Community First Foundation

Who are the people you serve with your mission?

Community First Foundation has been connecting donors and innovative Colorado nonprofits since 1975. We help donors with philanthropic planning, support nonprofits with grants and endowments, and together, build resilient and connected communities. Our work is rooted in radical listening and a commitment to equity and inclusion. Our mission is to connect ideas, people and nonprofits so that Jefferson County is thriving. We also created and manage Colorado Gives Day and that platform it runs on!

How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, GrantAdvisor.org, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

What significant change resulted from feedback?

Our relentless listening has particularly influenced the designation of our impact areas and the grant opportunities to support those portfolios. We've shortened and simplified our grant applications and we've instituted listening efforts throughout grant timelines to stay engaged with grantees. Our listening to participating ColoradoGives.org nonprofits has influenced where and how we improve functionality for both donors and nonprofits.

Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It can be difficult to get a response size that is statistically valid.