May 2022

News Brief

Michelle Griffith, Executive Director, ARCH

With the mission to create permanent solutions to housing affordability in Blaine County, Michelle Griffith leads her team at ARCH Community Housing Trust to improve the lives of hard-working families who may, in a more typical community, not need housing assistance. These are the teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses, and others who ensure our community is educated, cared for, and protected. In return for their commitment to Blaine County, ARCH is dedicated to making sure these families enjoy a warm and loving home.

On April 25, 2022, Michelle Griffith, Executive Director of ARCH, shared her thoughts with Alli Frank of the Wood River Women’s Foundation (WRWF) on the following three questions:

How has the 2022 WRWF grant furthered the mission of your organization at this moment in time?

At this time, ARCH is focused on building our private philanthropy, so we may be able to deliver increased affordable housing. All grants, donations, and other contributions go directly to building homes. This effort provides two important ongoing benefits: first, the families served live affordably and can contribute to our local economy, and second, the revenue generated from rents, although not high enough to attract market-rate investment, provides funding for housing needs.

With the support of the WRWF and the greater Blaine County community at large, where do you see the organization in three years?

In three years, we hope to have expanded our development capacity with more and more partnerships. Yes, increased partnerships equals more housing, but it also ultimately benefits both organizations. ARCH benefits because the partnership opportunities allow our capital to go further in creating housing. The partner organizations benefit because they have an important tool to help with attraction and retention of essential employees.

What is one BIG HOPE you have for the future of the Wood River Valley?

To be redundant, if we can deliver enough housing to the valley, the revenue generated will enable ARCH to build homes and keep pace with growth without the need to fundraise. Already our organizational costs are covered with program revenue. Housing does not have to be an ongoing issue, we can solve it, together, as one community.

Trinka Dyer, Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair

By Trinka Dyer – Finance Committee Chair

Efficiently running a 325+ member, volunteer-driven nonprofit organization requires diligence, sufficient funding, and a conservative operating budget. The Finance Committee works hard to deliver a budget that respects the Foundation’s mission and simultaneously ensures compliance with applicable 501(c)(3) regulations. The Finance Committee works hard to deliver a tight budgeting process for the funds we collect and spend to operate the Foundation in pursuit of our mission and to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. Here is a summary of our income and expenses:

Income –

• $100 operating contribution paid with each annual membership
• Annual draw from the Restricted Endowment Fund
• Additional member and sponsor donations to support operations and for underwriting specific expenses

Expenses –

• Staff – We have one paid, part-time Executive Assistant whose responsibilities include membership processing, database management, bookkeeping, and committee and member support.
• Technology to support the grants process, website, member communications, and member database
• Committee expenses for Grants, Communications, Education, and Membership
• Professional services – primarily fees for tax and accounting work and insurance.
• Member events, although we strive to ensure that our paid events (Annual Meeting and Holiday Social) break even.

As our membership, impact, and costs of compliance have grown, so, too, have the expenses of managing the organization. Currently, the $100 annual operating contribution covers less than one-third of Foundation operating costs. The draw from the Restricted Endowment Fund supports another 30%. Fortunately, generous donations and expense underwriting by several members have provided the additional revenue needed to balance our budget each year.

Beginning in 2022 we are encouraging members to voluntarily contribute $200 with their annual membership in place of the $100 fee instituted when we began 17 years ago. This $200 per member operating contribution more accurately supports the true cost of running a large 501(c)(3) in today’s environment.

The Finance Committee’s charter is to provide direction and oversight for WRWF financial management. This includes reviewing the budget and monthly financial reports, performing an internal audit, and overseeing financial and investment policies and procedures. Thank you to the dedicated and skilled Finance Committee members, Tana Aardal, Karen de Saint Phalle, Kathy Edwards, Gail Landis, Courtney Jelaco and Linda Nicholson.

We welcome new members who have experience in finance, accounting, or investment management. Please contact Trinka Dyer, at trinka@gmail.com if you are interested in joining our committee.

We are delighted to extend a warm WRWF welcome to new members who joined this month!

• Mona Zander

New WRWF members are invited to provide photos and a bit of information about themselves to share in the News Brief. We have so many interesting members and it is fun to read about everyone’s background. Thanks so much and we look forward to meeting you soon.
Welcome!

Help us bring you the news you want to see! The monthly News Brief is the perfect place to share exciting events, happenings, and updates with our entire membership. Are you working with a deserving local nonprofit that could benefit from more attention? Do you know an individual doing exceptional work that should be recognized? What’s going on in the Wood River Valley that our members should know about? Let’s represent the range of knowledge and different perspectives possessed by our members!

All 325+ members are encouraged to connect with the Communications Committee to develop short articles and spotlights to be featured in an upcoming edition of the News Brief.

Please reach out to carol@graybirdfoundation.org to be partnered with a committee member.

Many thanks to members who have designated WRWF as their selected charity on AmazonSmile! To link Wood River Women’s Foundation AmazonSmile to your Amazon account, click here and get signed up. Then, whenever you shop Amazon, use the AmazonSmile website.