What Will 2021 Bring?
Welcome to 2021, perhaps the biggest year of change any of us have seen in our lives.
I offer a few notes here as evidence of that change, beginning with a glimpse of Community Foundation plans during 2021. Highlighted below are a few specific efforts and projects led by Board committees and staff planned for 2021. • The Community Foundation Housing Land Trust will break ground on a 10-home workforce housing ownership program with a move-in goal by the end of 2021. • The Investment Committee is working with consultants to make changes to enhance our investment returns. • The Marketing Committee is leading the Community Foundation name change to Community Foundation of Northern Nevada. • The Philanthropic Advising Staff will offer expanded services to fundholders. • Melissa Tschanz, CFO, will take on expanded administrative duties by directly handling more of the Community Foundation's financial transactions. • We will welcome Kevin Melcher as the 8th Chair of the Foundation in July.
Significant changes in 2021 are forecasted for the world around us.
Healthcare IT News reports that new developing technology, accelerated by COVID-19, includes new wrist-worn wearables capable of early detection of potential signs of infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and the flu. The Capital Group estimates U.S. economic growth at 3% and speculates that e-commerce, cloud computing, video streaming, and digital/mobile payment platforms will perform well. Travel Pulse foresees the rise of vaxications. Because of pent-up travel demand, people will celebrate getting vaccinated by traveling. International travel is predicted to increase in the 2nd quarter. Road trips will continue to be popular in 2021 and, according to Travel Pulse, hotels and resorts are already experiencing a recovery, with lodging exceeding 50% occupancy in some markets. Cruise lines are seeing strong booking trends. Ecowatch forecasts 2021 to be slightly colder worldwide than years previous due to a La Nina weather pattern. Even so, it will still be one of the hottest on record, with drier conditions likely in the southwestern U.S. Wood Mackenzie reports that they see oil demand strengthening in 2021. Still, the market will not be enough to lift oil and gas prices because energy projects are increasingly evaluated on their environmental, social, and corporate governance credentials. Solar will expand, world electric vehicle sales will nearly double from 2020, and China will continue its ban on coal imports from Australia.
Throughout the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada will continue to expand the use of technology in our operations, services, and how we implement strategies to help address persistent community challenges.
We are grateful to play an important role by working with generous donors to strengthen our community and enhance people's lives in the region. I wish you a very Happy and Healthy New Year in 2021 and look forward to the positive changes we will experience together. Chris Askin, President/CEO 775-333-5499 Connecting people who care with causes that matter