Vital Sign

Anja Böllhoff– Coordinating Director European Community Foundation Initiative: “Community Foundations in Italy are known for their role as local grant makers and promoters of philanthropic commitment. As foundations by citizens for citizens, they enjoy increasing popularity and distribution – by now, there are Community Foundations in 37 Italian communities. It’s less known that community foundations can also play an important role in assuming local leadership. The North Milan Greater Area Foundation has impressively demonstrated this additional benefit for the region that consists of 23 municipalities. As the first of the Italian Community Foundations, and as one of the few in Europe, the North Milan Greater Area Foundation adapted the Canadian Vital Signs for regional purposes and published the first Vital Signs Report in January 2018. What is so special about it? In doing so, the North Milan Greater Area Foundation not only shows how important a strategic, fact-based development of its own activities is. It gives us who are interested in this region with more than 700,000 people, important insights into actual conditions of the region.  The foundation thus assumes its role of a local designer. We greatly admire this commitment and are grateful that the Foundation shares its experiences with colleagues from all over Europe so that soon even more Community Foundations will use Vital Sign as a strategic tool in their local work”.

Rüdiger Ratsch-Heitmann – Director Hamburg Community Foundation: “BürgerStiftung Hamburg starting vital signs process: How to get started? That was our main issue joining the thematic meeting of ECFI concerning vital signs which took place in Hamburg, September 2018. Within a very open minded atmosphere we got input from a small but very special forum who’s participants from Canada, UK, Italy and many other European countries were sharing all their experiences on vital signs research and strategies. Being one of the oldest and largest community foundations in Germany we would like to follow the example of our international colleagues and advice our grant making strategies by using vital signs. The idea of combining data facts with the knowledge of community members seems quite right to get an overview of the needs of Hamburg. We were very impressed by the Vital Signs process of the Fondazione Comunitaria North Milano, where besides the data-analysis in collaboration with a university about 6 to 8 focus groups with community leaders worked intensively about half a year on the indicators of the main themes and helped to priories the results. Thanks to Daniele Giudici, who shared his experiences with us!”

Alison Sidney– Coordinatore attività strategiche e Vital Signs delle Fondazioni Comunitarie Canadesi, ha riportato come la Fondazione Nord Milano abbia studiato, illustrato e previsto un modello di Vital Signs adatto al territorio oltre che per costruire momenti inclusivi per organizzazioni e donatori: “It was inspiring to see the leadership from Daniele Giudici with the Fondazione Comunitaria Nord Milano and to hear what the Foundation has learned about their community through the Vital Signs program”