Indian River Community Foundation Earns National Accreditation
Indian River Community Foundation recently received accreditation with the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® establish legal, ethical, effective practices for community foundations everywhere.
“Meeting the National Standards benchmarks is a rigorous, comprehensive process,” said Scott Alexander, Chair of Indian River Community Foundation. “This accreditation is a significant accomplishment that indicates Indian River Community Foundation demonstrates a commitment to transparency, quality, integrity and accountability as it carries out its mission.”
The National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations® program requires community foundations to document their policies for donor services, investments, grantmaking and administration. Indian River Community Foundation’s year-long accreditation process was led by volunteer Director Phil Coviello and supported by team members Jeff Pickering, Jaci Ruppert and Yamilet Cendejas. With over 500 community foundations already accredited nationwide, the program is designed to provide quality assurance to donors, as well as to their legal and financial advisors.
“This is critically important to our donors,” said Jeff Pickering, Indian River Community Foundation president and chief executive officer. “When people make a charitable bequest or establish a fund, they are putting their trust in us. They are counting on us to manage the investment wisely, honor their charitable wishes and, in some cases, provide lifetime income to a loved one. The National Standards accreditation says our house is in order.”
“Philanthropy is our business,” said Founding Chairman Rick McDermott. “Our work is focused on helping generous people simplify their donations and give to the causes they love through charitable giving accounts. If we do our job well, we inspire our donors to create and leave a charitable legacy that can support these causes forever. Accreditation helps reinforce the trust our donors and their advisors have already placed in us. ”
“We use the philanthropic capital entrusted to us to find, fund and follow effective charitable organizations, program and projects that make our Indian River Community better,” said Pickering. “In fact, twenty percent of the $36 million received last year by local charities from foundations came from donor-advised charitable giving accounts and discretionary grants from Indian River Community Foundation. This accreditation validates the Community Foundation’s grantmaking practices for the nonprofit community.”