No "Rentals"

Why TCF Does Not "Rent Out" the Use of the Conference Center

On behalf of the Tipton County community, the Foundation is grateful for the gift made in 1999 by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. of their former training center to become our headquarters.

The auditorium, dining room, and meeting rooms may be reserved for community groups, business meetings, or civic activities... daytimes, evenings, or weekends. Although we currently do not make a formal charge for the nonprofit use of the facilities, your tax-deductible contribution to our maintenance or technology funds, or to any other component fund of the Tipton County Foundation, would be most appreciated.

Since "meeting services" are not a fundamental part of the Foundation's mission, we are not staffed to set up and take down the furniture, run the audio-visual equipment for you, supply refreshments, or such matters as registrations or check-in for activities of which we are not a part. For that same reason, we do not have a formal rental agreement or fee. We appreciate that users respect our need for a businesslike atmosphere during the work day, and restore the rooms to their normal condition according to posters and directions we provide.

Consistent with our community grantmaking and leadership mission, we do encourage social and human service organizations, sports leagues, government and political groups, and schools to take advantage of the convenience, technology, and ambience of the facility. All of our effectiveness arises from the philanthropy of our donors, so as a donor service we are happy to accommodate friends with space for training, information meetings, and other gatherings.

Essentially, the Conference Center is a working office for the Foundation staff and committees, plus a variety of meeting rooms. It has been used for social gatherings, primarily hosted by the Foundation or other community groups. Occasionally, some families have wanted to use it for holidays, reunions, or parties. Such activities are not fundamentally tied to our mission. In the past, we have tried to accommodate them. Going forward, we are trying to apply consistent principles.

First, there are other facilities in Tipton County that include rental income as a part of their operating budget. They may depend on this income source for recovering costs of maintenance or improvements, as well as sustaining their good works in the community. Lodge halls, club buildings, the public library, and many churches are in this category, along with the C.W. Mount Community Center, the 4-H community center, and the extension education center. For TCF to make space available without charge is unfair to these other organizations, or to restaurants that might accommodate a social activity.

Second, since we have no formal "rental" agreement, issues of insurance would arise in case of an accident. Family social events often involve small children, who might hurt themselves or misuse office equipment while playing

unsupervised in our building.

Like in the "Family Circus" cartoons, no one is a guilty party. But the facilities have not always been left in excellent condition, and sometimes kitchen equipment has been misplaced. The Foundation has no recourse with one-time social users of the building who have little stake in our work. We invite folks to become more involved in the Foundation's mission if their participation so far has been to make a contribution because they used a room for a party.

Foundation donor and volunteer families, social service agencies, and businesses that support the funds and activities of the Foundation are welcome to contact us to discuss social events they may wish to hold at the Conference Center.

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