ProFile: Ben Vitale

FS: What do funders offer beyond mere dollars?

BV: I think it's twofold. Certainly, funders provide funding, and that's key. But having shared goals is really important. So understanding where they are looking to invest and how we're helping them meet those goals that they have is critical. In addition to just providing funding, donors, especially major donors and foundations and corporate foundations included, can really help overcome obstacles. … By putting that money in, it makes a statement. And making that statement, they can open doors to other donors. They can have an impact on policy in how they allocate their funds. They can have tangible impacts in cities and rural communities. They can help overcome obstacles beyond just providing funding. That shared-goal aspect is really important, and funders enable our mission. They can provide somewhat of a safety net for risk taking. Obviously each nonprofit is doing something new and moving their mission forward, but there's some risks involved in it. Donors are really helping us take those risks.