435. Reimagining Community Foundations Through Transparency, Accessibility, and the Joy of Giving -Amy Freitag

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Meet Amy. Last summer, she became only the fourth leader in the nearly 100-year history of The New York Community Trust, one of America's oldest and most respected community foundations. Drawing from her diverse background in environmental advocacy, the arts, LGBTQ issues, and historic preservation, Amy's passion and energy are shaking up this longstanding institution. Tune in to celebrate the joy of giving and the incredible impact of community foundations🎉

💡Learn

Demystifying Community Foundations
How Community Foundations are meeting the moment
Using milestones to build relationships and set the stage for the future

Today's Guest

Amy Freitag, President, The New York Community Trust

“We are the matchmakers between generous local donors, and high impact nonprofits on the ground, so we have to get to know each other.”

— Amy Freitag, President, The New York Community Trust

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Episode Highlights

Amy’s story and journey to where she is today (3:50)
Demystifying Community Foundations (6:15)
How to partner with community foundations (9:45)
How Community Foundations are meeting the moment (15:20)
Showcasing the joy of giving at The New York Community Trust (21:35)
Learning from the Cleveland Foundation (24:10)
The New York Community Trust’s Centennial (28:15)
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Amy’s life (33:05)
Amy’s One Good Thing: Build trust, and build it one person at a time. It’s all about honestly seeing and connecting with people. (37:10)
How to connect with The New York Community Trust (38:25)

Powerful Quotes

“Even people in philanthropy and nonprofits are scratching their heads and asking about community foundations.” -Amy

“We have these two parts of our missions. We are taking in and stewarding funds, and then on the other hand we are making grants.” -Amy

“Community foundations are crazy quilts of generosity.” -Amy

“Community foundations are reservoirs of stories of generosity.” -Amy

“We are the matchmakers between generous local donors, and high impact nonprofits on the ground, so we have to get to know each other.” -Amy

“You are shepherding this legacy. There is a sense of honor and duty, but also infuses the energy of a startup in a 100 year old frame.” -Amy

“We are working very hard to seize the moment. The next generation of donors love being close to the impact and hands-on. We have to make a community foundation for the next century that meets that opportunity.” -Amy

“We have to engage the next generation of donors, and they have to look just as beautiful and diverse as our beautiful and diverse community does. We have to engage a lot more people, we have to build out this ecosystem of philanthropy, and we have to come to this with a mindset of abundance.” -Amy

“We should be your friendly resource.” -Amy

“It’s such a beautiful opportunity to reconnect with the city and find new ways to talk to a broader and more diverse New York. That is the best way we can celebrate this anniversary.” -Amy

“Coming out of Covid, we need to connect with people and hear and feel them in real ways.” -Amy

“If we do nothing else than connect one by one and build up that trust piggy bank, that is what’s going to help us all do our work better.” -Amy