The Community Foundation of the NRV 25-26 Annual Report

AT THE INTERSECTION OF NEED & GENEROSITY A Letter from Jessica Wirgau, CEO

Educators at a professional development workshop.

Preparing food at Plenty! Farm and Food Bank in Floyd.

T he last year has been filled with significant changes at the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV) and for many of the nonprofit partners, scholarship recipients, and donors we serve. At the CFNRV, we experienced both our largest fundraising year to date with more than $5.7 million contributed, as well as a record year of grant and scholarship awards totaling just under $1 million. We moved to a new office, began to wrap up our four-year project supporting the childcare workforce in Blacksburg, and took part in our first Buzz Live event to broadcast our 12th Annual GiveLocalNRV Giving Day to followers online. With all this activity, our team found ourselves off balance. One moment we would be part of a Zoom meeting with 40 food pantries discussing how to meet demand during the government shutdown, and only minutes later we received an email about one of the largest single gifts in our history. It can feel disorienting to sit at the intersection of significant community need and incredible generosity, yet I find comfort in knowing that our community is full of people who sit at that intersection with me. We know long-lasting, positive impact happens when caring people come together around a common purpose—and when resources are managed with care to support that work. So, over the last year, we’ve leaned into our strengths in collaboration and financial stewardship.

We created more opportunities for community members to gather—both in person and virtually— to share information and navigate challenges, including our executive director peer-group meetings, our monthly Third Thursday Society trainings, and events focused on early childhood development, food access, and health. We’ve also increased our grant and scholarship awards by raising the percentage we award from our endowed funds, and by working with donors to make large-scale gifts to new programs and capital projects. In this report, you’ll meet the many people who pair creativity with kindness to serve our community. With gratitude, we recognize everyone who continues to stand with us at the intersection of community need and generosity, and who provide stability as the context around us shifts. With appreciation,

Photos: Three Bird Photography & Plenty.

Jessica Wirgau, Ph.D.

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