2006 Year-End Summary

To Springboard Foundation Members, Contributors and Friends:

It is with great pleasure that we report on another successful year for the Springboard Foundation.   

As you may know, the leadership and membership of the Springboard Foundation consists of Chicago-area business people that volunteer their time, as well as, make an annual financial commitment.  Our membership remains steady at 40 people while the 2006 average contribution per member increased to record levels as it has for the last 5 years.

We fund grass-roots not-for-profit organizations that otherwise would have difficulty obtaining financial support.  Our primary area of focus is after-school and supplemental education programs.  Since our inception in 1998, we have helped numerous programs grow and became self-sustaining so that they can continue to provide inner city children with educational and out-of-school activities that are so critical to personal growth and success.

Of the 24 programs supported by Springboard this year, 16 were funded previously and 8 are first time awards.   Grants range from $5,000 to $20,000.  Because our grantees have an average budget of less than $200,000, we believe we are making a meaningful contribution to these programs and, in many cases, we represent their first and/or largest institutional award.

In 2006, we distributed approximately $360,000in grants through a combination of direct gifts of cash and subsidy payments to third party service providers who assist grantees in areas such as strategic planning, board development, fund raising, and technology.

This year, we achieved the cumulative giving milestone of $2 million.

Most of our funding has come historically from our members but we also rely upon additional contributions from friends, family members, foundations and corporations who have an affiliation with Springboard or one of its members.  This additional support is vital to our growth and we thank all who have contributed in the past, and hope to expand that base of support in the future. 

As a supporting organization of The Chicago Community Trust, we rely on their personnel and resources to assist us and our grantees.  Importantly, all of our remaining expenses are underwritten by our membership so that 100% of contributions from outside supporters can be invested directly into the community.

In 2006, the Springboard Foundation introduced a roundtable series focused on fund raising strategy and execution led by the Alford Group. We thank Greg Simoncini and Christopher Conway for their pro bono efforts.  In 2007, we plan to continue the roundtable series based on the feedback received from our grantees.  Most recently, we held a roundtable on board development in the afternoon prior to our annual dinner.  At this event, representatives of the Executive Service Corps of Chicago provided a primer on strategies and tactics that can be used to build and manage a strong non-profit board. 

Also, the Springboard Foundation has totally redesigned and launched a new website, http://springboardfoundation.org, to better serve our grantees, members, and community at large.  Many thanks to West Monroe Partners for their pro bono effort designing and building the new website.  Additionally, we are formalizing our marketing and communication programs to raise the awareness of Chicago’s philanthropic needs and the vital role the Springboard Foundation plays in satisfying some of those needs.

On September 28, 2006, we held our Seventh Annual Dinner at the Murphy Auditorium.  Gordon and Carole Segal, Co-founders and (respectively) CEO and VP Civic Affairs of Crate and Barrel, shared their philosophy on philanthropy and provided specific illustrations of the programs that receive their support.  Their focus on “funding ideas” and on “getting personally involved” are very much in line with the Springboard Foundation’s philosophy, and their speech set the tone for a very memorable night.  We are grateful to the Segals for sharing their time and perspectives with our group.

At the annual dinner, we were pleased to present the third Annual Springboard Award to Breakthrough Urban Ministries.  The award is used to recognize the Springboard Foundation grantee program that best exemplifies our core mission of “improving the lives of needy children, their families and their communities in the greater Chicago area” and it comes with an unrestricted $10,000 grant.  Breakthrough has an inspiring story to tell which, in part, can be found our website.

As we enter our tenth year in 2007, the Springboard Foundation will be led by Mark Ferguson, President, and Jack Keller, Vice President.  We are thankful for the ongoing support of our Board of Directors:  Prudence Beidler, community leader and Chair of The Chicago Community Trust’s Board of Directors; David Coolidge, Vice Chairman of William Blair & Company; Richard Driehaus, Founder and Chairman of Driehaus Capital Management; and Jim Glasser, Chairman of the Chicago Community Trust.  Mark Ferguson, Jack Keller and Doug Mabie, the Springboard Foundation’s Founder, will also serve on the Board of Directors in 2007. 

The mission of the Springboard Foundation is to provide financial and intellectual capital to selected, “grass roots” charitable programs that are focused on improving the lives of needy children, their families and their communities in the greater Chicago area. 

While we are all grateful for the chance to ‘make a difference’ in the lives of so many children, we realize there is much more work to be done.  We encourage you to learn more about how you can help us “make a difference” by visiting our website or talking to one of the Springboard Foundation members.

Many thanks,
 

Steve Kaiser                                                                                                             Mark Ferguson

President                                                                                                                  Vice President