April is Volunteer Appreciation Month. Without volunteers donating their time and passion to the causes they care about, most nonprofits would be sunk. Paid staff to tutor every kid, clean up every park, and foster every shelter dog? Impossible!
Many of the nonprofits on Whidbey Island are run only by volunteers. Here at Whidbey Community Foundation, we have been extremely fortunate to be supported by 18 volunteers who donated over 1,000 hours of their time last year to ensure our community is getting the resources they need.
Now more than ever, people helping others is worth celebrating. Volunteers make so much possible and deserve our appreciation. Let's take time this month to recognize and thank the volunteers that make our work possible.
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News & Updates from the Foundation |
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WCF Provides Grants to Whidbey Schools for Students' Mental Health Needs |
Whidbey Community Foundation is pleased to announce its next phase of funding from the COVID-19 Community Resilience Fund. WCF awarded grants to all three school districts on Whidbey Island totaling $60,000 to support students, educators, and their families with mental health needs.
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WCF Welcomes New Program Assistant |
Maureen Rice joined the Whidbey Community Foundation as our part-time Program Assistant in March. Maureen spent most of her childhood on Whidbey and returned as an adult to the beautiful Island that helped raise her. She has a background in bookkeeping and small business management, and a desire to serve her community. She currently volunteers as marketing coordinator with the Whidbey Island chapter of I Support the Girls, a nonprofit aiming to eliminate period poverty and end the stigma around menstruation.
Welcome Maureen!
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Northwest Region State of the Children Report Released |
Washington Communities for Children and Washington STEM recently released the latest State of the Children report on Early Learning & Care for the Northwest Region (made up of Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom Counties - all members of the Northwest Early Learning Coalition). The Northwest Region is home to 87,000 young children and their families. This report addresses systems and conditions that promote their development and the actions you can take to support young children and families.
WCF serves as the fiscal sponsor and County Lead for Partners for Young Children in Island County, a coalition of area providers from private, nonprofit, government agencies and service organizations engaged in early learning and family support services to Island residents with children prenatal through third grade.
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Funding opportunities for organizations with shuttered venues |
Do you own or operate a live venue, theater, or performing arts organization? If so, there’s help in the form of grants available to you thanks to federal legislation passed at the end of 2020. The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program is Section 324 of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act (Economic Aid Act) signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020. Eligible entities may be live venue operators or promoters, theatrical producers, live performing arts organization operators, museum operators, motion picture theatre operators, and talent representatives, per the Economic Aid Act.
The SBA will begin accepting applications for this grant on April 8, 2021.
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Upcoming Trainings & Events |
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How every nonprofit can help the communities we serve get vaccinated
Wednesday, April 7 | 12:00-1:00pm
Hosted by Council of Nonprofits
No matter how large or small your nonprofit is, you can make a difference in helping the people you serve receive a COVID vaccine when they are eligible. Whether the people your nonprofit works with are experiencing issues with trust in or access to the vaccine, your nonprofit is positioned to help. Your frontline view lets you not only see the obstacles, but also identify the solutions.
FREE
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Facebook Advanced for Business
Thursday, April 8 | 6:00-8:00pm
Hosted by Goosefoot Community Fund
Step up your Facebook business game! Ads and promoted posts, optimizing your posts, using analytics, and more! This two hour course will focus in on how businesses can get the most bang for their buck from Facebook.
FREE
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Graphic Design for Social Media
Tuesday, April 13 | 1:00-3:00pm
Hosted by Goosefoot Community Fund
Learn the basics of graphic design and create your own custom images to make your social media posts pop. We’ll cover where to find photos and layouts, what programs you can use for free or paid, and best practices to create eye-catching images that help you connect with and keep your online audiences, wherever you like to post. This class offers a chance to ask questions and work on things live.
FREE
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What You Need to Know to Serve on a Nonprofit Board
Wednesday, April 14 | 12:00-1:00pm
Hosted by Washington Nonprofits
You joined a board to make a difference. You care about its mission, you have skills to offer, and you want to make the most of your time. Now all you need is a clear sense of what the job is and how you can best fulfill it. If you are looking to be an effective board member, this call is for you.
FREE
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Data Management for Volunteer Managers
Thursday, April 15 | 12:00-1:00pm
Hosted by Washington Nonprofits
Want to know how to get the most out of a volunteer management system? And how to use that data strategically? Join this conversation about data management for volunteer managers. We'll hear from experienced volunteer leaders from around the state and uplift the collective wisdom within the attendee group.
FREE
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Whidbey Island Zoom Community Forum
Monday, April 26 | 1:30pm-2:30pm
Hosted by Whidbey Community Foundation and Goosefoot Community Fund
We are excited to announce an upcoming initiative with our partners at Goosefoot Community Fund in our next Zoom Community Forum on Monday, April 26. Please register in advance. We will announce more details mid-April.
FREE
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Online Learning Anytime, Anywhere! |
The Washington Nonprofit Institute is Washington Nonprofits’ learning website ready to provide anytime, anywhere nonprofit learning to organizations of all sizes. Whether you need a quick answer about bylaws or a full learning program for your board, we’ve created a collection of curated tools, videos, and archived webinars.
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Support Whidbey Community Foundation
Whidbey Community Foundation envisions a more vibrant, healthy, and unified Whidbey Island community. Our mission is to improve the quality of life on Whidbey Island by providing support for the nonprofit sector, assisting donors to build and preserve enduring assets for charitable purposes, and meeting community needs through financial awards.
Your support fuels our ability to provide trainings and grants to Whidbey nonprofits, helping us grow into one of the most effective community foundations in Washington.
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Whidbey Community Foundation Leadership |
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Board of Directors
Sara Kelly, President
Nancy Conard, Vice President & Executive Director
Steve Shapiro, Treasurer/Secretary
Lance Gibbon
Robin Hertlein
Jerry Millhon
Helen Price Johnson
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Staff
Jessie Gunn, Program Director
Maureen Rice, Program Assistant
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www.WhidbeyFoundation.org |
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Info@WhidbeyFoundation.org |
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