Leadership is a big job.

That’s not even taking into account the day-to-day aspects of running a community foundation. From returning donor phone calls, to meeting with nonprofit stakeholders, to collaborating with your team—there’s always more to do. And when your work is about serving the community, no task seems too small to ignore.

But as a community’s needs evolve, so must your organization: “How can we play a more transformative role in our community? What is our strategy?”

Sometimes it takes an outside partner to help an organization see its unique strengths and opportunities.

EAC would love to be that partner for you.

Are you beginning to rethink your roles in the community? If so, please reach out and say hello—we’d love to talk!

​People trust us because we know what works.

Clients rely on us to bring clarity to complex organizational challenges and articulate possibilities for the future. We do this because we believe in the power of communities and philanthropy.

We can help you:

Determine the type of community leadership roles you may want to play and set criteria for engagement and success.

Create plans to attract the type of funds and resources you need to accomplish your goals.

Train board and staff to understand the community foundation business model.

Outline organizational growth that may be necessary to accomplish your goals.

Provide expertise and best practices for policies, reporting, and fiscal strategies.

Develop grantmaking priorities and desired outcomes, including effective ways to incorporate other funders, donors, and the broader community in programmatic efforts.

Are you ready for strategic planning?

It’s exciting to begin the strategic planning process!

It can feel like a renewal of your organization’s mission, vision, values, and purpose. But the planning process can become stressful and complicated if you launch before you are ready . . .

With that in mind, EAC developed this guide for community foundation boards and staff to help prepare to plan.

  • "It was such a pleasure to work with EAC. There is not a deeper collective brain trust on community foundations anywhere. Their experience, expertise, and passion make them a fun and extremely effective team to work with."

    Heather Larkin, president and CEO
    Arkansas Community Foundation

  • “I greatly valued EAC’s role as a thought partner, sharing ideas and suggestions. Their participation in our planning process, and at the board retreat, was excellent and helped raise the importance of a new direction.”

    Ruben Orduña​, vice president of development and donor services
    The San Francisco Foundation

  • “We have hired EAC twice in four years to assist with strategic planning. They've done a great job for us, especially during COVID when we moved planning sessions virtually. They are very responsive, accessible, professional, and just plain fun to work with.”

    Shelly Prichard, president and CEO
    Wichita Community Foundation

  • “EAC helped us to reveal our organization’s strengths and opportunities and forge a clear path for our affiliates—no small challenge with a statewide network that spans 100 counties.”

    Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, president and CEO
    North Carolina Community Foundation

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