Fifteen years after its founding, the Woodbury Community Foundation is positioning itself to better serve the future needs of Minnesota's ninth largest city.
At the helm is Lori Nelson, the organization's first full-time executive director and only staff member. After drafting its most complete strategic plan to date in 2016, the foundation hired Nelson and set its sights on bolstering its presence in the community.
Over the past few months, foundation officials have established the organization's first endowment fund, launched a membership program and issued grants for the first time in years.
"It's been a transition time and I feel like we are now really ready to start moving forward," Nelson said. "We are only going to grow."
Since the foundation's start in 2003, Woodbury's population has grown more than 40 percent, from slightly more than 49,000 to nearly 70,000 residents.
Through partnerships with the city and listening sessions with area nonprofits, the foundation's goal is to keep a finger on the pulse of rising and unmet needs in the community.
Expanding the foundation, however, will require a boost in its visibility, according to city and organization leaders.
"For a long time, people didn't know our role," said Dixie Ewing, one of the nonprofit's founders and a board member. "We were just in the background."