Hawkins first became acquainted with The Community Foundation through her personal estate planning. “My attorney said that The Community Foundation was the best way to set up a charitable trust. As I learned more about it, I wanted to get more involved and do more. Then, one day, I got a call asking me to serve with Managing for Excellence. And it’s an amazing experience.”
“This committee really matters because The Community Foundation is like a bank of knowledge. It’s important to have this reliable repository of information about the Atlanta-area nonprofit community. The Community Foundation knows who is doing what and who is doing it well. Through Managing for Excellence, The Community Foundation can tell you who does the best job accomplishing important work.”
Hawkins asserts that winning the Managing for Excellence award is not about the cash prize. “What really matters is that winning is like getting a gold ‘seal of approval.’ It means that people will look at the organization and feel good about supporting it because they can trust it to use donations wisely. I remember my own frustration back before I knew about The Community Foundation: I was always wondering if, once I wrote a check to a charity, would it disappear into a black hole? And I know other people have that same sort of worry. Well, if they see that an organization—after being scrutinized for seven months—has won this award, I think they’ll be reassured that the winning agency is clearly an excellent steward of donations.”
“The other important benefit of the Managing for Excellence award is its impact on nonprofits who apply. Regardless of whether they win or not, as organizations go through this review, they must closely examine their operations, and that becomes a learning experience. Simply going through the application process strengthens nonprofits. I also hope that the existence of the award encourages organizations to reach for that high level of excellence. It sends extra motivation to all nonprofits.”
Hawkins adds that involvement with Managing for Excellence has had unexpected benefits for her, as well. “Working with Managing for Excellence has been wonderful. Through the project, I became connected with the Georgia Justice Project and am now serving on their board. I never saw that coming. Also, Managing for Excellence has led me to such an exciting network. I can now reach out to so many more people because I know what’s happening over here, and what the needs are over there, and I can bring people together to get work done.” She laughs, “And all this came from opening a charitable trust with The Community Foundation!”
“Because The Community Foundation is uniquely positioned to connect the dots between nonprofits, local volunteer expertise and corporate resources, they can connect me with the groups that will most benefit from my skill set. This gives me enormous satisfaction. For years, I did various kinds of charity work, but the actual tasks were not particularly fulfilling. Through Managing for Excellence, I get to use my professional expertise in financial analysis, and I get to see the impact I’m having on nonprofits. It’s wonderful.”