Building Strong Communities
When I Googled “building strong communities”, over 39 million unique pages were found through the internet search engine that has become a household verb.
It is amazing that in less than two seconds of searching the worldwide web that I would have access to more information than I could read in a lifetime.
The articles ranged from education to solving problems to creating a vision. As you can well imagine, there was no shortage of topics. What is interesting is that the internet has created its own community, connecting people with similar interests from around the globe.
I was intrigued to learn what others were saying about building strong communities. As one of the region’s youngest nonprofits, the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts’ primary role over the past five years has been to meet community needs and improve the quality of life.
Defining community
Defining a community in the past was as simple as pulling out a map. Communities were primarily defined by geography. It could be an entire city, town, borough, village or one or two streets that described a community. You have probably seen the signs- French Hill or The Flats, placed throughout Leominster, harking back to the communities of yesteryear.
As the Community Foundation looks forward, old paradigms will continue to change and evolve. Community will be defined by a host of factors.
The nation and our community are rapidly changing; we are getting older and more diverse. This inevitable change will fundamentally alter the composition of a community according to Blueprint Research & Design and the Monitor Group, which conducted a report on community foundations.
Nonprofit organizations will have to serve communities of different races, young and old people, and immigrants. These communities will be people from all walks of life rallying around a common goal.
Ensuring a stronger community
The Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts’ long-term success, helping create strong communities, will come from building endowments that will serve many causes.
Unfortunately, most important issues will take years, or in some cases generations, to solve or minimize. That is why the Community Foundation is focused on creating permanent funds. These funds give donors the confidence to know that there is a long-term commitment to addressing the issue they care about.
With a permanent source of funding, combined with leadership that is focused on collaboration and partnerships, diverse and critical opportunities can be addressed with the perseverance and long-term view that is needed to build strong communities.
Thomas F. Bagley, III
Chairman
Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts
January 03, 2005
