The PFI Leadership Campaign – Questions and Answers

Robert Karp, Executive Director

In the last issue of the PFI newsletter, I announced the beginning of a fundraising campaign to raise upwards of $50,000 over the next year to support the growth and development of PFI. In this article I will answer some of your questions about this effort.

Why is this leadership campaign necessary and what exactly will the money be used for?

The landscape of agriculture is rapidly changing, and PFI is increasingly being asked to play a leadership role in a wide range of efforts. These requests come out of respect for PFI and the recognition that our members and staff people have solutions and wisdom to share. But increased responsibility comes with costs, and this is one key reason why we need to raise funds through this leadership campaign. The other is to maintain and strengthen our core program activities, such as our on-farm research and All-Iowa Meals. The money will be used to support these core activities and to cover basic operating expenses, such as newsletter and district meeting expenses. These kinds of things are hard to fund through grants. At the present time, membership dues, interest income and donations cover only about 40% of these expenses.

Didn’t the organization do something similar to this a few years ago?

Several years ago, PFI launched a campaign to create an endowment that would provide long-term financial stability for the organization. With the help of a consultant, however, we decided it was premature to engage in a successful endowment campaign of the scope envisaged, so the effort was put on hold. This postponement of the endowment campaign was announced in the Spring 2000 Newsletter (vol.15 #1).

PFI still has an endowment fund which is earning interest. This, in turn, helps us maintain our programs and services. Anyone can still make a gift to the PFI endowment fund. We are simply not actively promoting it.

Does PFI still have a relationship with the ISU Foundation?

The ISU Foundation offered to help with PFI’s endowment campaign and they managed the original endowment fund. When PFI decided to put the endowment effort on hold, however, we decided to withdraw our funds from the ISU Foundation. We currently do not have any type of working relationship with the ISU Foundation.

When can I expect to hear more about the PFI Leadership Campaign?