service agencies and nonprofits in the county?

Fleming: To use a metaphor, you might say other social service agencies and nonprofits are the compact umbrellas that usually focus on one or a few needs, programs or issues. The foundation is more like a large golf umbrella that covers a wide array of concerns and interests, from the arts and the environment to human services and education to emerging needs and issues in the County.

Another way to look at it is that most nonprofits are money in money out – like a checking account. Funds they receive go back into services right away. The Foundation is more like a savings account or annuity investment for long-term support and grant dissemination.

Isn’t this a tough economic time for trying to build the Foundation’s endowment?

Byrne: We are up for the challenge. We have a solid business plan and targeted marketing plan in place and will stick to executing those with flexibility of adjusting to the current economic situation. 

I think people and companies that are philanthropic are this way in good times and in tough times. We are mostly an endowment-driven organization that is interested in both short-term and long-term planning for estates and the tax advantages of contributing to a foundation. We are optimistic that better days are ahead economically and are working toward our goals either way.

Moreover, in uncertain economic times being smarter about your money becomes even more important. Smaller nonprofits to pool their investment monies together for greater return makes sense as does finding the best and trusted avenue for tax-deductible contributions.

And, for individuals and families considering starting a fund in the name of a lost loved one, for example, the Rockland Community Foundation eliminates the need to spend upfront money and contributions and time to apply to the IRS for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.

Does the Foundation provide grants in the Community?

Byrne:  Yes. Over the past two years under our Health and Human Services Fund, the Foundation has provided $500 contributions to 20 food pantries during the holidays and plans to do this once again this year to help alleviate the shortages of food and high demand especially during this period. This program was a matching partnership with Inserra Supermarkets Inc., which operates several ShopRite stores in Rockland County.

In 2009 under our Education Fund, the Rockland Community Foundation will be offering our first scholarship program. And, under our Arts Fund, the Foundation will provide a matching grant with the monies contributed to the Foundation by Rockland Country Day School from its fall festival.

As previously stated, The Rockland Community Foundation operates six funds, from which three are and will be providing funds and grants. We anticipate more and more funds will be established under the Foundation and those too will be providing grants.

Why should an individual or family establish a fund under the Rockland Community Foundation rather than establish and manage their own nonprofit entity?

Byrne: The short answer is that it is smart and prudent.  Far too many people and organizations spend unnecessary money and time applying for their own 501(c)(3) registration with the IRS, and the ongoing time and expenses to remain compliant. This money, some of it provided by donors, could be better spent helping the cause rather than going to legal and accounting expenses.  Plus, there is no guarantee that the IRS will grant nonprofit status and renew it down the line.

The Rockland Community Foundation is a turn-key organization that provides instant nonprofit status for new and existing funds. Within a few days a fund could be established under the Foundation.

You often read in the media about families or individuals that want to raise money for someone with a serious illness or in the name of a loved who died tragically. It is unfortunate that in many of these cases there is no official 501(c)(3) status, which could impact the amount people give because of not having the charitable tax deduction.  By establishing the fund under the Foundation, they would have this nonprofit status almost instantaneous.

Inflation and poor interest rates also eat away at far too many nonprofits’ funds. A lot of funds are in bank savings accounts or CDs that earn paltry rates. Over the long-term a chunk of that money vanishes because of inflation, leaving less for the cause.

The Rockland Community Foundation is fortunate to have a professional investment team managing its assets. Although there is absolutely no loss of autonomy of individual restricted funds, the money is pooled together for a greater return on investment.

What is your short term goal for the Foundation?

Byrne: To spread the word about the advantages and importance of the Rockland Community Foundation. Short term we want to add as many new and existing funds as possible under the Foundation, especially scholarship funds, which make the most sense for the sponsoring parties.

If you look at the Orange/Sullivan Community Foundation, for example, you will see a number of scholarship funds sponsored by fire departments, schools, rotaries, and other clubs and organizations. They obviously see the value in having their funds under their local community foundation and we are optimistic that similar organizations here will take a close look at us.

I am of the belief that school districts, municipalities, fire departments, and other clubs and organizations in Rockland County are better served by letting the Foundation serve as their funds manager so they can spend more of their time raising funds and providing for the people they serve. They will still take the lead in overseeing their scholarship awards and other grants for programs within their funds.

Fleming:  We also have the short-term goal of building our Board. We would like to double the Board size by the end of 2009, by adding10 more individuals who have a passion for Rockland County and the professional expertise to help us grow and prosper.

What is your long term plans?

Fleming: We want to be as successful as possible in building a very strong endowment. We know this will take time and patience, but we also know that Rockland, as confirmed by our feasibility study, is well suited to fund and support a community foundation. We know from the study that a lot of money goes outside the county for charitable causes. Our aim is to keep more of that money home for use in Rockland to make the county a better place for everyone. Orange/Sullivan County was available to reach the $5 million mark in five years. I think Rocklanders could do better. I’d like to see us reach at least half the level of Dutchess County of $15 million within a decade. The county certainly has the people and the resources to achieve this.   It is up to us, the Foundation’s Board to continue to get the message out and educate the community of Rockland on the benefits of having a successful Rockland Community Foundation.

Byrne:  Dennis has very ambitious long-term goals, and I share his enthusiastic optimism. I think we can get there, and I think we need to get there for the sake of the people of Rockland and the struggling nonprofits in the county.

It is no secret that local, county and state (and federal) budgets are being tightened and in most cases the nonprofits and being squeezed and having to do more with less. The dilemma is that the needs are going up while government budgets are shrinking. It was recently raised that it may even be illegal for municipalities to provide funding to nonprofits with taxpayer dollars.

The future lies once again with the private sector – individuals, families, organizations, small businesses and corporations. Long term, we would love to see the Rockland Community Foundation in a position as the go-to funding source for assisting nonprofits in Rockland County, especially the smaller ones that do great work and improve quality of life but have little means for raising funds.

I am familiar with some of the great things community foundations have done and are doing across the country. Some of the larger community foundations, for example, are actually building affordable housing in their areas and other are providing funding for 50 percent of their nonprofits.

What else should people know about the Rockland Community Foundation?

Fleming:  This is about the community and the people who live here, work here or both. It is about helping make a difference in the county you call home, now and forever.

Byrne:  We are not a government funded entity, and, while having two of the same words in our name, we are not affiliated with Rockland Community College, although the president of RCC Dr. Cliff Wood is on our advisory board.

Community foundations are not a new concept, and have been around nearly 100 years – the first one founded in Cleveland, Ohio.  Although we are close in proximity to New York City, we are not part of the $10 billion New York City Community Trust, which includes Westchester and Nassau Counties .We believe it is best to remain independent and simply focus on our own county.

The Community Foundation does not provide and will not provide programs or social services. We are a nonprofit funding organization with a mission to build a strong endowment to provide grants for use in bettering Rockland County across almost any type of need or interest today, tomorrow and in the far future.

As a community foundation, we do need the help of individuals, families, organization, small businesses and corporations to contribute to the Foundation. It could be as simple as moving an existing scholarship program under the Rockland Community Foundation – this would be a seamless transition. Or, if you are an estate planning attorney or a CPA, make your clients aware of the opportunities and tax advantages of contributing to the Foundation. We have free brochures available and more information on our Web site rocklandgives.org.