Biennial Report for Board Members - Flipbook - Page 12
Worked with the Virginia Racial Healing Institute to host critical conversations on
RACE with our community partners
Implemented Network for Good software to manage and track donors and sponsors
more efficiently and to provide the Foundation with the reliable data necessary for
more effective resource planning
Financial Highlights
For fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the Board established a combined fundraising goal of $460K.
The fundraising goals for 2022 and 2023 were exceeded by $211.5K with more than $200K in
grant awards. There were several changes made to the Foundation9s accounting system
during fiscal year 2023
the establishment of a 8restricted funds9 account to
separate earmarked funds from general operating funds. All invoices for the annual gala were
paid upon receipt. The Foundation closed the fiscal year with no outstanding invoices for
operations, capital improvements or program expenses.
Operating Highlights
There were several operating challenges in 2022. We struggled to increase our social media
presence and to fund our operating expenses throughout the year. The foundation operated on
an extremely tight budget that required us to cut down in some of the program areas that
required funding. We continued to hold all of our Board meetings virtually. We enjoyed
significant media coverage as the archaeological project progressed and the descendant
community expanded beyond the walls of First Baptist Church.
In-person tours at the church were started again by appointment only while the church
reopened in phases. The Let Freedom Ring Foundation website was expanded and our social
media activity increased by more than 33% over the two-year period.
The Board accomplished its program goals and initiatives for both years and elected three (3)
new Directors. In 2023 the Foundation seated 15 new members of its Board of Advisors. This
could not have been done without the dedication of the Directors, hard work of the staff, trust
of the descendant community, and unyielding support from our community partners.
