IWCF Summer 2024 Newsletter

Letter from the President

Our Annual Meeting and Grants Celebration is one of my favorite IWCF events each year. This year’s event did not disappoint! Once again we came together to see the culmination of our membership efforts–giving together, learning about the needs in our community together, evaluating grant applications together, voting on our ballot to identify together who we would fund, and celebrating together our 8 newest grantees. At last month’s Annual Meeting, we also celebrated some of our largest shared achievements as an organization from the previous 12 months:

1. Membership: Welcomed 25 new IWCF members.
2. Education: Hosted 4 relevant and thought-provoking education events on community needs. 
3. IWCF Operations: Relocated to a new office at Lakeharbor Lane and conducted a full process and technology review.
4. Grants: Followed eight local nonprofit grant recipients from last year ($213K) and funded eight new nonprofits this year ($220K).

We also looked ahead to our focus for the upcoming 12 months:

• Focus 1: Community Impact through Grants. From our recent member satisfaction survey we know that 98% of our members are confident our pooled-fund grants make a positive impact in our community. I’m excited that Jen Sampson (new VP, Grants) is joining Trinjia Dell’Aglio (Grants Chair) and Gail Kirkpatrick (Grants Assessment Chair) to form IWCF’s Grants Leadership team. They will be reviewing our processes to ensure a positive experience for nonprofits participating in our grants process.
• Focus 2: 50 New IWCF Members. Kathy Scott (Membership Chair), Molly Harder (VP of Membership) and our other board chairs and committees are working together to grow our membership. They need your help: recommend IWCF membership to your friends, colleagues and family.  You can also introduce them to an IWCF event, where they’ll get to meet incredible IWCF members (like YOU!) and see firsthand how IWCF is positively impacting our community. 
• Focus 3: IWCF’s Symposium on October 2: Our Shared Environment: LEAD! (Learn-Engage-Adapt-Discuss). IWCF is a philanthropic community leader, and we are excited to bring a symposium that provokes thought and action to enable positive change for Southwest Idaho. You are a critical part of making our symposium successful–become a sponsor, invite a friend, and attend.
• Focus 4: Software to better support IWCF’s operational needs. Operations are about people and processes. Our new CRM software implementation, slated to go live by the end of the summer, will enhance some of our core processes related to membership, events, and marketing. We will continue to have great people–staff and volunteers–and great processes, since both are necessary for  a great member experience and operational effectiveness.

I’m so inspired by the work ahead of us this coming year. Through our collective efforts, I know IWCF will be poised to increase our positive impact in our community. 

 

 

GRANTS

 

Meet our 2024 Grantees

By Pamela Briggs, Grants Assessment

CULTURAL ARTS
McCall Public Library: McCall Library Gallery ($30,000) As part of the McCall Library Expansion Project, a 101 linear foot art exhibition venue space with free public access will be constructed. The gallery will provide a unique venue for local artists and students to share their art, open opportunities to experience diverse historical and cultural exhibits in partnership with other organizations, and help foster a sense of community and social engagement among McCall’s quickly changing demographics. Funds will be used to complete rough carpentry, drywall, flooring, electrical, finish woodwork, adjustable display lighting, and exhibit/artwork hanging hardware.

EDUCATION

Boys and Girls Club of Ada County: Providing Access to STEM Programming to Girls in Kuna ($25,000) A Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) lab will be created in the new Kuna Boys & Girls Club.

This will result in ongoing daily STEM programs being offered to youth who currently cannot access such services. It also fulfills a targeted need for better access to girls ages 5-18 in early programming in STEM fields. The funds will be used to purchase equipment for the 27,500 square foot STEM lab.

 

ENVIRONMENT

Snake River Water Keepers: Protecting Water Quality for Idahoans ($20,000) Snake River Water Keepers (SRWK) protects water quality for Idaho by conducting water quality assessments and is committed to serving citizens in both urban and rural areas. SRWK monitors water quality in the Snake River Basin and advocates for pollution reduction measures toensure the health and safety of all individuals and families who live, work, and recreate in Idaho. The funds will be used to equip staff and volunteer water quality monitoring crew with testing equipment, access to labs for data analysis, and travel reimbursement to and from the test site locations in the Snake River Basin.

 

FINANCIAL STABILITY

Boise Vertical Farm, Inc: Providing Economical Development for People in Recovery fromDrug and Alcohol Addiction ($30,000) Boise Vertical Farm’s project will develop mentorship, training, education, skills development, and support programs to serve an estimated 60 participants who are in addiction recovery. People in recovery often have difficulty gaining meaningful secure employment with advancement opportunities and benefits in a clean and sober environment. The project will increase their access to better quality job opportunities and transportation and build their skill set and work history. The funds will be used for transportation, skills development, resume building, mentoring, and program administration costs.

 

Intermountain Fair Housing Council Inc.: Tenant Organizing and Legal Services for Tenants Facing Mass Evictions from Redevelopment, Rent Hikes, Housing Closures and the like ($30,000)
The Intermountain Fair Housing Council (IFHC) project will provide free public outreach, education, and legal services to tenants and community members on fair housing, eviction prevention, housing rights, and tenant organizing. Its focus is to provide eviction prevention and responsive tenant organizing services based on all protected classes but especially underserved communities who face mass evictions. Services will support evictions in 11 Idaho counties and particularly serve rural and immigrant populations, people of color, families with children, people with disabilities, and elders or people with disabilities being evicted from short- and long-term care settings. The majority of the funds will support a staff attorney and an Outreach and Education Specialist/Investigator.

 

HEALTH

Jesse Tree of Idaho: Jesse Tree Community Health Resource Closet ($30,000) Jesse Tree will create and maintain a Community Health Resource (CHR) Closet with essential items for applicants and clients at risk of eviction by providing items to meet their basic needs with necessities that SNAP benefits do not cover. CHR will establish and maintain partnerships with the area’s businesses and organizations, building up closet resources to remain stocked long-term. The funds will be used to purchase grocery and gas cards, hygiene kits, and bus passes, with a portion reserved for CHW clients needing medical supplies (e.g., crutches, walkers, canes.).

Weiser Hospital Foundation: Bridging Gaps to Better Health ($24,000) The Weiser Hospital Foundation (WHP) project will “bridge the gap” for residents in rural Washington, Adams, and Payette Counties who lack transportation to access healthcare services. WHP will make an agreement with Weiser Senior Center to make their ADA-accessible van available within city limits. Funds will be used to pay mileage and driver wages to operate the Weiser Senior Center van, and to purchase gas cards to provide residents with access to health care services in these counties and/or to specialty healthcare across Greater Treasure Valley and Boise Metro areas.

 

RURAL COMMUNITIES
Shepherd’s Home: Provide Privacy Fencing at our Foster/Shelter Care Home in McCall Idaho ($30,000) The Shepherd’s Home is a temporary foster care support shelter for children, providing a safe and caring home for the victims of abuse, neglect, and crisis. The project will reduce the House Parents safety and privacy concerns by installing privacy fencing around the home that borders public land. Funds will be used for the costs of materials to build the cedar fencing to partially surround this shelter to increase residents’ sense of safety.

 

Grant News

Your extra contributions to the pooled-fund made the eighth grant possible!  This year’s 8th grant was funded almost exclusively from donations beyond members’ $500 annual pooled-fund contributions. Members donated an extra $18,175 to the pooled-fund including, Individual Grant Designations and those extra donations, during the grants ballot voting period enabled us to fund 80% of our eighth grant request.

IWCF Grant Award Seal

For many years Grantees have said that when they received a grant from IWCF, it allowed them to access other grant opportunities. Some said it was a like a seal of approval and lended credibility to the work they were trying to do. In the coming months we will share our newly created IWCF Grant Award Seal and check in with our past grantees.  

 

SYMPOSIUM 2024

By Teresa Broadus and Sally Long, Co-Chairs

 

 

IWCF Symposium 2024 Presenting Partner

 

The IWCF ’24 Fall Symposium Committee is excited to announce The Food Hub as the first-ever Presenting Partner of our symposium to be held at the Boise Centre, Wednesday, October 2, 2024.  

The Food Hub, is a collaborative initiative uniting Idaho Botanical Garden, Boise Farmers Market, and City of Good, focused on promoting and protecting food systems, food security, and local abundance in the Treasure Valley. This unique partnership offers a shared space for storing, processing, and packaging local foods, directly supporting local food distribution, enhancing farming sustainability, addressing food security, and building a network of organizations dedicated to increasing cross-sector resources, needs, and knowledge sharing to support food security.

“IWCF couldn’t host our impactful biennial symposiums without the support of our corporate, nonprofit and member sponsors,” said Nicole Patterson, IWCF President. “I am particularly pleased that an innovative collaboration, like The Food Hub, which is focused on food sustainability in our community, chose to partner with IWCF on this year’s important topic, Our Shared Environment: LEAD! (Learn-Engage-Adapt-Discuss).” 

YOUR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY!

Guarantee seats for your friends/family by sponsoring a table today! We encourage members to sponsor a table and invite friends and family to join us for this highly engaging event to explore a broad range of state, local and individual efforts underway to positively impact our environment.

• • • SPONSOR A TABLE TODAY – Member table prices will increase from $1,250 to $1,500 on July 31st!  Thank you to our table captains already pledged: Sally Long, Heather Jauregui and Matt Macha, Julie Custer and Kathy Scott, Kim Liebich’s Lorax of Riverstone, Mary Reiman and Paul Black, Sherry Bithell, Annette Christensen, and Representative Lauren Necochea.
    • Learn more about the ’24 Fall Symposium and sponsorships here

Watch for information on our website and social media about individual ticket sales!

 

New Board of Directors

2024 – 2025 Board of Directors

Nicole Patterson, President
Jennifer Sampson, Vice President Grants
Molly Harder, Vice President Membership
Linnea Lovlien, Secretary
Sandy Lease, Treasurer
Evin Bask, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Chair
Jena Vasconcellos, Education Chair
Jan Reiner, Events Chair
Trinjia Dell’Aglio, Grants Chair
Sherry Bithell, Leadership Development Chair
Kim Liebich, Marketing & Communications Chair
Kathy Scott, Membership Chair
Julie Custer, Member-at-Large
Carol Hoidal, Member-at-Large
Beth Schattin, Member-at-Large
Susan Smith, Founding President

The Leadership Development Committee wishes to extend sincere thanks to those retiring from the Board of Directors for their outstanding dedication and service.

Christine Keller, Vice President Operations
Teresa Lassandro, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Chair
Zoë Brunelle, Events Chair
Teresa Broadus, Member-at-Large
Mikel Ward, Past President

 

MEMBERSHIP

Welcome to IWCF

IWCF is excited to welcome the following new and returning Blue Ribbon Members to IWCF!

 

Suzanne Bergmann*
Leslie Freeman*
LaVonne Komlos
Jordan Liebich
Jillian Miller
Pat O’Hara-Langdon*
Marsha Petercsak
Erin Riley

                                     *Returning

 

As mentioned above, the Membership Committee is looking to add 50 new members and retain all of the rest! This is a big goal and creates an opportunity to provide one more grant to our community next year (more members, more good).

A few things you can do:

• Bring a guest to an event (hint: the Symposium)
• Host a gathering for a group of friends, we’ll help. Let us know.
• Request a membership packet to be sent to someone on your behalf. Let us know.
• Renew when it’s time.
• Join the membership committee and help with activities.

 

EDUCATION

2023-24 Education Events

By Jena Vasconcellos, Education

Four IWCF Education events during the 2023-2024 season gave attending members and guests new insights and valuable information on continuing issues in our communities—mental health of teens and young adults, housing for senior citizens, financial planning information on trusts and wills, and healthcare for women. All the speakers were experts in their fields, and enlightened attendees to the challenges they face and the successes they see or envision.

 

September started us off with “connections” being the key word for three panelists addressing teen and young adult mental health. Dr. Gretchen Gudmundsen, a Child Clinical Psychologist with St. Luke’s shared that 20% of children and adolescents suffer from disabling mental illness. Andrea Geraghty, who works with social workers and school counselors in the Boise School District, shared about many levels of help for students and for parents. Dr. Megan Smith, Associate Professor in the School of Public and Population Health at BSU, emphasized the importance of human connection for all young people.

 

The crisis of homelessness in Ada County at the November event, “Meeting the Need for Affordable Housing for Seniors,” was described by Casey Mattoon, director of Our Path Home, a public-private partnership with Boise City. Andy Erstad of erstad architects, defined “affordability” as the balance between market forces and individual income. He explained how his firm designs housing that is “dignified, safe, secure and contemporary” to meet the needs of “income limited” seniors.

 

The January event, “Financial and Estate Planning Issues for Women,” was well-attended despite snow, ice, and construction. Shaila Buckley and Rachel Murphy of Shaila Buckley Law provided important information on retirement and estate planning, trusts, and charitable giving. IWCF Endowment Committee Chair, Dana Kehr, spoke about the Susan Smith Endowment Fund and how it offsets members annual administrative fee.

 

Several Idaho issues making their way through the Court system generate “much confusion and complexity”, according to Dr. Jaclyn Kettler, Associate Professor in the School of Public Service at BSU, during a panel discussion in March titled, “Facts and Effects of Current Legislative Policies on Women.” Joining her in a meaningful and informative evening event at the Riverside Hotel were Dr. Kara Cadwallader, Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at Full Circle Health and a Medical Director at Healthwise; Dr. Katie Gentry, an OB-GYN practicing in Meridian and Nampa; and Lauren Necochea, Idaho House Representative from District 19.  Watch the video.

 

The Education Committee is now focusing (until October 2!) on planning the twelve Symposium breakout sessions. The Treasure Valley has a plethora of well-qualified environmental speakers in a variety of areas. Details will be available in the printed program and online on the IWCF website in mid-summer.

 

New members of the Education Committee are always welcome, and they will be planning in the late fall for the 2025 education events. Stay tuned! Contact Jena.

 

Planned Giving

By Laura Simic, IWCF Investment Committee Member

In my 38 years as a philanthropy professional working with donors and nonprofit institutions, my favorite thing has been facilitating planned giving. Call me a planned giving nerd–I’ll admit it! I really get excited about how such gifts are good for the donors as well as the organizations they support.

Why planned giving?

For the donor, planned gifts can achieve multiple personal, financial, and philanthropic goals. Planned gifts:

• Often allow the donor to make a larger gift than otherwise possible, with little immediate outlay.
• Can use multiple assets.
• Ensure the future of that which the donor supports with current giving.
• Have tax and financial planning advantages.
• May provide a lifetime stream of income.
• Cement relationships with organization, for life.
• Perpetuate values.
• Leave a legacy.

For the recipient organizations, planned gifts provide:

• Larger gifts than may otherwise be possible.
• An effective way to build endowment without affecting annual budgets.
• The ability for a degree of long-term planning.
• Indication of a donor’s lifetime commitment to the organization.
• Increasing organizational fundraising capacity and sophistication.
• Perpetuation of organizational values.
• Increased sustainability.

When is the right time to think about planned giving?

Any time is the right time to think about making a planned gift! That said, there are particular times when making a provision for a nonprofit in your estate plans may be naturally top-of-mind. For example:

• Reaching a particular age.
• Experiencing a life event, such as having a child or grandchild, a marriage, the death of a loved one, or retirement.
• Receiving or anticipating a financial gain, such as a required minimum distribution from one’s IRA, receiving an inheritance, or winning the lottery!
• Anticipating the need for a tax deduction.
• Dependents become financially independent or when downsizing.
• Becoming financially comfortable and having more than one needs.
• Finding a philanthropic passion and wanting to have a long-term impact.

What are the first steps in making a planned gift?

Exactly how you approach making a planned gift is very personal, based on your current circumstances and future needs. The following are suggestions to get you started.

• Discern your legacy. Think about and articulate what’s important to you and what impact you want to have.
• Determine your future needs, the financial resources necessary to continue to live comfortably, and whether you will need to provide for loved ones in the future.
• Think about the different assets you have to work with to make a gift commitment.
• Talk to your financial advisor and/or your estate planning attorney who can also advise you on the ideal amount, form, and tax consequences of your estate gift.
• Have a conversation with the nonprofit(s) you are thinking about supporting.
  • Find out if there are timeless, mission-central needs or programs that will be just as relevant to the mission of the organization many years from now as they are today.
  • Explore whether the nonprofit has the long-term vision and stability to still be doing its work in a few decades.
  • Decide if the organization’s current leadership has the ability to document and steward your deferred gift commitment so that the future leadership will understand and can carry out your gift’s intended purpose and use.
• Talk to your family members so they understand and support your decision to include a gift provision in your estate plan.

G.I.F.T. (Give It Forward Together)

An example of a planned gift that may work for you is to name “Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation Susan Smith Endowment Fund” as the beneficiary of a retirement plan. Such a gift may produce tax savings for your estate or your loved ones and is an effective way to ensure the future sustainability of IWCF. Regardless of what organization you choose, or the particulars of your planned gift, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to sustain a nonprofit’s mission far into the future.  Learn more here

 

IWCF would like to gratefully acknowledge the recent donation to the IWCF Susan Smith Endowment Fund from the Estate of Linnae Costello. Linnae was an IWCF member from 2007-2012.

 

EVENTS

2024 Annual Meeting & Grants Presentation

By Beth Schattin, Marketing Committee

Nearly 150 IWCF members, guests, and grant recipients shared smiles and laughter at Barber Park Events Center as we celebrated $223,000 in pooled-fund grants. We welcomed five new board members–Jennifer Sampson, Jan Reiner, Julie Custer, Carol Hoidal, and Beth Schattin –and bid a grateful farewell to the four Board members who were completing their terms. Thank you, Christine Keller, Teresa Lassandro, Zoë Brunelle, Teresa Broadus, and Mikel Ward for all you’ve done during your time on the Board. 

 

Trinjia Dell’Aglio introduced each of our eight grant recipients and presented videos which highlighted how our contributions would be used to serve critical needs throughout Southwest Idaho. We are not only awarding grants to these eight nonprofits, but we also awarded $1,000 each to the four other ballot finalists as a recognition for the great work they are doing for our communities. IWCF has now awarded over $3,338,192 in pooled-fund grants!

 

If you were unable to attend the Annual Meeting, you don’t have to feel left out! You can still watch the videos created by each of our eight grantees on the IWCF website. It’s amazing to see the work that can be accomplished when we all come together through collaborative giving. And since laughter is the best medicine, Trinjia shared her sense of humor and ended the grantee presentation with a quick joke:

A guy knocked on our door and asked for a donation to build a community swimming pool. Instead of just handing him a glass of water, we decided to float him some cash, and the neighborhood got involved so we could pool our funds. I just hope that the project won’t go over budget and leave him drowning in debt.  🤣

 

Inspiration from Susan Smith

At IWCF’s May 2024 Board Meeting, Susan shared some key messages from the 2009 Women’s Giving Circle: Reflection From The Founders.  The study includes interviews with 18 women founders of giving circles. Many of the giving circle founders reported that the basis for creating their circles were the six C’s of women’s giving: create, change, commit, connect, collaborate, and celebrate. These still represent the vision and membership of IWCF today.

• Create new solutions to problems; be entrepreneurial through their philanthropy.
• Change things for the better; make a difference
• Commit through volunteerism to the organizations and institutions whose vision they share; often give to organizations to which they have volunteered.
• Connect with the human face their gift affects; build a partnership with people connected with the project they fund.
• Collaborate with others – often other women – as part of a larger effort; seek to avoid duplication, competition and waste.
• Celebrate – have fun together; celebrate their accomplishments; enjoy the deeper meaning and satisfaction of their philanthropy.

Here are four new “C’s” for us to consider…increased capacity enables women to:

• Take control of their lives, their finances, and their philanthropy.
• Gain confidence to become philanthropic leaders.
• Have the courage to challenge the old ways of doing things and take risks with their giving to bring about change.

 

Thank you

Thank you!

• • Susan Smith for hosting our Summer Dinner for New Members at her beautiful home (on her birthday!)
  • Special thanks to our Annual Meeting contributors – Margaret Gorrissen and Donna Wetherley for providing the beautiful flowers, Evin Bask for photographing the board, grantees, and all of the members who volunteered to make the evening a success.

 

 

 

 

Operations Updates

Operations Updates

New Domain

As part of our operations review we’ve implemented our new domain: iwcfgives.org changing to more closely reflect what we do: give! Good news, our previous links will automatically redirect, so no action is needed. 

 

Volunteer Coordinators

We welcome Marti Agler and Alicia Ritter as our volunteer coordinators!  Serving on a committee is encouraged, AND a great way for you to make a personal impact and to more deeply understand this organization. Volunteer duties could be as brief as a one hour, one time request such as picking up supplies from the office, or a longer, ongoing role like writing new member welcome cards or reviewing grant applications.  Contact one of them if you are ready to jump in or look for their notes to you if you have already raised your hand.  We are looking forward to our new software to help with this connection as well. 

Save the Dates

Save the Date

SEPTEMBER

Idaho Shakespeare Volunteer Evening
Sunday, September 8, 2024, 4:45 – 10:30pm
Idaho Shakespeare Festival Amphitheater
5657 E Warm Springs Ave, Boise
Members Only – RSVP to SusanS@iwcfgives.org

 

IWCF Anniversary Celebration
Thursday, September 12, 2024
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Location: TBD.

OCTOBER

IWCF 2024 Symposium: Our Shared Environment: LEAD! (Learn – Engage- Adapt – Discuss) 

Share the date with your guests now and plan for a full and amazing day.   Individual ticket information coming soon.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Boise Center

7:30 am Registration opens
8:15 – 8:50 am Opening Session
9:00 am – 3:30 pm Workshops
11:30 am – 1:15 pm Food For Thought Luncheon featuring Dana Gunders, ReFed
5:00 – 5:45 pm No-host bar/networking for all attendees (and separate Sponsor Reception)
6:00 – 8:00 pm Dinner featuring keynote speaker Jonathan Foley, Project Drawdown
8:00 – 8:30 pm Closing meet and greet reception with Jonathan Foley for all symposium attendees

 

 

IWCF is an affiliate member of Philanos, the leading women’s giving circle network–with more than 80 affiliates sharing one guiding mission: to become informed donors, to practice intentional grantmaking, and to make a lasting impact in their local communities. 

As a member of IWCF, you are already a member of Philanos. To access to these free forums, webinars and more, subscribe on the Philanos website. Under ‘Philanos Affiliate,’ select Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation. You will receive an automated welcome message and can then register for webinars, watch webinar and affinity group records and explore all of the other resources in the Affiliate Portal.   IWCF will shout out some of the upcoming session in our This Week news.