Community Foundation gets new development VP

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Jun 03, 2005 by Tampone, Kevin

SYRACUSE - Dirk Sonneborn frequently gets asked how he can switch from the world of venture capital to philanthropy so easily.

Sonneborn took over May 26 as vice president of development and marketing of the Central New York Community Foundation after about 12 years with the Exponential Business Development Company, a venture-capital fund focused on companies in Central New York.

"The work itself really isn't that different," Sonneborn says. "We used to like to say we went trolling for deals at Exponential. There's a tremendous parallel to what I'll be doing at the Community Foundation."

In his new position, Sonneborn will be responsible for helping the foundation achieve its mission of promoting charity throughout Central New York. One of Sonneborn's biggest duties will be seeking out philanthropic donors and helping them put their money to the best use possible.

The Community Foundation has more than $91 million in total assets. It doled out more than $5 million in grants last year, more than $3 million in 2003, and more than $4 million in 2002, according to the group's 2004 annual report. Groups receiving grants included museums, theaters, schools, Boy Scout troops, and Red Cross chapters.

Sonneborn succeeds Lisa Moore, who will start as director of gift planning for Syracuse University on June 13.

"It was a very tough decision to leave the Community Foundation," says Moore, who worked for SU before joining the Community Foundation. "This is a chance for me to give back to the university a little bit."

Moore says she was also attracted to the job by Chancellor Nancy Cantor's effort to foster more connections between the university and the rest of the Syracuse community. She says she's looking forward to being a part of that work.

The Community Foundation works with donors who give both small and large amounts of money, Moore says.

"We have people who have very well-known careers and ... are highly regarded as community leaders," she says. "At the same time, we have folks of more modest means who just have charitable interests."

Sonneborn says his time at Exponential will help him immensely in his new position. Exponential was a unique venturecapital fund because its goal was not only to make good investments, but also to help foster economic development in Central New York, he explains.

Working with the Community Foundation will provide a similar means to help improve the region, Sonneborn says.

"[The foundation] is a sort of perpetual care provider for the community," he says.

Sonneborn, who holds a bachelor's degree in public accounting from Utica College of Syracuse University, says he knows he has a lot to learn about his new position, but looks forward to the challenge.

In addition to helping foster the foundation's mission, Sonneborn says the job will also allow him to help people who truly want to do some good in the community find a way to do it.

"I love to help people accomplish their own goals in life," he says. "I love to help people have a legacy and have it be something that is really meaningful to them."