Nebraska Inspires Arkansas Native

08/05/2010, Nebraska Community Foundation News Release

David Johnson, Arkansas Community Foundation visits with Mike Schuldt and Mary Reinholt with the Plattsmouth Community Foundation Fund. 
In the photo (from left):  Mike Schuldt, Mary Reinholt and David Johnson
NCF Photo

Lincoln, Nebr.—The Nebraska Community Foundation this week (August 2-4) hosted an out-of-state visitor seeking innovative ideas for building stronger communities.

David E. Johnson, Vice President for Community Investment with the Arkansas Community Foundation, has been on the job since January.  One of his first tasks was to choose two foundations for site visits to learn about different approaches for community development philanthropy. Nebraska and the South Wood County, Wisconsin were his top picks.

Johnson met with leaders of NCF affiliated funds in Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, Bennet and Shickley. NCF serves 203 affiliated funds in 71 counties across the state. 

“I saw a lot of parallels between Arkansas and Nebraska. The people in these small communities really care about their hometowns, and they have a great desire to improve their communities,” Johnson said.

The Arkansas Community Foundation has 27 local offices serving 40 counties.  In addition to his work with the Arkansas Community Foundation, Johnson is an Arkansas state senator and previously served in the state’s House of Representatives. 

“The Nebraska Community Foundation does two really great things—their public-private partnerships and HomeTown Competitiveness,” Johnson said. 

“These two models are approaches to community development that are not only innovative, but they really can have a tremendous positive impact on our communities. Of course the Nebraska Community Foundation is well-known beyond its boundaries for its HomeTown Competitiveness work,” Johnson said.

HomeTown Competitiveness builds on four key assets that nearly every community has, no matter how small: leadership, entrepreneurship, youth engagement and philanthropy. The approach has been adapted in Kansas, Michigan, Indiana and many other regions nationwide.

Johnson said it’s always good to look closely at what others are doing to see how their methods can be adapted and replicated back home. When he returns to Little Rock he plans to share with his board a number of forward thinking perspectives he’s gained through his visit to Nebraska.

The Nebraska Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) corporation, provides tax-exempt status, financial management, strategic development and education/training services to communities, organizations and donor-advised funds across the state. In the last five years, NCF’s affiliated funds have received more than 35,000 contributions from people from all walks of life. Since 1993, NCF and its affiliated funds have reinvested more than $93 million in Nebraska.  For more information, visit http://www.nebcommfound.org or call (402)323-7330.

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