Sharing Knowledge. Growing Impact.

Take a Tour of the Benchmarking Tool

See how you can select a peer group using over 80 different criteria and view reports on data in several important content areas.

Take the Tour

Benefits
Benefits
CF Insights Members The Field
Services Expert Guidance and Analysis Checked
Peer Learning and Connections Checked
Technical Assistance
with Tools		 Checked
Consulting and Project Support Checked Checked
Tools Benchmarking and Custom Reports Checked with Annotation
Dashboard for Board Presentations Checked
Activity-Based Costing Analysis Model Checked Checked
Economic Scenario Planning Model Checked Checked
Interactive Strategy Model Checked Checked
Knowledge Member Research Briefs Checked
Trend Analysis and Rankings Checked Checked
Reports on Key Issues and Ideas Checked Checked

* Columbus Survey Participants have on-demand access to a select subset of
benchmarking reports

Data We Collect
Data We Collect

Data Collected by CF Insights

All data collected by CF Insights is available to members as criteria with which to build peer groups and as the basis for over 60 on-demand reports.

Foundation Basics:

  • Fiscal Year End Date
  • Year Foundation Created
  • Staffing by Function
  • Strategic Operating Priorities
  • Affiliations with Other Foundations
  • Software Type Used
  • Engagement in the Following Areas:
    • Community Leadership
    • Fiscal Sponsorship/Fundraising
    • Fundraising for Operations
    • Nonprofit Resource Center
    • Services to Private Foundations
    • Special Initiatives

Geographic:

  • Urban vs. Rural
  • Population of Area Served
  • Geographic Area Served
  • State
  • Region

Assets and Funds:

  • Total Assets
  • Total Assets by Product Type
  • Total Number of Foundation Funds
  • Total Number of DAFs
  • Total Number of Funds Held at SOs
  • Total Number of SOs
  • Operating Endowment and Reserves

 

Expenses:

  • Total Operating Expenses
  • Special Initiative Operations Expenses
  • Operating Expenses as Percent of Assets

Contributions:

  • Total Foundation Contributions - $ and #
  • Total Contributions to DAFs - $ and #
  • Total Contributions to SOs - $ and #

Grants:

  • Total Foundation Grants - $ and #
  • Total Grants from DAFs - $ and #
  • Total Grants from SOs - $ and #

Activity-Based Costing Results:

  • Contributions/Subsidies by Product - $
  • Total Cost by Product - $
  • Total Cost by Activity Type - $

Administrative Fee Schedules:

CF Insights collects the following fee information by specific product and fund type.

  • Total Fees
  • Minimum Fees
  • Minimum Fund Balance

Investment Data from the Colonial Consulting/FAOG Investment Survey:

Colonial Consulting and FAOG provide CF Insights with the results of their annual and quarterly investment surveys.

  • Annualized Returns
  • Overall Allocation
  • Equity Allocation
  • Fixed Income Allocation
  • Alternate Allocation

Contact info@cfinsights.org for more information.

Tour-Old
Tour-Old
Updated Tour Video
Updated Tour Video
Entering CF Insights Data
Entering CF Insights Data
Creating Peer Groups and Benchmarking Reports
Creating Peer Groups and Benchmarking Reports

History, Funders and Governance

History

CF Insights was created by the community foundation field in 2006 as a partnership between the Council on Foundations and FSG. Since then – thanks to wide ranging contributions – CF Insights has achieved its initial vision of helping community foundations make more informed, effective decisions about their operation models.

From 2007 to 2010, grants from 39 community foundations, 2 private foundations, and the Council on Foundations provided CF Insights with startup capital to develop infrastructure.

Committed to building on this rich history, FSG and Foundation Center began conversations early in 2014 to determine how Foundation Center resources could strengthen CF Insights’ offerings to better serve members and the field. After seeing many compelling ways to integrate new data and technology into CF Insights, the two organizations have agreed to move CF Insights from FSG to Foundation Center, effective 2015. Since then, FSG has continued to work in partnership with Foundation Center, and the two organizations believe this new configuration will enable CF Insights to grow in value as a resource to its members.

The Legacy of The Columbus Foundation

CF Insights offers special thanks to The Columbus Foundation, which conducted the hallmark community foundation survey on behalf of the field from 1988-2007. We are grateful for the opportunity to now manage the important work of collecting and reporting field-wide data.

Community Foundations Contributing Leadership and Funding to CF Insights' Startup or Research

  • Arizona Community Foundation
  • Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
  • The Baltimore Community Foundation
  • Berks County Community Foundation
  • Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
  • The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham
  • Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County
  • The Boston Foundation
  • California Community Foundation
  • The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region
  • The Chicago Community Trust
  • The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
  • The Cleveland Foundation
  • The Columbus Foundation & Affiliated Organizations
  • The Dallas Foundation
  • East Bay Community Foundation
  • Community Foundation of Greater Flint
  • Grand Rapids Community Foundation
  • Hampton Roads Community Foundation
  • Johnson County Community Foundation
  • Kalamazoo Community Foundation
  • The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
  • Kern Community Foundation
  • The Community Foundation of Louisville
  • Maine Community Foundation
  • Marin Community Foundation
  • The Minneapolis Foundation
  • Napa Valley Community Foundation
  • New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
  • The New York Community Trust
  • Community Foundation of North Texas
  • Oklahoma City Community Foundation
  • The Philadelphia Foundation
  • The Pittsburgh Foundation
  • Rancho Santa Fe Foundation
  • The Community Foundation Serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties
  • Rochester Area Community Foundation
  • Rose Community Foundation
  • Sacramento Region Community Foundation
  • The San Francisco Foundation
  • San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation
  • The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County
  • Santa Fe Community Foundation
  • The Seattle Foundation
  • Silicon Valley Community Foundation
  • Community Foundation of Sonoma County
  • Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan
  • Minnesota Community Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation
  • Communities Foundation of Texas, Inc.
  • Toledo Community Foundation, Inc.
  • Ventura County Community Foundation
  • Vermont Community Foundation
  • Community Foundation of Wabash County
  • The Winston-Salem Foundation
  • The James Irvine Foundation
  • Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
  • W. K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Council on Foundations

Advisory Board

Jean Adams
Senior Vice President, Strategy and Chief Operating Officer,
Minneapolis Foundation

Rebecca W. Graves
Director of Strategic Investments,
Perigee Fund

Neel Hajra
President and CEO,
Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation

Terri Johnson
Associate Director,
GIFT Technical Assistance Program at Indiana Philanthropy Alliance

Jeff Sauter
Chief Finance and Administrative Officer,
Arizona Community Foundation

Judy Sjostedt

Executive Director,
Parkersburg Area Community Foundation

John Stremsterfer
President and CEO,
Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln

Debra S. Watt
Chief Financial Officer,
Foundation For the Carolinas

32 Old Slip, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10005 | cfinsights@foundationcenter.org

Created by Community Foundations // Propelled by Foundation Center