Your Community Foundation Newsletter is HERE!

December 2025

Greetings!

Hello everyone! Well, it looks like we'll be slipping and sliding right into a white Christmas (or whichever winter holiday you celebrate) this year! The wintry weather makes traveling around the region a little more challenging, but it does put me in the holiday spirit.

In this letter, you'll find some important reminders as we approach year-end. Additionally, remember to get your year-end donations turned into SMIF as soon as possible so that we can get things processed in a timely manner.

I've also highlighted what a bang-up job you all did during this year's Give to the Max push this year-- see the update below.

I hope this newsletter finds you all staying warm and cozy! Thank you for all the hard work you do in your communities.

Happy holidays,

Alissa Oeltjenbruns

Vice President of Philanthropy and Community Vitality

alissao@smifoundation.org | 507.214.7023

New Resource Alert!

We have partnered with Growth by Design to create a series of educational videos to benefit your board. Topics range from "why grow an endowment" to "running an effective fundraising event."

Your homework: Please watch one video at the start of each of your upcoming meetings, followed by discussion. I promise, they are short and sweet!

Following your conversation, please let me know if there is any follow up information that could be beneficial. The more efficient your board runs, the greater impact you will have.

Spotlight: Give to the Max Day Recap

You did it again! I’m proud to announce SMIF Community Foundations raised over $70,000 during the week of Give to the Max this year. Congratulations to all of you who took part in this amazing time of generosity! In case you missed it, below are the winners of the random drawing. (Each of these Foundations won $100 for their Endowment Fund. Participating Foundations can win more than once.)

If you would like to discuss how you can take advantage of this annual day for philanthropy next year, feel free to reach out!

Preston

Harmony

Rushford

Southland

Our Town

Wabasha

Wanamingo

Blue Earth

St. Charles

Lanesboro

Spring Valley

Plainview

Ellendale

Kenyon

Preston

Spring Valley

Harmony

Rushford

Ellendale

Year-end Fundraising

Did you know:

On average, nonprofits raise 26% of their annual revenue in the month of December.
Nonprofits raise 17-31% of online revenue in December.
10% of all giving happens in the last three days of the year.
50% of U.S. households give annually, 80.1% of affluent houses.
76% of people who volunteer for a nonprofit also donate to it.
97% of donors cite the impact of their gift as a major deciding factor.
Direct mail is the most popular medium for year-end asks, followed by email and then in-person.
60% of organizations make between 1-3 touches per donor for a year-end ask.

This is why it is so important to have a year-end fundraising plan. It can be simple. Send out a letter and follow up with an email about the great work your Foundation does. Make sure to have a follow up plan. Let the donor know they are needed and will make a difference by supporting you. If you’d like more year-end fundraising tips feel free to reach out!

Reminder: New Donation Pages Are Up

Just a reminder that this summer, we rolled all donation pages over to a new online system that connects with our database. You may need to update any direct links in other locations, such as social media or city websites.

Please note, even though it asks you to create an account or log in, you do not have to. You only need to do this to see your personal giving history. Also, donors can sign up to give monthly via your donation page. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Community Foundation incentives & opportunities

New Matching Funds for FY26: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026

Endowment Match: for Community Foundations with endowments under $100,000: $17,500 remaining

Matching Grant: $12,250 remaining

Do you have a will?

A few years ago we realized there was a gap in accessibility to estate planning tools. We believe that all people and families deserve the opportunity to thrive, including planning for their future. That's why we are excited to partner with FreeWill, a free online tool to write your legal will at no personal cost to you. This resource helps protect your family and friends, plan beneficiaries for your assets, and support the causes and communities you love. With FreeWill you can have peace of mind and leave a lasting legacy in just 20 minutes. This tool is also available to any friends and family that might benefit from it, so please pass it on. Learn more here.

Tim Penny Small Towns Fund

This year, SMIF is on a mission to raise $1 million to turn ideas into impact in our region's smallest communities. In honor of Tim’s lifetime work in southern Minnesota and his longtime passion and deep roots in small towns, we created the Tim Penny Small Towns Fund to honor him. We are currently at $750,000 and are in the final push!

Will you help us get to $1 million?

Donate now!

Acres for Good

Photo: SMIF President and CEO, Benya Kraus, with her cousin, Jason Kraus, at his farm in Waseca County.

What is Acres for Good?

Our Acres for Good farmland succession program is focused on keeping farmland farming while using the extra income to impact causes the landowner cares about for future generations.

Connect with SMIF