Community foundations often get headlines for their work leading large-scale efforts that aim to tackle major problems in their communities.

But what’s often overlooked is the work community foundations do to connect smaller nonprofits with new donors — and the steps these foundations take to help community-based nonprofits to build their capacity and donor pipeline.

One way community foundations do this is through their coordination of giving days. Giving days are organized, community-wide events in which donors are asked to pledge money or time to charities. In many communities across the country, community foundations take the leading role in staging these events — providing everything from a centralized website that collects donations, to the marketing and publicity, to enlisting corporate sponsors and donors who provide matching gifts.

After Richard Lavine lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, family members created funds at Communities Foundation of Texas to support research. Today, their donor-advised funds are helping researchers at Baylor University test a promising new drug combination that might help save future lives.

Community foundations often play a central and unsung role at times of disaster — helping those who have been affected recover and rebuild for the long term

Community foundations in North Carolina and South Carolina provide donors who are looking to support the Hurricane Florence relief efforts with peace of mind that their donations will help those most in need.

Grants by the nation’s 100 largest community foundations reached a record total in 2017, according to the Columbus Survey. The annual survey also shows that community foundations are well positioned to continue to ramp up their grantmaking, even as economic conditions change.

Community foundations have long played a critical role in investing in efforts to address local issues and in bringing people together to solve problems. Let’s keep it that way.

With its "Impact Areas" initiative, the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta aims to alter the course of Atlanta's future for generations to come, tracking and tackling its residents’ greatest challenges across five key areas:

• Arts

• Community Development

• Education

• Nonprofit Effectiveness

• Well-being

In a new video, Cleveland Foundation CEO Ronn Richard explores his foundation’s approach to economic development — with an eye toward improving neighborhoods in and around the city’s downtown.