West End Pay It Forward Trust: Great Fundraising Season

05 Jan West End Pay It Forward Trust: Great Fundraising Season

Anonymous donor and TellurideGives bring in $16,000 for the WEPIFT.

The West End Pay It Forward Trust (WEPIFT) received a generous $15,000 donation in December and raised an additional $1,000 through TellurideGives Day. These substantial donations have enabled WEPIFT to increase its funding by over 60% this year.

WEPIFT’s anonymous donation of $15,000 is the largest the Trust has received since its inception in 2013. In large part due to this gift, WEPIFT anticipates that in 2018 it will be able to start fulfilling its goal of creating and awarding grants to various West End organizations and programs.

In the past year, WEPIFT has grown its account from $37,000 in the beginning of 2017 to over $60,000 at the end of the year. This has been the outcome of loyal supporters, successful fundraising events, a partnership with Citizens State Bank to set up donations as automatic withdrawals, increasing community awareness, and the tireless work of WEPIFT board members.

“We continue to be grateful for the donors who see the value of investing in this endowment or ‘savings account for the future,’” as WEPIFT President Jane Thompson likes to call it. “We are close to being able to use the interest we are making from the WEPIFT account to start giving away some small grants, and we are so excited about this. As we head into 2018, we would like to challenge businesses to sign up all of their employees to give $10 a month to the endowment. What a great way to show your support for our community!”

In addition to participating in TellurideGives’ annual online campaign, donors have the opportunity to make their giving a monthly recurring process, by signing up for automatic withdrawals into the WEPIFT account. No donation amount is too small; $5 or $10 a month can make a world of difference for the Trust in the long-term. WEPIFT is currently receiving monthly donations from six local community members who make automatic withdrawals from their Citizens State Bank accounts to the WEPIFT account. Anyone interested in making a monthly donation with an account at Citizens State Bank is encouraged to call or visit the bank. If anyone needs help setting up recurring monthly donations from another banking institution, feel free to contact any of WEPIFT’s board members for help.

Additionally, WEPIFT encourages the community to consider the organization in their long-term estate planning; bequests are an essential part of creating a successful endowment fund. Adding a special bequest to WEPIFT in your will or trust allows community members to make a difference in the West End by paying it forward and helping the community now and for generations to come.

Launched in late 2013, the West End Pay It Forward Trust partnered with the Paradox Community Trust to create and grow a permanent, locally controlled endowment that can support current and future community betterment projects. The Paradox Community Trust is a vehicle to receive, hold, and invest charitable dollars raised by local PCT communities; including the West End, Norwood, and Rico.

Interest generated from WEPIFT’s endowment fund will help support community and economic development, local nonprofits, emerging entrepreneurs, education, and other charitable causes in the West End.  All money raised will be used in the West End to support and develop local organizations and the community.

The WEPIFT’s board includes: Jane Thompson, Paul Koski, Sara Bachman, and Susan Rice. The board meets monthly with AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers Marisa Marshalka and Kevin Zappia.

If you are interested in learning more about WEPIFT or joining the Board, please contact at westend@gmail.com or visit our website, http://paradoxgives.org/westend/, or Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/WestEndPIFT/.

If you are interested in joining the board, please attend meetings on the second Tuesday of the month at the Naturita Library at 5 p.m.