A Message From Mary & Sally
Dear Friends of Spur,
We are delighted to present Spur Community Foundation’s 2024 Impact Report, marking a year of new initiatives and continued growth. A highlight of the year was the launch of the “it’s in our nature” campaign. With the support of the Mott Family Foundation and engagement of Wood River Valley nonprofits, the campaign highlights the Live Generously ethos that fuels so much of the magic of our community. More information is provided on page 19.
Other noteworthy achievements include the expansion of our nonprofit services with the addition of a Grant Application Assistance Program, detailed on page 16. We also increased the number of donors we serve by growing our staff capacity, which resulted in a 50% increase in the number of donor-advised funds we hold. Turn to page 5–8 to learn more about how we are supporting people to give generously and purposefully.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the 42 donors, including seven new supporters, who gave to Spur’s programs and operations in 2024, enabling us to continue our pro-bono services and grow our community impact.
As we move into 2025, we continue to expand our leadership base, with a new Board Member and five new Advisors. Along with our hardworking staff and current Board and Advisors, we are excited to incorporate new viewpoints into this next stage of Spur’s evolution.
Most gratefully,
Mary Wilson, Board President Sally Gillespie, Executive Director
Spur Community Foundation
Mission & Vision
At Spur Community Foundation, we believe impactful philanthropy helps ensure that the Wood River Valley is a robust, compassionate, and thriving community. It is our mission to inspire effective philanthropy by helping people to give purposefully and supporting local nonprofits to achieve maximum impact.
We want all members of the community to wholeheartedly acknowledge that an ecosystem of generosity enables their quality of life in the Wood River Valley, and to actively engage in giving back with their time, talent, or resources. When this happens, the special character of this community will remain intact for generations to come.
Donor Services
GUIDING EFFECTIVE GIVING
Spur’s donor services aim to remove barriers to satisfying philanthropic experiences and empower donors to give with clarity, convenience, and confidence.
In 2024, we supported donors interested in:
Getting Advice
We provide guidance and resources to help donors make timely, informed, and impactful giving decisions. Our nonprofit programs and relationships keep us connected to evolving community needs, ensuring that donors are equipped with the latest insights about opportunities to give.
Starting a Fund
By taking a personalized approach, we help donors establish funds tailored to meet their unique priorities, values, and charitable goals — whether that’s through donor-advised funds, corporate-advised funds, memorial funds, or other philanthropic vehicles.
The Spur Area of Interest Funds provide an efficient and effective avenue to make an impact with our giving. We trust Spur to determine where the greatest needs are, within areas we feel passionate about. They are a great resource!
—JOHN AND SHANNON ANDERSON
Giving to a Fund
Spur offers donors the option to contribute to existing funds that support local organizations through Spur’s competitive grantmaking process. These options provide donors a streamlined, effective way to support causes they care about, without starting their own fund. Examples of funds offered include the Community Impact Fund and our Area of Interest Funds, such as Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Health & Human Services and Housing, ensuring donors can target their giving to specific areas of impact.
GIVING WITH PURPOSE
Christine Kraatz A Giving Legacy Donor Spotlight
Longtime Sun Valley resident
Christine Kraatz has always believed in the importance of giving locally. But until she established a donor-advised fund with Spur in 2021, she didn’t feel truly knowledgeable about nonprofit needs in the Wood River Valley.
“I saw Spur mentioned in the paper and it piqued my interest,”
Christine recalls. “I wanted to know all the possibilities for giving here, and Sally and her team are so connected. They have been an
invaluable resource in guiding my family’s philanthropy.”
Christine shared her interests and goals for giving with the Spur team, who then helped connect her to local organizations and advice on giving decisions. Through Spur, Christine has been able to support initiatives in education, health and human services, and the environment, among others. Spur’s close connections with area nonprofits and leaders mean they are aware of each organization’s
Christine (center) with her daughters, Michelle Ferris and Heather Minor
ongoing initiatives as well as urgent needs that bubble to the top of the community’s list of priorities.
One such recent critical need was fundraising for the new early childhood center at the Church of the Big Wood. When Christine was approached to consider donating to this cause, she said “yes” immediately. “Although I’m not personally seeking these services myself,” she explains, “I can see that the lack of childcare in the valley is a huge and thorny issue. Everything is connected: the valley is strapped for workers, and if people can’t find childcare, they can’t work. I was so pleased to be asked to support this initiative and be able to contribute.”
Christine acknowledges that she might not have known how to address this issue were it not for Spur. She says it’s an added benefit of her relationship with the community foundation: Spur offers ideas and makes people aware of needs, but ultimately leaves giving decisions up to each donor. “I like being involved in directing my money through the community fund, but I also like the idea of being spontaneous when something urgent arises,” Christine says. “Yet I’ve never once felt pressured to give in a certain way,
I wanted to know all the possibilities for giving here, and Sally and her team are so connected. They have been an invaluable resource in guiding my family’s philanthropy.
—CHRISTINE KRAATZ AND HER DAUGHTERS, HEATHER MINOR AND MICHELLE FERRIS, OPENED THEIR DONOR-ADVISED FUND WITH SPUR IN 2021.
and you can’t put a value on that.”
With more new faces in the valley every year, Christine believes Spur is a wonderful resource for learning about the broad landscape of nonprofits and the complex web of community priorities. She appreciates the ease of giving through Spur, and the fact that there are no associated fees. “Knowing that 100% of my money goes to supporting the work I am passionate about is so important,” Christine says. “I’m grateful to Spur for leading the way on living and giving generously in the Wood River Valley.”
Competitive Grants Granting
Twice a year, Spur offers two competitive grant opportunities for organizations serving Blaine County.
• Impact Grants support projects with the potential to drive substantial change within an organization or on a pressing community need.
• Community Grants offer broad support for organizations that enhance life in the Wood River Valley.
Applications are evaluated by a volunteer Grants Committee, which includes Spur Advisors, Board members, and community members. Spur’s Board of Directors then considers and approves the committee’s recommendations.
Additionally, Spur supports professional development through micro-grants to attend training programs and by underwriting participation in Spur’s Executive Director Leadership Program described in the following pages of this report.
$460,947
Total amount granted in 2024 By the Numbers: Spur Grants
$12,458
Average grant amount
30
Total number of grantees
Spur Grantees — 2024
• The Advocates
• ARCH Community Housing Trust
• Ballet Sun Valley
• Blaine County Charitable Fund
• Blaine County Education Foundation
• Blaine County Recreation District
• Body Traffic
• Flourish Foundation
• Friends of the Hailey Public Library
• Girls on the Run
• Higher Ground
• Idaho BaseCamp
• Lee Pesky Learning Center
• Men’s Second Chance Living
• Mountain Humane
• National Forest Foundation
• Rotarun Ski Club
• Swiftsure Ranch
• The Alliance of Idaho
• The Argyros
• The Community Library
• The Liberty Theatre Company
• The Senior Connection
• The Space
• The Spot
• Trailing of the Sheep Festival
• Wood River Community Orchestra
• Wood River Community YMCA
• Wood River Land Trust
• Wood River Trails Coalition
2024 Grant Funding Distribution
Granting
DONOR-ADVISED & CUSTODIAL GRANTS
In addition to the grants that Spur awards independently, we also facilitate giving for families and individuals by holding donor-advised funds and being a conduit for donations to local nonprofits. In 2024, the numbers for donor-advised granting were impressive.
By the Numbers: Donor-Advised Grants
$2,950,009
Total advised grants in 2024
88%
Distributed to local nonprofits
73
Total number of local grantees
Connecting Donors to Emerging Needs
Spur values being nimble and responsive to urgent community needs, as we demonstrated with the Covid Fund back in 2020–22. A recent childcare challenge prompted us to act again.
We have long recognized that affordable childcare is a community priority. Access to this vital service supports children’s healthy development, ensures parents can participate in the workforce or attend school, and helps local businesses and our economy thrive. Last summer, when one of the valley’s sole infant care providers shuttered, many working parents were left without options. Spur moved quickly to address this critical need, partnering with the Wood River Early Learning Collaborative and the Church of the Big Wood, ultimately leading an urgent fundraising drive to convert a space at the church into an infant care facility. Ten generous donors in Spur’s network stepped up within days to donate the needed $100,000, and The Nest at Big Wood School opened its doors in October, just 6 weeks later. Providing a nurturing and stimulating environment to children ages 3–18 months, The Nest currently serves 30 families and has already positively impacted dozens of working parents and their employers.
Custodial Fund Grants
In special circumstances, Spur can serve as the repository of funding for community projects and initiatives. The past year, Spur played this role in three instances.
Grantee Highlight
PILOT PROGRAM INVESTMENT PAYS OFF
Teacher Rest & Renewal
Occasionally, Spur is presented with opportunities to support pilot programs at local organizations. We understand that nonprofits need the flexibility to innovate and explore new approaches, and if we’re confident in their leadership and trust their vision, we’re willing to risk that things may not go as planned. Of course, we’re thrilled when initiatives do succeed, and to play a role in their continued growth.
One such success story is a program launched by the Flourish Foundation specifically for Blaine County educators. In 2023, Spur granted Flourish $15,000 to fund a nine-month wellness journey for a small cohort of teachers to build a community of support and
transformation. In September of 2023, the inaugural cohort of 12 teachers began meeting monthly for support group meetings bookended by two full-day retreats.
“Teachers are caregivers who work in incredibly urgent environments,” notes Erin Kesselman, one of Flourish’s Mindful Awareness Program facilitators. “Their jobs require so much giving — of themselves, their time, and energy — and such demands, unsurprisingly, can lead to burnout. We’ve seen mounting evidence that mindfulness and social engagement can help address this burnout, and we wanted to build an intentional social community to provide teachers with tools and practices to integrate into their lives.”
The group comprised the full range of teaching experiences, from preschool through high school, and represented nearly every public and private school in the county. One participant noted, “We as educators share our calm, peace, tools, and regulation skills to support young people all day, every day. Teachers are in dire need of this being done for them.” Another said, “It was simply the best. What a gift. I am so grateful you saw the need and created this program.”
After a successful first year, a new 2024–25 cohort filled quickly and had a waiting list of more than 20 teachers. In September, the St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation awarded Flourish Foundation $35,000 annually for the next three years to support the continuation of this program and their school-based K–12 Mindful Awareness Program.
“The mental well-being of our teachers is critical to supporting the mental well-being of our youth,” says Megan Tanous, chief development officer at the St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation. “We are enormously grateful for community generosity, which made it possible for us to invest in the important work the Flourish Foundation is doing.”
This same community generosity allowed the Spur Community Foundation to fund these efforts a
The interdependence of it all is so profound. People often limit teachers’ impact to the kids in their classroom, but we’ve seen the outsized role that teachers play in this community and are happy to have a hand in helping them — and by extension, their students and schools — succeed. We could not do this work without the integral support of the Spur Community Foundation and the St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation. These crucial partnerships enable us to touch our community’s entire ecosystem of well-being.
—RYAN REDMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FLOURISH
year ago. “We were so pleased to partner with the Flourish Foundation to provide tools to our teachers and support their mental health,” says Spur’s executive director, Sally Gillespie. “Teachers interact with and influence students, parents, their own children, and other adults in the community, and we believe this program is a lifeline for teachers and thus our Valley’s students. We were thrilled to see Spur’s investment leveraged so generously by St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation to grow this important program.”
Nonprofit Services
POSITIONING NONPROFITS FOR SUCCESS
Advisory Services
Spur is dedicated to strengthening local nonprofits by equipping them with the tools, expertise, and support they need to reach their fullest potential. We achieve this through our free advisory services, organizational assessments, benchmarking surveys, and leadership development programs. In 2024, Spur staff dedicated over 200 hours to its nonprofit services and advised or trained members of 65 different organizations.
Organizations helped 200+ Pro-bono hours
Spur believed in our mission from the beginning. We don’t know where we’d be without them! We’ve received professional development opportunities from Spur that have helped us grow to be a healthy organization with a strong board and dedicated staff. We are grateful for all the ways Spur helps us do our work better.
— BECKY LOPEZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE ALLIANCE
Grant Application Assistance Program
In 2024, Spur launched a new initiative, hiring professional grant writers to identify new funding opportunities and bring additional resources to our valley. Phase One involved offering “grant-ready” organizations a consultation with a grant researcher to understand their programs and fundraising goals, resulting in a comprehensive report of potential grant opportunities.
In Phase Two, Spur covered the costs of using a professional grant writer to compose the applications for several selected opportunities.
In year one, 17 nonprofit organizations participated in the program.
This program is made possible by the generosity of Rebecca and Jonathan Neeley
The Grant Application Assistance Program revealed numerous funding opportunities for our organization and enabled us to quickly apply for a federal grant. Without Spur’s support and their funding of grant writing services, our team would not have been able to pursue this opportunity.
— AMY MATTIAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SUN VALLEY INSTITUTE FOR RESILIENCE
Nonprofit Services
At Spur, we believe strong leadership is a key to an organization’s success. To support this, we’ve developed three unique programs focused on enhancing the leadership of both Board members and Executive Directors at local nonprofits.
Executive Directors Fundamentals Program
Spur supports first-time executive directors in mastering the fundamentals of nonprofit management, including finance, fundraising, governance, and strategic planning. This is the program’s second year, and so far, it has served 11 executive directors.
2024–2025 PARTICIPANTS
Cole Petrie, Higher Ground Becky Lopez, The Alliance Ashton Wilson, Environmental Resource Center Ray Gadd, Visit Sun Valley Cody Richmond, Friends of Sawtooth Avalanche Center
Board Chair Leadership Program
Spur empowers nonprofit Board Chairs with the skills and strategies to lead with excellence, drive board cohesion, and advance their organization’s mission. This program is offered every other year, with the next session coming in the fall of 2025.
Executive Directors Leadership Coaching
Participants, chosen through a competitive application process, benefit from 12 one-on-one sessions over six months with a highly skilled executive coach. Over the seven years since Spur started this program, we have invested $226,000 to support 22 local leaders on the journey to become top performing Executive Directors.
2024 PARTICIPANTS
Melissa Mathews, Executive Director, The Argyros
Mary Fauth, Executive Director, Blaine County Charitable Fund
Being able to participate in the Executive Director Leadership Coaching program came at a perfect time for ensuring I had the support I needed for being a firsttime manager of staff. Having a local foundation that knows our community intimately and connects those needs to local resources is invaluable!
— MARY FAUTH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BLAINE COUNTY CHARITABLE FUND
Amy Trujillo. Executive Director, Wood River Land Trust
Generosity Initiative
Spur launched the “it’s in our nature” initiative in July 2024 to celebrate and promote the profound impact of generosity in Idaho’s Wood River Valley. This multifaceted communications campaign underscores that the community’s vitality and much of its magic depends on the work of local nonprofits. It seeks to instill the understanding that to love this community is to give back to it with an ‘all hands in’ mindset that ensures a bright future for us all. It’s what we do... Because... it’s in our nature.
The hub of the campaign is a website: itsinournaturewrv.org
3,500+ unique users visited the website in 2024 It Features:
• Nonprofit information
• Videos and images that showcase the work of local nonprofits
• Nonprofit directory that can be searched by areas of impact
• Impact data
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Events — a schedule of “it’s in our nature” events, such as the Giving Thought Learning Series
• Donation Links — make an online contribution to important community needs
• Branded Merchandise — help spread the word and share your pride in our community’s culture of generosity
VOLUNTEER
Spur has licensed a robust system for volunteer management and given all local nonprofits free access to post their volunteer needs. Individuals interested in local volunteering can use this one location to discover current opportunities and register for assignments ranging from hands-on tasks to Board member openings.
itsinournaturewrv.org/get-involved#volunteer
34
Nonprofits enrolled to use the platform
45 Volunteer opportunities
LEARN
186
Total number of volunteer positions
The Giving Thought Learning Series was developed to foster meaningful conversations and deepen understanding about community issues and philanthropy.
FIRST FOUR EVENTS
Attendance to date: over 500 people
Uncharitable Documentary: SCREENING & PANEL DISCUSSION (Sept 10, 2024)
*Hidden Crisis—Early Childhood Learning and Local Childcare: PANEL DISCUSSION (Nov 12, 2024)
*Immigration’s Role in the Wood River Valley: PANEL DISCUSSION (Feb 12, 2025)
*Maintaining Community Bonds Amidst Growth and Change: COMMUNITY DISCUSSION (Mar 12, 2025)
*Event recordings can be accessed through itsinournaturewrv.org/events
2024 Finances
Our Team
(As of January 2025)
Board of Directors
Mary Wilson, Chair
Erik Boe, Treasurer
Lisa Stelck, Secretary
John Anderson
Lyndsay Lyle
Jonathan Neeley
Britt Palmedo
Tim Wolff
Spur Staff
Sally Gillespie, Executive Director
Alison Van Hook, Program Director
Anna Parker, Donor Services Manager
Cathy Tyson, Finance and Operations Associate
Advisors
Shannon Anderson
Joe Ash
Peggy Baker
Leslie Benz
Bob Disbrow
John Dondero
Teresa Golden
David Kennett
Julie Meyer
Carol Nie
Peter Palmedo
John Perenchio
Trina Peters
Joy Prudek
Carolyn Reece
Steve Rivera
Steve Shafran
David Tedesco
Beverly Tiffany
Gabriela Wehner
Some Special Thanks
To those who contributed time, talent, or other resources such as meeting or event space.
Lucy Abrahams
Lindsay Boeger
Reed Boeger
Carla Bucci
Luis Campos
Diann Craven
Hailey Public Library
Brad Henson
Kathryn Ivers
Andy Jones
Dave Luhr
Becky Lopez
The Lyle Family
Rebecca Neeley
The Palmedo Family
Kristin Poole
The Community Library
Brittany Skelton
Vinny Salinas
Janet Salvoni
Dr. Robert Sanchez
The Space
Carol Waller
The Wolff Family