By AMELIEA DULANEY
Special to The Sun-Sentinel
The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi (CFNM) board has recently voted to retire its annual Crystal Ball Gala fundraising event.
Since 2000, Crystal Ball has been the premiere event of Northwest Mississippi thanks to the Maddox Foundation and the Community Foundation’s board of directors, staff, generous sponsors and hundreds of volunteers.
Recognizing the power of a community foundation, Tom Pittman and other founding partners developed the Crystal Ball to raise money to establish the Community Foundation and showcase its purpose to individuals in the community, proving to be a vital tool in the foundation’s formative years.
Throughout the years, Crystal Ball, with the support of the community, has allowed CFNM to reach major milestones like granting $45 million to nonprofits (85% of which stayed in the 11-county Northwest Mississippi region) and growing total net assets from $2 million in 2007 to $17 million in 2018 and now $48 million in 2024.
“Everything has a life-cycle,” said Tom Pittman, president emeritus.
Although you will not see the Crystal Ball Gala this January or annually, CFNM will keep its concept to celebrate major milestones of the foundation in the future. The shifted focus from a gala to a high-level donor event will help meet the goals of the Community Foundation as it adjusts to continued growth and impact in Northwest Mississippi.
The board and CFNM staff are in the process of evaluating a donor-focused event that best reflects and promotes the mission of CFNM to connect people who care with causes that matter.
To learn more about the exclusive donor event or ways to support the Community Foundation outside of a gala, contact Stacye Trout at strout@cfnm.org or 662-449-5002.
The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi is an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization with offices in Hernando and Clarksdale, and was established in 2002 with a generous grant from the Maddox Foundation.
The foundation manages 300 donor-established funds and has disbursed over $45 million to support more than 800 charitable programs.
The foundation serves Bolivar, Coahoma, DeSoto, Leflore, Marshall, Panola, Quitman, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate and Tunica counties and is governed by a board of 20 volunteer civic leaders from the region.
To receive a print copy of the Philanthropy Report, send an email to info@cfnm.org, call 662-449-5002 or stop by the Hernando office on the Square at 315 Losher St. For an electronic version, visit CFNM Annual Report 2023
