Trustees Panel

In class on Friday we were able to hear from two local philanthropists, Kira Huck of the Foundation for Community Health http://www.fchwmt.org, and Meredith Printz of the Missoula Community Foundation. http://missoulacommunityfoundation.org

Here are a few of our class's take-aways: 

Kira Huck, who spoke in our class stressed the importance of building relationships and improving the community said, “Philanthropy isn’t just about money, but building relationships with donors to create a meaningful impact.” Huck is an Operations and Programs manager at the Foundation for Community Health. Huck added, “The purpose of philanthropy is to better the lives of people.”

 

One of the most difficult aspects of philanthropy, is saying no to someone. If they propose a specific idea, but it’s not going to be successful, a philanthropist must have the ability to say no. Integrity is key; having strong morals, remaining respectful, kind, and determined is important. 

Connecting donations to projects that reflect their wishes is a very important part of choosing where the money goes. Even if a project is worthy of funding, the person who donated that money might not be 100% behind it, and in the end it is important to match the project with the donor in order to maintain long-term health of the relationship.