ABOUT OUR LEAGUE
CREATING A CULTURE OF PHILANTHROPY WITH JLW’S FRIENDS OF THE JUNIOR LEAGUE Molly DiGiammarino
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he Friends of the Junior League of Washington (FoJLW) has recently made a strategic shift in how it views, communicates with, and recruits donors. With a renewed focus on creating a culture of philanthropy in the organization that reaches beyond large annual donations, FoJLW is working to create a community with the common goal of upholding the Junior League of Washington’s (JLW) mission, vision, and values. Donations to FoJLW are unrestricted in that they support all aspects of JLW’s operations. Dues only cover about 40% of the League’s operating budget, therefore the nearly 60% of funds raised through FoJLW efforts unrestricted giving and support of fundraisers is essential for JLW to serve our members and the community. Prior to the 2020-2021 League year, complimentary tickets to a fundraiser or event were used to incentivize donations, which could be thought of as transactional in nature. While the donor rewards and perks were appealing, they were expenses that reduced the gross revenue totals of FoJLW and other JLW fundraisers. Donors were also unable to deduct the full amount of their gift if they accepted tickets or some other benefit. For these reasons, and with the implementation of the JLW Fund Development Strategy in 2020, there was a desire by JLW leadership, Ways & Means Council leadership, and the FoJLW Chair and Rising
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Spring 2021
WITH A RENEWED FOCUS ON CREATING A CULTURE OF PHILANTHROPY IN THE ORGANIZATION THAT REACHES BEYOND LARGE ANNUAL DONATIONS, FOJLW IS WORKING TO CREATE A COMMUNITY WITH THE COMMON GOAL OF UPHOLDING THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF WASHINGTON’S MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES. Chair to ensure more donors’ gifts directly support JLW’s mission. In this new era of FoJLW, it’s not just about one donor making a sizable gift, but rather the entire JLW community coming together to support JLW through avenues like engagement with community partners and monetary donations, no matter the size. However, donations aren’t required to be monetary in nature, they can come in many forms including time, talent, or treasure. Instead of only focusing on large, annual donations, FoJLW now prioritizes
other metrics such as number of gifts/ total raised from new donors, re-engaging with lapsed donors, donor retention, and repeat donors. FoJLW also partners with other committees to increase buy-in and participation across the League. From November 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021, FoJLW partnered with the Season of Giving Committee for its Season of Giving (SoG) Donation Challenge. The call to action was not only for financial gifts, but support for community partners in their respective donation drives.
