YWCA Spokane Forever Fund

An endowment fund for our community, forever.

For Our Community, Forever.

For 120 years, YWCA Spokane has been committed to eliminating racism and empowering women. Our mission has evolved and grown during this time, but the foundation of our work has remained the same. By giving to YWCA Spokane’s Forever Fund, you contribute to something special, something bigger than any one of us.  The YWCA endowment will live long after we are all gone. Your gift creates sustainable funding that will make a significant impact in ensuring that survivors can receive services not just today but forever.

What is an Endowment Fund?

An endowment fund is YWCA Spokane’s investment account, with your gift serving as the principal funding. This principle is never drawn from. The interest gained from the principal will be used to fund YWCA Spokane’s services as a dependable source of income for years to come.

Contact Us

Want more information on the Forever Fund or how you can support YWCA Spokane longterm?

Please contact us at:

Dana Morris Lee
Chief Philanthropy Officer
DanaM@ywcaspokane.org
509-742-0111

How to Support the Forever Fund

The COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to hold our fundraising events which raise nearly $500,000 annually. This demonstrated just how easily and unpredictably a major source of funding can disappear. In the past few years, we have faced uncertainty in federal and state funding for life-saving services for survivors of abuse. Times like these have underscored the importance of a steady and reliable source of funding like an endowment fund. An endowment is the safety net for situations like this and any unexpected challenges we may face in the future.

Create A Legacy

When you remember YWCA Spokane in your estate plans, you contribute to a culture of empowerment, justice, and dignity for survivors of violence, poverty, and inequity. We can help you meet your personal financial goals while making a long-lasting impact on our community.

A few types of Legacy Gifts include:

  • Bequests
  • Beneficiary Designations
  • Gifts of Life Insurance

Non-Cash Giving

Gifts of stock or other non-cash assets are an incredibly impactful way to give to the Endowment fund. Giving appreciated assets has advantages for both you and YWCA Spokane. You may be able to avoid capital gains taxes, reduce your estate taxes, or even take a charitable deduction for the entirety of the donation amount.

Non-cash assets may include:

  • CDs
  • Stock
  • Real Estate
  • Retirement Accounts
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Art or other collectibles

Joining YWCA Spokane's Legacy Circle A Donor Story by Mary Alberts

We all want to be remembered for something, but my greatest fear is that it will be for the time I went to a costume party dressed as Cat Woman, long after the potential for any transformative relationship with spandex had ended. However, even as we age (and thicken), there remains in us that child whose earliest experiences help shape the person we become and with whom we eventually grow old.

Sixty-some years ago, clad in too-small pajamas and gripping the dashboard of our old green Buick, I pleaded with my mother to stop our speeding car and take us back home. Over the rain and the sobbing of back-seat siblings, my mother, herself full of tears and rage, kept repeating the words "We are never going back!" as she pounded the steering wheel over and over and over again. But we did. Again and again, until we were mostly all grown and on our own. In the early 1960s, there was no YWCA in my hometown to take a woman like my mom, with five small children, into their safekeeping, so there was no choice. We always went back.

Make A Cash Gift to the Forever Fund

Blog

Oct 1, 2024 Oct 6 @ 6:16 am

Mission Moment – Support Group

Social Support “Domestic violence can be so isolating,” states Alondra, YWCA Support Group facilitator. “We found that providing a space for survivors to share stories and promote healing is a great way to bridge the gap from isolation to connection…

Sep 30, 2024 Oct 6 @ 6:16 am

Barriers to Reporting DV

In advance of Pathways Forward conversation on October 23rd, this blog focuses on the barriers survivors face in reporting domestic violence to law enforcement. Key challenges include fear of retaliation, lack of trust in police, privacy concerns, mandatory arrest policies, socioeconomic factors, and insufficient resources. Understanding these barriers is essential for improving support systems and ensuring survivor safety.

Events

Aug 6, 2024 Oct 8 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am

DV 101 Training: Recognize. Respond. Refer.

October 8th, 2024 10:00am – 11:30am Join YWCA Spokane for this important free, virtual training on October 8th. Learn more about intimate partner domestic violence, how to help a friend, and about YWCA Spokane’s free and confidential services. This Training…

Aug 6, 2024 Oct 17 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

DV 101 Training: Recognize. Respond. Refer.

Join YWCA Spokane for this foundational free training. Learn more about intimate partner domestic violence, how to help a friend, and about YWCA Spokane’s free and confidential services.

Aug 26, 2024 Oct 23 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Pathways Forward: Realities of Reporting

Join YWCA Spokane and community advocates for a roundtable discussion on the realities of reporting domestic violence during Domestic Violence Action Month (DVAM) this October.