Betsy Dittenber, Executive Director of Chaffee County Community Foundation
The Chaffee County Community Foundation (CCCF) Board of Directors has appointed Betsy Dittenber as the new Executive Director after a three-month national search. She will begin in the position on November 16, 2021.
Dittenber is a resident of Howard, Colorado with a Master of Arts in Public Service and Nonprofit Management and more than 15 years as a nonprofit leader. She has extensive experience in fundraising, direct service to youth, executive leadership, and volunteer management, all of which are critical to the continued success of the Community Foundation which, has raised almost $4 million dollars for the Chaffee community in three years.
“Betsy will be a great addition to our community and to CCCF,” said CCCF Board Chair Ed Cooper. “She will provide excellent leadership for our initiatives to seed new projects like Jane’s Place and lead CCCF’s continuing support to our neighbors and nonprofit organizations through efforts such as our Emergency Response Fund (that provides assistance in crises to families, individuals, and local nonprofits), ChaffeeCOMMONS and Volunteers In Action, as well as presenting meaningful nonprofit workshops and trainings.”
Dittenber has worked with many national and local nonprofit organizations including the National Hemophilia Foundation, Immunize Nevada, The Animal Foundation, United Way, Boys and Girls Clubs, Teach for America, Family Promise, The Alliance, the Chaffee Childcare Initiative, Roller Derby Leagues, Rotary and more. Betsy is committed to giving back to the community where she lives, and has a history of deep community involvement, from serving as an AmeriCorps Volunteer with City Year in Boston and through her board service with many organizations. She hopes to draw on her experience working with youth in Guadalajara, Mexico and engaging the Latinx and indigenous community in Nevada to make CCCF’s work inclusive and approachable to all members of our local community.
Dittenber, in accepting the position said, “I’m honored to assume the CCCF Executive Director position and to work with the CCCF Board, advisors, and the community. As we look forward to the next decade of work for the CCCF, I will start meeting with our citizens and community leaders to continue our progress in building healthy nonprofit organizations and broaden participation in our community’s development. This includes bringing new financial resources to our community and supporting the healthy development of our valley.”
In addition to her professional activities, Dittenber says she loves a challenge and is inspired by new endeavors. She helped found the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Southern Nevada, was a founding member of Sin City Roller Girls-Flat Track Roller Derby League, and was the Chapter President of the Red Rock Rotary Club. She both helped create and taught in the Grants Management Certificate Program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
She earned a BA in Sociology from Colorado College and an MA in Public Service and Nonprofit Management from Marquette University, as well as holds a Certificate in the “Impact of Equity” from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.
In her spare time, Dittenber says she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family; hiking, backpacking, and rafting. She is an enthusiastic but mediocre gardener and enjoys messy art projects with her daughter
About CCCF
Since 2018, the Chaffee County Community Foundation (CCCF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, has reached out to community members including donors, nonprofit leaders, and elected officials to facilitate partnerships for community problem-solving. CCCF is a grant-making public charity, dedicated to building these partnerships in a wide-ranging area of services, improving the lives of people in Chaffee County and surrounding areas. In the three years of operations, CCCF has brought in almost $4 million dollars for the use of the community while incurring only five percent in expenses thanks to dedicated staff and volunteers.
It brings together the resources of individuals, families, and businesses to support effective nonprofits in the Chaffee County area. Community members describe the Foundation as a “game-changer” that not only supports multiple impactful programs, but also develops sustainable community capacity to prioritize issues, create solutions, and then supports program execution with local grant-making and technical training for area nonprofits.
CCCF’s Overarching Goals:
- Making giving easy and meaningful for donors.
- Encouraging new donors, second-home owners, and visitors to provide financial support for important needs and opportunities in Chaffee County.
- Helping donors learn about and then support the areas they most care about.
- Growing permanent charitable endowments that support community grants and ensuring the sustainability of the Foundation to support its work of helping others.
- Encouraging area nonprofit organizations to connect and collaborate.
- Educating the community by providing seminars, workshops, one-on-one consultation, and reference materials relating to effective nonprofit management and high-performance operations.
- Increasing the capacity of local organizations to cost-effectively achieve their missions.
For more information go to: http://www.chaffeecommunity.org
Recent Comments