Who is the community? Why are you engaging with them? Who does community engagement serve? How will you ensure you are reaching folks who are typically excluded? Are you prepared to act on recommendations that come from the community?
This checklist of questions came out of our discussion on rural philanthropy and community engagement in July with two of our partners, Sonya Salanti from the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation in Coös County, NH and Chris Lemon from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Approximately 1 in 5 Americans lives in a rural area, but only 6% of foundation grants target such communities. It was our honor to hear from two funders about what it means to meaningfully engage local communities in using those precious funds effectively and equitably. If you weren’t able to attend this discussion live, we are sharing it here so you can read, listen, or watch the recording. Additionally, we hope you will take time to check out the reports (see below) from our work with Chris and Sonya.
Happy Summer!
PANEL DISCUSSION: RURAL PHILANTHROPY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
On July 21, Colette Stanzler, Managing Director at Root Cause, moderated a discussion about rural philanthropy and community engagement alongside panelists Chris Lemon from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation which serves Washtenaw County, MI, and Sonya Salanti, from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, which serves Coös County, NH and its surrounding communities in the United States and Canada.
REPORT: HEALTHY AGING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI
The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) tapped into Root Cause’s quantitative and qualitative expertise to help it understand and map existing county-wide programs and services for older adults, produce a comprehensive analysis of Washtenaw County’s current senior demographics, document the lived experiences of older adults, and make recommendations on how to improve the senior ecosystem. This report was the first of its kind to establish an independent and objective understanding of what healthy aging could look like in the County. To learn more about this project, listen to our podcast episode about our work with AAACF.
PROJECT: STRATEGIC PLANNING TO SERVE COÖS COUNTY, NH & SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES IN THE U.S. & CANADA
In 2021, the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation engaged Root Cause to help it develop a new strategic plan that would support local community needs and strive for systemic change. In 2022, Root Cause continues to support the Fund in the implementation of the recently-completed strategic plan. The vision of the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund is “To serve as a catalyst for the region to move toward sustainable community and economic development in Coös County and surrounding communities in the United States and Canada.”
This summer we welcomed two interns from Duke University's Duke Engage program. Malenie Reyes, a Political Science and History major, and Nidhi Dhupati, a Statistics major, joined us in Boston and meaningfully contributed to project work through research, analysis, development of recommendations and reports, and more. We are grateful for their contributions to Root Cause over the summer and wish them the best with the rest of their time at Duke and beyond!
If you are interested in learning more about the work we're doing, please contact our Managing Director Abby Fung or visit rootcause.org.
