Resolutions we can all keep
By Randy Moore / Board Chairperson and Interim President and CEO
We’ve all been there. As New Year’s rolls around, we dream up big plans for change in the year ahead—finally mastering the piano, hitting the gym before work each morning, getting that side gig off the ground. If these resolutions all too often end up back on the shelf after a few months’ time, it’s not because setting goals is a bad idea. It’s because doing everything it takes to become the person—or the community—we want to be isn’t easy. Take it from an organization that knows a thing or two about transformation.
This morning, I invite you to consider a few resolutions that are both worthwhile and achievable. First, I hope you’ll take some time to learn more about the Quad Cities Community Foundation and the ways we can work together this year. We’ve made it easy by creating “Working with your Community Foundation,” a new guide to help our region’s nonprofit and community groups understand all the ways we can partner together (you might be surprised about everything we can do to help you achieve your goals!).
If you’ve gifted to or established a fund with us, you might know us as the region’s trusted resource for generosity. (Perhaps you’ve read about it in our companion publication, “Here. There. Everywhere.”—also available online or mailed by request.) If you’ve received support for your organization’s mission, you might know us as one of the Quad Cities’ major grantmakers. But there’s more to the Community Foundation than you might think.
The same is true of our community, and the second resolution I want to recommend today is to learn more about the areas of the community you’re interested in or curious about. In fact, knowing our community better is something the Community Foundation works toward every day.
For us, transforming the region through the generosity of donors means working to address our community’s most pressing needs and opportunities. We can’t do that without a deep, nuanced understanding both of what makes the Quad Cities great and of the challenges it faces—and how systemic inequities compound those challenges for different groups within our community. That’s why we spend so much time forging connections, relationships, and partnerships with donors who have passions for specific causes, with nonprofits working on vital missions, with individuals with lived experience of the issues we’re addressing, and with professionals who bring expert perspectives. We’re committed to listening and learning so that when we act, we act in ways that meaningfully move us closer to our long-term goal of a community where all our residents can not just live, learn, and work—but also thrive.
As we renew that commitment in 2022, please join us in making one more resolution we can all keep: to proceed with curiosity, empathy, and generosity. If we can do that, together we can build a more vibrant and equitable region.