The Community Foundation of the NRV 2022 2023 Annual Report

A Letter from Jessica Wirgau, Chief Executive Officer MANY DONORS MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE

At the same time the CFNRV staff was pulling together this report, we were celebrating a record-breaking GiveLocalNRV Giving Day. You can read in these pages about the factors that helped our community raise $921,648 from 3,329 donors, but what struck our team this year was the wide range of donors whose gifts made up that incredible total. Gifts from $2 to $50,000 came from donors throughout Virginia (148 towns and cities), from across the country (46 other states and one U.S. territory), and from 10 foreign countries to support more than 100 organizations. As with GiveLocalNRV, the CFNRV’s history is one of many different donors giving what they can, when they can. Famously, the CFNRV’s founders seeded our first bank account with about $8 to buy postage. They began reaching out to friends and colleagues to promote the idea of a local foundation supporting local causes, and with that outreach came larger gifts from individuals, families, and businesses. Nearly 30 years and more than 200 endowed funds later, the CFNRV’s commitment to providing those from all walks of life with an avenue to support their community remains the same. For example, the 1994 Society, created in honor of our founders, has donors giving $19.94 or more per month to support CFNRV programs and operations. Some members see the Society as an entry point to charitable giving, while others joined to support initiatives not covered by the endowments they already have with us. On the other end of the spectrum are the estate gifts we develop together with donors looking to leave a legacy.

With tools like a charitable remainder trust or bequest, donors have committed more than $25 million in estate gifts to the CFNRV to date. Yet focusing on any specific amounts obscures the many other ways that CFNRV donors embody the diverse backgrounds, interests, and motivations of our community. Behind each of the endowed funds listed in this report is a deeply personal story. Sometimes it is a way to honor a lost loved one, or to give back to an organization that helped during a difficult time. In other cases, the fund channels a donor’s lifelong advocacy for education, the environment, or animals. In all cases, the desire to support the place we call home is at the forefront, as is our gratitude for the work these donors make possible. As we move forward into next year and our 30th anniversary, we’re excited to celebrate with donors like you who have come together to make the CFNRV what it is today and what it will continue to be for generations to come. Each year, the GiveLocalNRV giving day serves as an important fundraiser for many nonprofits, including long time participants Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley.

Photo courtesy of Literacy Volunteers of the New River Valley.

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2022 - 2023 ANNUAL REPORT