Annual Report 2012: Looking Forward, Giving Back

SWIF’s volunteer Board of Directors represents the best of southwest Minnesota. They are a committed and experienced group of regional leaders actively involved in serving SWIF’s mission.

Board Chair William (Bill) McCormack led SWIF to raise the bar even higher on how we best use resources and serve the region in Fiscal Year 2012. His leadership has SWIF well-positioned to move new opportunities forward while excelling at current work. Board member Connie VanDerBill Medin completed six years of service in Fiscal Year 2012. Retired from Kandiyohi Family Services and an active farmer and volunteer, Connie provided great leadership and an important perspective to our Board of Directors, including playing a major role in helping shape Keep It Growing, SWIF’s farmland retention program.

• Board of Directors List
• Staff List

To receive a printed copy of our complete audited financials, please contact us at 800-594-9480.

• Statement of Financial Position

As we’ve shared, our work is supported by generous people, businesses, communities, and partner organizations who want to strengthen southwest Minnesota not just today, but well into the future. Learn about their investments made through SWIF and our more than 100 fund partners to benefit our communities and region by viewing the download below for our Fiscal Year 2012 edition of Looking Forward, Giving Back .

Thanks to the generosity of our donors and partners, these are some of the highlights of the Southwest Initiative Foundation’s impactful work in Fiscal Year 2012.

• Three new community foundation fund partners joined SWIF’s family of more than 100 funds, including Bird Island-Olivia (BIO Legacy Fund), Montevideo and Walnut Grove.
• Two gifts of farmland were booked through SWIF’s Keep It Growing farmland retention program that will ultimately benefit the region.
• A unique opportunity for donor engagement in Luverne led to SWIF providing local leadership to facilitate community visioning sessions and equipping community members to begin implementing multiple community improvement projects.
• Organization-wide development efforts allowed us to exceed the fundraising goal to the SWIF General Endowment by raising more than $316,000 to benefit the entire region.
• The final Honor Flight Southwest Minnesota trip was made. More than 300 southwest Minnesota veterans were taken to Washington, D.C. on trips made possible by this volunteer- and donor-driven organization, which SWIF supported through our Paul and Alma Schwan Aging Trust Fund.
• SWIF awarded $1,000 grants to each food shelf in southwest Minnesota for a total of $34,000. The checks were delivered in person by SWIF board and staff to see what our local food shelves do in the community. SWIF staff and board have continued our monthly food shelf collections and personally donate about 50 pounds of food and $100 to a different food shelf in our region each month.
• The Business Finance Program became an approved lender under the State Small Business Credit Initiative allowing SWIF to make a greater impact. SWIF has deployed 71 percent of this loan fund to support business development throughout the region.
• Entrepreneurship/Microloan team closed 40 microloans and launched an updated CORE website to provide business education to existing and aspiring entrepreneurs. SWIF was also invited to serve on the board for KIVA’s new U.S. loan platform which presents a unique way to increase access to capital in the region.
• SWIF hosted its fourth Leading By Example event “The Mind of a Champion” providing leadership development and networking opportunities to 40 business leaders.
• SWIF sponsored the Animal Science Venture Forum in Willmar and the Regional Bioscience Conference in Worthington to support these key asset sectors.
• In partnership with Initiative Foundation, SWIF established a pilot coalition of lake associations in Meeker County to participate in the Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership working to evaluate and enhance water quality.
• The Youth Energy Summit (YES!) program, in partnership with Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center, established 27 student teams.
• Two new Early Childhood Initiative Coalitions were launched including Lac qui Parle Valley and Bird Island-Olivia-Lake Lillian (BOLD).
• SWIF trained 26 nonprofit leaders through the Nonprofit Leader’s Academy, a program designed to help build individual skills and capacity.
• SWIF staff completed a Facilitate and Transfer Field Guide based on best practices and models used in SWIF programming to develop and challenge leaders throughout the region. Efforts increased the cross-functionality of staff throughout the organization. These best practices were also shared with two returning Blandin Community Leadership Program cohorts in our region, including Olivia-Renville-Sacred Heart and Murray County.