Three on a trotline is not bad but three good articles on community foundations is better, even if you still need to find something for supper. If you have not set up a file for community foundation articles worth keeping, you could start now with these free ones off the web.
Keeping the trotline in hand I call this first one a granddaddy bullhead catfish. It is the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations available at the Council on Foundations web site http://www.cof.org Whatever role you have with the community foundation this is the constitution that will keep you true. In the manner of the old-school supreme court justices who carried a copy of the Federal Constitution in their pocket during all daylight hours, you should have a dog-eared copy with you at every board meeting or visit to the foundation offices. It is three pages of distilled wisdom, the law and also the right thing to do.
The next fish on the line is Executive Summary On the Brink of New Promise: The Future of U.S. Community Foundations from Community Philanthropy at http://www.communityphilanthropy.org The last fish on the line this trip is Growing Smarter: Achieving Sustainability in Emerging Community Foundations from the James Irvine Foundation at http://www.irvine.org The articles are 10 and 34 pages long so no pithy summary from me. The idea is for you to print out the articles, take them in hand, and read. I wish there were more articles so easily available like these. If you can add titles to the library, please speak up. Charles Marlin
Clarion Friends 