Annual Lunch Celebrations

Match Day giving blunts drop in Community Foundation for Muskegon County assets

by Dave Alexander | The Muskegon Chronicle
Thursday June 25, 2009, 8:21 AM

The current Community Foundation for Muskegon County theme of Give. [Thanks.] was appropriate for the Match Day announcement at the foundation's annual luncheon.

Contributors, local nonprofit organizations and foundation leaders all were "giving thanks" for the final report on last month's Match Day fundraiser and for the approximately $525,000 in checks handed out to 58 participating agencies, amid a year when foundation assets were down significantly.

Match Day was an event in which the foundation and more than 15 of its donor-advised funds that put up a $75,000 match. Some 94 foundation-associated nonprofits had the ability to raise funds and be matched 50 cents on every dollar raised May 28.

"Muskegon again has risen to the occasion as it has done so many times," foundation President Chris McGuigan in reporting on Match Day final results. "We met and surpassed our greatest expectations."

Match Day was launched this year because of the downturn in the economy and the stock markets which have hurt local nonprofit organizations at a time when community needs are increasing.

The economic recession could be seen in the foundation's 2008 annual report presented to the annual luncheon at the Holiday Inn Muskegon Harbor.

The foundation's investments were down 30 percent in 2008, while the foundation brought in $5.6 million in new gifts and 46 new funds were created. On the giving side, the foundation granted or awarded scholarships of $4.35 million -- $150,000 more than 2007.

At the end of the year, the foundation's total assets dropped 28.7 percent from $124.1 million at the end of 2007 to $88.4 million at the end of 2008.

The foundation's investment portfolio has risen 7.3 percent this year through May. "We believe better days are coming," foundation chairwoman Barbara DeBruyn said.

The 10th annual presentation of the Partricia B. Johnson Award for Community Leadership and Innovative Grantmaking went the Tanglewood Park project. Tanglewood is a collaborative senior citizens resource center in Norton Shores that opened last year.

Johnson -- the foundation's president emeritus honors inspired community leadership over the years with a grant award -- selected Tanglewood for which the community raised $2 million to turn an old grocery store into a resource center for seniors.

Johnson recognized the contributions of Dee Scott, the retired director of the Senior Resources of West Michigan; Muskegon industrialist Larry Hines, chairman of the fundraising campaign; and Maggie Jensen, campaign director.

The foundation also gave tribute to three retiring trustees: Muskegon County Probate Judge Gregory Pittman, Essco President Bruce Rice and community activist Judith Wilcox. All have served nine-year terms and moved off the board.

The foundation also introduced three new trustees. They are community activist Kay M. Olthoff, downtown developer Gary Post and local banker Asaline Scott.

MATCH DAY RESULTS

• Total match: $75,000

• Total gifts raised: $449,594

• Nonprofits receiving donations: 78

• Nonprofits sharing in the match: 58

• Most funds raised: Child Abuse Council

• Most match money received: First Congregational Church

• Highest average gift: Ravenna Public Schools endowment

• Most number of gifts: Love Inc.