Independent Banker - February 2024 - 75

Next: What to do when crisis strikes 
illnesses. The organization offers
inpatient hospice care, in-home
hospice care and palliative care, as
" The [Countybank Foundation] is a great
vehicle that allows us to make decisions
that create more lasting and long-term
positive change. "
-KEN HARPER, COUNTYBANK
well as bereavement services.
" When children lose someone
they care about, it affects their entire
life: their nutrition, their sleep, their
relationships, their behavior and their
schoolwork, " Charlene Kish, CEO
of Hospice & Palliative Care of the
Piedmont, said in a statement. " With
financial support from organizations
like Countybank and Greenwood
Capital, we are able to provide
education and support to both the child
and the parents. "
personally engaged through associate
service, through board leadership or
through other means of community
involvement, " Harper says.
Countybank's continued support
Harper believes Countybank's
program of giving has benefits for
the bank, too. " We understand that,
while employing people and providing
for their well-being is important,
we also know that our clients have a
choice in deciding who they bank with
and why, " says Harper. " They have
chosen to maintain a relationship
with us, and because of this choice,
we understand that we not only stand
to profit from their commitment to
bank local, but that we also have an
obligation to do our part in making
the communities we serve better. "
Countybank believes that by not
making multiyear commitments, it
holds both itself and the requesting
organizations more accountable
when determining the best use of
foundation funds. During most years,
the community bank budgets roughly
$150,000 for its foundation, although
economic conditions and bank
profitability can have an impact on
the total amount it donates each year.
In fact, Countybank often donates
more than the allocated $150,000.
In terms of the criteria the
foundation uses in determining
where its funding will go, part
of the approval process involves
challenging both itself and the
requesting organization to show how
these dollars can improve lives. Each
year, the community bank looks for
new opportunities and surveys its
leadership and associates for their
thoughts on where support is needed
the most.
" The foundation is a great vehicle
that allows us to make decisions that
create more lasting and long-term
positive change, " says Harper.
Practical giving
One recent
donation of
$25,000 from
the Countybank
Foundation went
to Hospice &
Palliative Care
of the Piedmont,
a community
nonprofit
network of care
that provides
specialized
healthcare for
those living
with advanced
independentbanker.org // 75
Countybank knows that it can't say
yes to every request for support. As such,
when a request is received, considered
and approved, the foundation allocates
funding decisions intentionally with
respect to each community.
" We have found that this process
creates an understanding in the
community that the foundation is not an
easy-access funding opportunity, " says
Harper, " but an intentional foundation
that requires an organization have
a good business model with a high
likelihood of success or impact for their
intended audience. " 
William Atkinson is a writer in Illinois.
http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - February 2024

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