This week, in recognizing National Volunteer Week, we are highlighting members of our Fund Advisor Council.
The Northwest Minnesota Foundation Fund Advisory Council is comprised of a selection of dedicated and committed fund advisors from NMF’s family of funds who are helping us champion our work in their communities.
These individuals volunteer their time – over and above what they are already doing on behalf of their fund – to provide the NMF Philanthropy team with suggestions, feedback, and guidance on how we can better support and equip the fund advisors for our 430+ funds.
There are six members of our Fund Advisory Council and we are very thankful and appreciative for their time and leadership in championing community.
Fund for which they serve as a fund advisor: Fosston Education Foundation
Length of time as fund advisor: Five years
What do you believe is the value of the Fund Advisor Council and why did you decide to join? I think we provide a great value to our education community in Fosston providing grant funding for projects that enhance people’s lives and education. I joined as it seemed to be and has been a fun group to be a part of and be involved with our community’s education in some capacity.
What is your favorite part of serving as a fund advisor? My favorite part is the open discussion about grant applications and then the stories shared from grant recipients.
Do you have a favorite “impact moment” from your work as a fund advisor? It’s hard to pick one but I do remember my first few meetings and being surprised by the grant requests. I was ignorant to the idea of how limited budgets can be and that a lot of great people use their own money to enhance their impact on education. It’s great that our grants can support these projects in a very meaningful matter without the need for people to feel the financial pressure of privately funding it or worse, not being able to complete the project for lack of funding.
