Taking a Charitable Staycation

Are you being inundated with requests for charitable gifts this year? Are your inboxes and mailboxes full of invitations, stories, and pulls to your heartstrings? Are you finding yourself challenged by how to respond when your financial situation is different than in the past? If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you can empathize with the way Women's Fund is feeling in 2009. Our endowment losses in 2008 were significant, the economic pressure on the organizations we support is growing, and women and girls have greater needs than ever before. How will Women's Fund meet the challenges presented by all of these scenarios?

Women's Fund considered how to best tackle the significant downshift in funding available and recognized, just like families on a budget, maybe we have to think about staycation instead of a fabulous vacation to favorite stomping grounds or exploring new and exciting cities. For us a staycation means staying true to our three key priority areas: caregiving, domestic violence, and insufficient income. The fabulous vacation that will have to wait includes: all the other important programming and services to help women and girls increase their physical and mental well-being.

In 2009, our Grants Committee will be considering how they can make grants to continue to provide core services in each of our three priority areas by asking the following three questions: do children have a safe and affordable place to go while Mom is at work or school; is there a safe shelter for women and their children to seek when escaping violence; and, are women able to gain and maintain employment allowing them to take care of themselves and their families without depending on the goodwill of others?

If you are a donor to Women's Fund, thank you! I promise to you that our Grants Committee, Advisory Board, and staff are sincerely committed to making sure the gift you entrusted to us will continue have a significant impact during the economic turmoil facing many non-profits and their clients in our community. Thank you for helping us create options and opportunities for women and girls who may often feel like they don't have many of either and certainly need someone to believe and them and encourage them on their journey.

As always, I appreciate your interest in and support of Women's Fund.