For the past 11 years, the Foellinger Foundation in Fort Wayne has encouraged nonprofits in Allen County to nominate an outstanding board member for an annual Stewardship Award. Nominations recognize local board members who exemplify the highest standards of board service and stewardship, as identified below by these Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards:
Determine mission and purpose. Select the chief executive. Support and evaluate the chief executive. Ensure effective planning. Monitor and strengthen programs and services. Ensure adequate financial resources. Protect assets and provide financial oversight. Build a competent board. Ensure legal and ethical integrity. Enhance the organization’s public standing.All nominees were recognized in various news media and at a special luncheon and awards ceremony in October.
This year The Lutheran Schools Partnership nominated board member Beth Kitson. Beth, a Thrivent Financial representative, currently serves on the board of TLSP and is the TLSP representative to The Lutheran SGO of Indiana. Mark Muehl noted in his nomination of Beth that she is “a ‘quiet storm’: she has moved mountains to promote the organization to all schools within our influence, both urban and rural. Beth … has swayed local committees and boards to consider options they otherwise may never have considered.”
In addition, The Lutheran SGO of Indiana nominated former board member Chris Goeglein as its 2016 Stewardship Award Nominee. Chris is a managing partner of True Noth Strategic Advisors. In addition to his leadership creating the SGO organization and setting procedures and policies, Chris “... has paved the way to substantial growth with a limited number of operational issues. … His vision on where he believed the growth of our organization should be focused helped us look to expand to additional sources of funding,” as stated in the nominating application.
Both organizations continue to benefit from strong, quality members of the community like Beth and Chris that dedicate their time, their talents, and their resources to help advance Lutheran education in Indiana. Read more about the award at http://www.foellinger.org/events/stewardship/.
