Dear Friends,
Five years ago this month, I stepped into the role of CEO of the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin with a full heart and, honestly, a little bit of awe. I had spent much of my career in philanthropy and believed deeply in what community foundations make possible. But nothing quite prepares you for the moment a community opens its arms and says, “We trust you with our future.”
I think about that trust every single day, in every decision that I make. And I have come to understand that trust and love are not so different. Both are choices. Both are acts.
“Love is an action, never simply a feeling.” — Bell Hooks
I have witnessed that overlap, time and time again, in the people who make this foundation possible. Over the past five years, I have seen love in action across Portage and Waushara counties.
I think about the 1,082 students whose lives were shaped, in ways we may never fully know, by the generosity of our scholarship donors.
I think about the 44 organizations we have helped build endowments and the numerous nonprofits that have received grants through our Community Grants program because of donors like Floy and Hiram Anderson’s family, Dr. Bob and Nancy Cooper, the Rause, Verkest, and Kaercher families, Skyward, and the many individual contributors who chose to give to our Mission Funds.
I think about our Donor Advised Fund holders and the trust they place in us to help shape their philanthropy, to invest for maximum growth, and to connect them to community needs and projects like the Waushara Community YMCA, Seramur Park, Door2Dreams, the Rosholt Fair, and so many more.
When I arrived in 2021, our team was small but mighty. Today, we have crossed $50 million in assets and the people alongside me every day made that possible. Marlee, Sarah, Natasha, Beth, Joey, Chloe, Tara, Emma, and our incredible Board of Directors and Committee Volunteers, who have brought energy, deep care, and remarkable talent to every corner of our work.
Here is what I know to be true after five years: philanthropy is not a formality. It is not a line item or a year-end obligation. It is an expression of love, for the place you call home, for the people who share it with you, and for the generations who will inherit what we build together.
I also know the work ahead is as meaningful as anything we’ve done thus far. I feel most called to strengthening our nonprofit sector, what we call Nonprofit Excellence. The organizations on the front lines of our community are a major part of what makes life here so vibrant: the arts and cultural experiences that feed our souls, the wellness resources that keep our neighbors healthy, the educators and mentors investing in learning, the conservation work that protects the land we love, and the people and programs that catch our most vulnerable community members when they fall. Every one of those organizations deserves more than gratitude. They deserve help building endowments that protect their futures, leadership pipelines that carry their missions forward, and donors who understand that the most transformational gifts are often the ones that build capacity, not just programs. Stronger nonprofits generate more impact per dollar given. That’s not just good philanthropy; it’s how a community compounds its own generosity.
That invites a question I find myself returning to often: what does a meaningful gift really mean? It isn’t always the largest gift. Sometimes it’s the most timely one. Sometimes it’s unrestricted, trusting an organization’s leadership to know where it’s needed most. Sometimes it’s a multi-year commitment that lets a small team plan for the future with confidence instead of scramble with uncertainty. Sometimes it’s a legacy gift that lives on long after we do. So, what is a meaningful gift? I have come to realize there is not a universal answer. It is something that is unique to each donor. The community foundation is here to help; by showing up for donors as they discover what feels most meaningful to them.
I intend to keep showing up. I hope you will too.
To our donors, fund representatives, board members, community partners, and everyone who has walked through our doors or picked up the phone to ask how you could help — thank you. You are the reason I come to work with joy and lead with purpose.
To our team, past and present, thank you for matching your talent with your heart. You make the hard things feel possible and the good things feel extraordinary.
And to this community, Portage County, Waushara County, and all the people who call central Wisconsin home, thank you for trusting us to hold your generosity with care. It is the greatest honor of my professional life.
Here’s to the next five years – to a more connected, vibrant community, to arts that inspire and environments that flourish, to neighbors who are well and children who are educated and people who are helped when they need it most, to nonprofits that thrive, to donors who give with intention, and to all of us, together, building something worth being proud of.
With love and gratitude,
Jenny Riggenbach
Chief Executive Officer, Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin
A Trusted Philanthropic Partner