Paula Tarpey has been a resident of Delaware County for 32 years now, observing in real time the change taking place in the fastest growing county in Ohio. And still, it wasn’t until she carpooled her child’s middle school basketball team home from practice one afternoon that she truly saw what such intense growth can obscure.
“We pulled into the driveway, and [his teammate] was being evicted. All his belongings were on the front lawn,” Tarpey shared.
The flourishing of Delaware County is obvious, but the reality that the needs of the already present residents arise under the surface of the physical evidence; construction seems to follow in the rearview mirror, new schools and subdivisions and traffic move like a revolving door.
“A thriving community is one that supports its weakest and most marginalized communities. We need to work together to meet those needs and open our minds to the needs around you,” Tarpey, now a board chair of the Delaware County Foundation, said.
“We are a very active working board. We are not a board where you come and show up at a meeting once a month and put some votes in. This board takes time to explore the needs in the community,” Tarpey said.
A convener and a connector
Founded in 1995, the Delaware County Foundation describes its mission simply: “To inspire generosity and strengthen our community through charitable giving.”
The actual work that happens behind that statement is anything but simple.
Chris Baker, the Foundation’s President, describes the organization’s role as being a “convener and a connector,” bringing together people, ideas, and resources to address the needs of a community that, from the outside, looks like it has everything figured out.
“When you look out around, things look pretty good here,”
“But it’s very easy for us to lose sight of the fact that there are huge pockets of folks that are living on margins, struggling — and because things look so good on the surface, so many times the folks living on the edges of things, it’s much harder for them, and even has a trickle down effect for our nonprofit community,” Baker said.
He explains that challenge is compounded by a gap in resources that few people realize exists.
Despite its reputation for affluence, Delaware County actually has fewer nonprofit providers, and those that do exist are far less resourced than their counterparts in neighboring Franklin County. There’s less awareness of need, and less funding following that need.
“It is harder to be a nonprofit in Delaware County than even Franklin County,” Baker said.
By matching donors with causes, supporting nonprofits with capacity-building resources, and keeping a close pulse on what the community needs most right now, The Foundation steps in to fill in some of the gaps.
Beyond grant-making, the Foundation is also investing in the organizational health of local nonprofits themselves. Through a program called LEAD, executive directors from across the county form cohorts to learn together, strengthen their administrative skills, and build the infrastructure their organizations need to sustain the work.
“It’s not enough for an organization just to want to do good. There’s a lot of administrative things that go into running a nonprofit, and Chris [Baker] and his team have really helped educate the nonprofit community to lift them up,” Tarpey said.
The Foundation also has a scholarship program, one of the most visible expressions of its work. This spring alone, the Foundation awarded nearly $450,000 in scholarships to students across Delaware County.
Generosity can come from anyone
The Foundation wants Delaware County Residents to know philanthropy isn’t just for the wealthy.
Early in Baker’s tenure, they eliminated minimum gift requirements to create funds. Today, anyone can create a designated pool of charitable dollars for whatever causes they care about, starting at any amount.
Funds can grow over time and be directed towards anything from scholarships to art to hunger relief.
For those who want to give but aren’t sure where to start, the Foundation also offers group philanthropy options. The model lets people make a meaningful impact without disclosing individual giving levels, and those who want to give more always can.
“Women Giving Together has given out over a million dollars to local nonprofits, but they’re able to do that by donating smaller amounts over time. You can make a lot more impact by pooling your dollars and resources together,” Tarpey, also a member of Women Giving Together, said.
Generous Gents, the Foundation’s new group giving program for men, is already 30 members strong.
Building a community where everyone thrives
Since Baker joined the Foundation, it has nearly tripled in size — with the milestone of formally reaching that threshold expected before year’s end.
The Delaware community is increasingly aware of its own needs, and increasingly willing to do something about them.
“You’re only as strong as your weakest link. It’s very important to build everyone up to make the community better for all,” Tarpey said.
To learn more about The Delaware County Foundation, visit their website: https://delawarecf.org/
