A business mind-set aids one nonprofit

The numbers are remarkable.

The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County possessed an endowment of less than $200,000 in 1995.

That same year, Josie Heath took over as president of the organization.

Since then, the endowment has blossomed to more than $27 million, growing by about 135 times. That came during a schizophrenic decade marked by the pinnacle of financial muscle during the first five years, then the dot-com bust and more modest economic gains in recent years.

In the midst of that, the Community Foundation managed to gain donors, grow its assets and dole out millions in aid throughout the county. Since 1992, it’s given $14 million to nonprofits.

What’s the group’s secret?

"We believe nonprofits need to be entrepreneurial to survive," Heath says.

Here’s three highlights on how the Community Foundation did it:

Matt Branaugh

Full Story: http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/business_columnists/article/0,1713,BDC_2466_4213802,00.html