Community

Multiyear Support Means Confidence, Stability and Much More

Multi-year support is a key part of trust-based philanthropy. Multi-year gifts provide security, freedom, and space for innovation. WDN member Mary Ford, a member of 18 years, shares her take on why she is committed to multi-year funding.

What does supporting WDN through a multi-year gift mean to you? Why commit a multi-year gift to WDN?      

Committing to a multi-year gift reflects my happy evolution in trust and confidence in WDN to use my and others' funds to accomplish our social and political goals through grants and by funding our staff well and respectfully. 

What barriers does multi-year funding lower or erase?         

For my part, multi-year funding means me thinking farther ahead as to my finances and my goals. In simplest terms, I can make a decision and watch it create good without wrestling each year with my funding priorities. These kinds of grants let both me and WDN plan ahead for the longer term. 

What can grow out of multi-year support?                     

Mutual support and confidence between WDN and me as a donor means more communication, more trust, less time that the organization has to spend lining up contributions each year, and more time to plan and execute projects.

We are going through a President & CEO transition at WDN, our President & CEO of nearly 20 years, Donna Hall, is retiring this year. What effect will multi-year gifts have as we move through this transition?

I like to think that my and others' multi-year gifts accurately reflect our confidence in the organization going forward. I know that Donna and the board are spending a lot of time and thought on new leadership, and I want them to know I believe in their vision and judgment. It's taken us so far already.

What new doors and spaces does multi-year funding open for our grantees? What message does multi-year funding from WDN send to our grantees?

Our grantees benefit from the trust and confidence we place in WDN grantmaking, and the ability of WDN to then confidently make multi-year commitments.

How long have you been a member of WDN? Why did you first join? And why do you continue to renew your membership every year?

I've been a member of WDN for as long as Donna has been at WDN! I joined because I longed for a community of women who were engaged in learning about and then wielding their wealth for social and economic justice. It's been so thrilling to find smart, funny, (sometimes) angry, articulate, and determined women who want to talk back to a world full of doublespeak and "truthiness." I've remained a member throughout because even when I couldn't be as involved, I knew I wanted to be in touch with this very meaningful community conversation, and support others keeping the big fires working when I had to tend to other parts of my life.