Imprint

imprint

An analysis of philanthropic giving in Jackson Hole.

Inequitable philanthropy High-dollar donors’ contributions are tied more often to social or personal cues than empirical need. Page 8.

Dec. 4, 2019

2 - IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Imprint shows impact of your philanthropy P

giving reflects our community values.

In “Inequitable Philanthropy,” Imprint Editor Tom Hallberg blends yet-tobe-published research from “Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West,” a book that focuses on Teton County, and interviews with local nonprofits to explore where our big bucks go — and how our community is affected by this dispersal of donor dollars.

We hope this section is one that informs, sparks ideas and provokes conversation.

Imprint Editors

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hilanthropy is a cornerstone of Jackson Hole.

There are many sectors of our community that wouldn’t function well, or at all, were it not for the millions of dollars donated to various nonprofit organizations across the valley.

Being such an important industry, this year we’re launching Imprint, a publication that explores the impact of philanthropy in our community.

We chose this word because of the nod it gives to impact, which is so much of how we measure philanthropic giving. It’s not just the dollars donated, though that is admittedly sizable in Jackson Hole. It’s the impact of the money. How does your philanthropy — our philanthropy — imprint on our community? That is the central theme we seek to explore in the section.

This year readers can explore some of the basics of philanthropy — do you know what all of the 501(c)s are? (page 4) — and dive deeper to some philanthropic events that are well known and well loved (think: Old Bill’s). Reporters also tackled stories about the impact of small donors (pages 5 and 14,) and industry giving trends, including grocery store giving (page 11) and matching grants (page 12).

But the cornerstone story of this inaugural edition explores how our

Special supplement written and produced by the Jackson Hole News&Guide

J SINGLETON FINANCIAL

Publisher: Kevin Olson Associate Publisher: Adam Meyer

is excited to announce – Judy Singleton, a longtime supporter of the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, has pledged her continued advocacy by recently joining their Resource Committee.

Editor: Johanna Love Managing Editor: Rebecca Huntington Imprint Editors: Melissa Cassutt and Tom Hallberg

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

Layout and Design: Andy Edwards, Samantha Nock Cover Illustration: Ryan Stolp Photographers: Amber Baesler, Bradly J. Boner, Ryan Dorgan, Rebecca Huntington, Mike Koshmrl, Rebecca Noble Copy Editors: Jennifer Dorsey, Cherise Forno, Mark Huffman Writers: Chance Q. Cook, Cody Cottier, Allie Gross, Tom Hallberg, Rebecca Huntington, Mike Koshmrl, Emily Mieure Advertising Sales: Karen Brennan, Tom Hall, Megan LaTorre, Oliver O’Connor, David Szugyi Advertising Coordinator: Tatum Biciolis Creative Director: Sarah Wilson Advertising Design: Lydia Redzich, Luis F. Ortiz, Chelsea Robinson, Heather Haseltine Production Manager: Chuck Pate Pre-press Supervisor: Jeff Young Press Supervisor: Dale Fjeldsted Pressmen: Steve Livingston, Lewis Haddock, Oso Munos Office Manager: Kathleen Godines Customer Service Managers: Lucia Perez, Rudy Perez Circulation Manager: Jeff Young

(307) 732-6652 • jsingletonfinancial.com

Circulation: Jayann Carlisle, Brandi Terry

170 East Broadway, Suite 100D • PO Box 508 • Jackson, WY 83001 Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services are offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. J Singleton Financial is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services.

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©2019 Teton Media Works Jackson Hole News&Guide P.O. Box 7445, 1225 Maple Way. Jackson, WY 83002 Phone: 307-733-2047; Fax: 307-733-2138, Web: JHNewsAndGuide.com

IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 3

CONNECT. Through Old Bill’s, the Community Foundation makes giving smarter, nonprofits more effective, and our community stronger.

OLD BILL’S 2019

Co-Challenger Match Designated gifts 2019 Total Lifetime Total

$3,464,002 $10,917,189

$14,381,191 $173,720,537

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4 - IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Pups socialize and stretch their legs in the Animal Adoption Center’s courtyard. The adoption center is an example of a 501(c)(3) organization.

BRADLY J. BONER/ / NEWS&GUIDE FILE

Nonprofits: 501(c)(3) and beyond

The centerpiece of the charitable world is just one of many designations.

By Cody Cottier

T

he word “nonprofit” has become basically synonymous with “charity” in popular usage, but that is an oversimplification. It’s true that 501(c)(3)s — the bastions of philanthropic giving — comprise the bulk of the nonprofit universe, but the category contains a long list of lesser-known cousins.

The 501(c) prefix, which introduces various kinds of organizations under the Internal Revenue Code, signifies that an organization is exempt from paying federal income tax. The kind that happens to end in (3) is certainly the most prominent, but there are also 501(c)(1)s and (2) s and (4)s and (5)s, all the way up to (28). Most are obscure and hyperspecific: The status (c) (21) applies to black lung benefit trusts, and (c) (13) to cemetery companies.

“If you look at the tax code,” said Karen Coleman, chief financial officer at the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, “there are a lot of other types.”

To be clear, not all nonprofits automatically fall into one of these categories of tax exemption.

State law determines nonprofit status, “Most charitable whereas the Internal Revgiving is driven enue Service federal by a personal desire grants tax exemption, and the to cure an ill or criteria are different in address a need.” each case. The — Karen Coleman two almost alCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF JH ways coincide, as reflected in colloquial speech, but that is not necessarily true.

What unites all these groups is, broadly, a community-oriented mission. For-profit businesses operate with the sole aim — more or less — of providing financial benefit to their shareholders, but nonprofits exist to further a cause or supply a need. Essentially, they must serve either the general public or their own membership without concern for the bank accounts of private individuals.

“There are services that the community deems important enough to the collective good,” said Sharel Lund, executive director of One22, a resource and advocacy center. “One way that gets demonstrated is through nonprofit status.”

The term “nonprofit” is a bit of a misnomer.

These groups are in fact allowed to make some profit beyond basic operating expenses (for example, to maintain a reserve fund). The word refers to the fact that they cannot contribute to the monetary gain of private individuals.

“Tax-exempt” also needs clarification. 501(c) organizations are not free from all taxes, only from federal income tax on the income they generate through activities related to the purpose for which they were granted tax-exempt status.

Wyoming has the fewest nonprofits of any state, with about 3,600, according to the National Council of Nonprofits. But with roughly six for every 1,000 people, it has the third most per capita, behind Montana and Vermont.

501(c)(3)

Odds are this is what you think of when you hear the term “nonprofit” — foundations, food banks, churches, museums, amateur sports leagues, animal welfare groups. The list goes on.

501(c)(3)s are by far the most common nonprofits, comprising nearly 75 percent nationwide, and they are generally defined by a charitable, educational or religious purpose. In Teton County they range from the Jackson Cupboard to Teton Youth and Family Services to the Off Square Theatre Company.

Coleman, with the Community Foundation — which facilitates charitable giving by assisting other nonprofits and donors — explained the philosophy behind (c)(3)s: There are certain needs, in Jackson Hole and everywhere else, that government programs and commercial businesses can’t or simply don’t meet.

“Philanthropy fills a niche for society,” she said, “by providing services that would not be sustainable on a for-profit basis, because the individuals or the groups that benefit from them do not have the means.”

One crucial difference between (c)(3)s and other nonprofits is that donations to them are tax-deductible. Donors can subtract most of the money they give to such causes from their taxable income, lowering the amount they pay each year in federal income taxes and incentivizing charitable giving.

Nevertheless, Coleman said, these tax benefits aren’t at the front of most donors’ minds when they choose to sign a check.

“Most charitable giving,” she said, “is driven by a personal desire to cure an ill or address a need.”

Another common misconception of (c)(3)s is that they cannot lobby. They can’t take partisan stances, for example by supporting any particular candidate for public office, but they can advocate for certain rules and policies.

501(c)(4)

Likely the next most common after (c)(3)s, (c)(4)s are civic leagues and social welfare organizations. Often that includes everything from Rotary Clubs to volunteer fire stations to home-

owners associations.

The important distinction for (c)(4)s is that they can engage in political activity. These groups don’t face the same restrictions when it comes to supporting candidates for office, so long as politics don’t become their main focus.

More specifically, they can’t spend more than 50% of their money on politics. But they can still influence elections, often through advertising. That allows nonprofits like Shelter JH, for example, to maintain tax-exempt status and be able to “help keep great housing champions in office,” as it proclaims on its website.

However, donations to (c)(4)s usually aren’t tax-deductible in the way they are for (c)(3)s.

There are exceptions, but they typically also rely on membership dues. They may be required to disclose to members how much of their dues are going toward political campaigning, or pay a “proxy tax” on political expenses.

501(c)(5)

The most common kind of nonprofit under this category is the labor union: a group of workers in a particular industry who join together to negotiate for better pay, benefits or working conditions. Some agricultural organizations with a similar goal also belong in the (c)(5) section.

Like (c)(4)s, these groups can campaign politically to advance their members’ interests, but politics cannot constitute the bulk of their activity. Again, as with (c)(4)s, donations are not tax-deductible, and they operate mostly on membership dues.

501(c)(6)

These groups essentially exist to promote business. The category is largely comprised of trade associations formed on a regional or national scale — including the ponderously named National Association of Associations — but the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce is one local example.

Chamber President Anna Olson was familiar with the more common nonprofits when she switched out of the for-profit sector, but this strange new designation took some getting used to.

“I remember I came to the chamber and they’d say, ‘Now you’re a (c)(6),’ and I didn’t know anything about it,” she said. “That’s why we have a finance manager.”

Though they work to further the interests of businesses that do turn a profit, 501(c)(6)s themselves do not. Besides, Olson said, the economic boost chambers of commerce foster is a boon to all, not just the businesses in their membership. She noted that the Chamber’s membership includes many other nonprofits.

“A lot of things that take place under the umbrella of a chamber are often for the greater good of the community,” she said.

Contact Cody Cottier at 732-5911 or town@ jhnewsandguide.com.

IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 5

Diverse donors are the secret to success Smaller Jackson organizations rely on a plethora of givers to ďŹ ll their coffers.

By Emily Mieure

S

ometimes children walk up to Marty Anderson and hand him a few dollar bills they know will be used to help other kids during the holidays.

The Santa Claus Fund treasurer then makes sure every penny goes toward that mission. He said those donations add up to make a difference in other people’s lives.

Large financial contributions also help, but they aren’t the only ones that matter. “We get $5 donations, and we get $5,000 donations,� Anderson said. “It’s all across the board.�

The Santa Fund buys toys and clothes for children from families in need. The organization’s hundreds of volunteers (or elves) help make sure all funds raised go toward gifts. “Each kid chooses exactly what they want, and we buy it,� Anderson said.

Nonprofits in Teton County collect all types of donations from all types of donors.

The budgets of the community’s nonprofits vary widely. The Santa Fund makes do with a $45,000 annual budget, while the Jackson chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG, works with about $4,000 a year. “Our average gift is $40 or less,� PFLAG facilitator Mark Houser said.

Houser said he receives gifts as little as $10, but it all helps. “Every dollar we have gives us monies to put into programming because we are a volunteer organization,� Houser said.

Jackson PFLAG celebrates diversity and ensures Jackson and the state of Wyoming embrace people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

The organization hosts support group meetings, brings educational speakers to the community, puts on movie nights and advocates for equal rights.

Houser said PFLAG’s donor base is mostly private individuals, but some Jackson businesses give their support, too. A small budget works for the nonprofit because it has volunteers who give their time.

BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE

Mark Houser, facilitator for the Jackson chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, said his organization is funded through private donations and works with a small budget supplemented by volunteers who give their time. Like most nonprofits in Jackson, PFLAG also benefits from Old Bill’s matching funds.

The Santa Fund and Jackson PFLAG, along with most nonprofits in Teton County, rely on Old Bill’s Fun Run to meet their annual fundraising goals. “We have tremendous support in this community,�

Houser said.

The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole’s Old Bill’s fundraiser is an annual event that matches individual donations. “It’s an extra $15,000 for us,� Anderson said. “We also have a donor that, if we fall short, they are always willing to step up to the plate.� “Old Bill’s is unique,� said Karen Coleman, chief financial officer at the Community Foundation. “Our

community’s ability to raise undesignated matching dollars is incredible.�

The bulk of donations to many Teton County nonprofits goes through Old Bill’s. But contributions are welcomed any time of year and in any form.

If you’d like to donate to or volunteer for the Santa Fund or Jackson PFLAG, visit SantaClausFund.org or JacksonPFLAG.com.

Learn more about Old Bill’s and other nonprofits at CFJacksonHole.org.

Contact Emily Mieure at 732-7066 or courts@ jhnewsandguide.com.

Every year 1 in 5 OF us will experience a

mental health ISSUE.

 �

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6 - IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Old Bill’s is a tradition that spreads cash The original match in 1997 was $500,000, and the yearly event has grown from there.

By Chance Q. Cook

T

he Sept. 17, 1997, edition of the Jackson Hole Guide seemed to have some reference to Old Bill’s in every section.

The lead editorial — titled “Jackson Hole run for funds shows heart” — boasted the success of the inaugural campaign that was closing in on $2 million.

“In the era of $100 million NBA contracts, $52 million property purchases and $30 million motion picture deals, $2.2 million seems like petty cash,” the editorial read. “More than 600 people summoned up the compassion and pledges to raise that much … at Saturday’s first-ever Old Bill’s Fun Run and Walk for Charity.”

A story on the cover of the sports section took a look at the fun run itself, reading, “Former Olympians, Olympic hopefuls,

a professional triathlete, former NCAA Division 1 runners, even an Iditarod veteran or two were among the field of more than 600 participants who turned out for Saturday’s charity race.”

The concept was, of course, the brainchild of Mr. Old Bill himself, the anonymous figure who, along with Mrs. Old Bill, donated a matching grant of $500,000 that first year and every year since. This year, the 23rd edition of the event, began with that contribution, raised roughly eight times what the first event brought in and shows no signs of slowing down.

According to the Jackson Hole Community Foundation, the unique event was born in Mr. Old Bill’s brain while he was on a run in 1995. He was involved with the foundation and presented his idea to its board. One board member asked, “What if we throw a party and no one comes?” Old Bill responded, “Have you ever heard of a party where money’s being given away and no one comes?”

Old Bill was right. All told, the first run netted $1.8 million for local nonprofits and has only grown in the two decades that have followed.

Sharel Lund is the executive director of One22, a nonprofit that provides human

RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE FILE

Participants of the 23rd annual Old Bill’s Fun Run for Charities gather Sept. 7 at the Town Square. The event draws thousands of people, and not just runners.

services to those in Teton County who can’t afford them. One22 has only been around since 2016, but came as the result of the merger of three nonprofits. When Old Bill’s launched in 1997, she was with

the Community Safety Network “I remember the first Old Bill’s, and we kind of couldn’t believe it, like it’s just too good to be true, and I still feel that way ev-

See OLD BILL’S on 7

How it works when you give money to the Old Bill’s campaign The Jackson Hole Community Foundation said the name “Old Bill” itself can be traced back to Mr. Old Bill’s childhood memory of riding his grandfather’s horse, “Old Bill.”

“What a marvel at age 11 that the horse could carry the weight of all his siblings at once,” the foundation said. “It seemed fitting that one event designed to benefit every nonprofit in the valley be a marvel of even great magnitude and a special tribute to those childhood memories.”

The weight of the event is anchored by Mr. and Mrs. Old Bill, but the breadth of giving is what has allowed it to be at the center of charity in Jackson for more than two decades.

There are two buckets for proceeds raised during Old Bill’s. The first is direct donations to nonprofits. One hundred percent of all amounts

designated to participating nonprofits is paid to that nonprofit.

The second is the match pool. Mr. and Mrs. Old Bill, whose annual challenge of $500,000 has become $11.5 million as the 23 years have added up, lead that charge. Co-challengers and Friends of the Match make gifts to the match pool, as opposed to directly to nonprofits. The match pool then funds the partial matching grants that participating nonprofits receive. Individual and business cochallengers give between $25,000 and $250,000 without designating where those funds will go. In 2019 there were 69 co-challengers who, coupled with the Friends of the Match, raised $3.46 million.

The amount each nonprofit receives from the match pool fluctuates from year to year. For nonprofits, the first $30,000 they raise on their own is partially matched by the Community Foundation.

The match percentage is calculated based on how many designated dollars the community raises, how much money the co-challengers and Friends of the March raise, and how many nonprofits reach the $30,000 threshold. In 2019, the match percentage was 45%.

Therefore, nonprofits that raised $30,000 or more received an additional $13,500. Nonprofits that came in under $30,000 received a 45% matching grant on whatever amount they raised.

In 2019 the average gift amount for a donor, not including cochallengers, was $2,739.57. The median gift was $300.

Nonprofits apply to participate in Old Bill’s each May. To qualify, an organization must be a local 501(c)(3), government entity or faith-based organization, or be fiscally sponsored by a qualifying organization.

Providing practical solutions to reduce humancaused impacts on wildlife for over 25 years

THANK YOU, JACKSON!

• Our MAPS birdbanding program captured and released over 600 songbirds this year to better understand avian population trends in the Rocky Mountain West.

• We were joined in the field this season by over 300 volunteers. Volunteers accumulated 1,568 “volunteer hours” of work to reduce barriers to wildlife movement in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem!

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• In 2019 we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Nature Mapping Jackson Hole, our flagship citizen-science program. We successfully engaged over 150 volunteers in Nature Mapping programming, including Moose Day and Snake River Float Trips.

YOUR DONATIONS SUPPORT OUR MISSION to connect our creative community by providing a dedicated campus, supporting excellent programming, and nurturing a collaborative spirit.

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Phone: 307.734.8956 | Web: jhcenterforthearts.org

Josh Metten

Thanks to all of our supporters for making 2019 a special year!

Please consider helping us advance our mission in 2020 and beyond by making an end-of-year gift at jhwildlife.org/support-us

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IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 7

RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

Representatives of community organizations gather Oct. 21 during the annual Old Bill’s Awards Party. The Community Foundation cut checks to 210 organizations.

OLD BILL’S Continued from 6

ery single time,” she said. “The idea that an unknown donor would match, it was such a leap of faith for that donor to do that.”

In 23 years $173,720,537 has been raised for nonprofits through that leap of faith.

“The goal of Old Bill’s was to make philanthropy a defining force for the community, and it succeeded,” then-foundation Executive Director Clare Payne Symmons said. “When I see young adults who grew up here, I know Old Bill’s had an impact that will be felt far into the future and around the world.”

Consider the range of nonprofits whose funding depends largely on Old Bill’s. Teton County Search and Rescue, which has participated since the inception, led the 2019 edition in individual contributions with 633.

Those contributions account for 34% of Search and Rescue’s annual funds, according to communications director Matt Hansen, who said they are the backbone of allowing the nonprofit to serve Jackson’s outdoor tradition.

“Going on adventures, going on hikes and skiing, it’s really the foundation for this town and community,” he said. “Accidents are going to happen, and it’s up to us and our team to be ready to go, have the training and equipment that allows them to go and respond to emergencies. And we need that funding to make it happen.”

Nonprofits are quick to point out that the success of Old Bill’s is the giving nature of the Jackson Hole community, but there’s a special intrigue to the event itself.

A big part of that is the identity, or lack thereof, of Mr. and Mrs. Old Bill, who’ve managed to avoid the limelight the past two decades and remain the faceless keepers of a Jackson cultural icon.

“In a small town, keeping anything a secret is tough, but Mr. and Mrs. Old Bill are committed to anonymity,” said Annie Riddel, the fun run coordinator. “When people ask us at the Community Foundation, ‘Who is Old Bill?’ we like to say, ‘Old Bill is the spirit of philanthropy. We are all Old Bill.’”

Don’t miss a beat!

Get the stories you want in your inbox

Contact Chance Q. Cook at 732-7065, sports@jhnewsandguide.com.

Placing over

3,000

animals in loving homes!

THE LIGHTER SIDE

AHASV is a 501(c)(3) Organization

Celebrating over 10 years of success!

Only made possible through generous donations and support from you!

Melissa Cassutt’s summary of heartwarming and inspiring stories about the faces and places of Jackson Hole

Get the Email

Please remember Lucky’s Place in your year-end giving.

visit jhnewsandguide.com and and click on “email alerts” in the top menu

LUCKY’S PLACE | Animal Shelter est. in 2008 372573

Located in Thayne, WY • www.ahasv.org Find us on Facebook @ Animal Humane Association of Star Valley

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8 - IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Inequitable philanthropy

High-dollar donors’ contributions are tied more often to social or personal cues than actual need.

By Tom Hallberg

H

ighest. Richest. Wealthiest.

Most generous.

There’s an oft-repeated trope about Jackson, and Teton County as a whole, that it is one of the most philanthropic places in the country.

“This place probably has more nonprofits than any place I’ve seen,” Center for the Arts President and CEO David Rothman said. “It seems to me that this is a pretty incredibly rich environment.”

Wealth is an inextricable piece of Teton County’s fabric, but what effect do affluence and its related generosity have? From a bird’s-eye view, it’s hard to argue with the assertion that Jacksonites are generous. Old Bill’s Fun Run for Charity raised nearly $14.4 million from 4,000 donors, which correlates to roughly 17% of Teton County’s population.

By almost any measure that amount of money can do serious good, but the benefits of giving are not spread evenly, and the trends that guide giving in Jackson reveal a community that places value — and philanthropic might — more heavily on certain sectors. Philanthropy is by nature a personal act, and donor desires and feelings, rather than empirical social needs, often drive it.

Yale University sociologist Justin Farrell spent several years with the ultra-wealthy of Teton County conducting research for an upcoming book, “Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West.” He found people in Teton County often donate for reasons ancillary to the mission of the organizations they support, and focus their giving on two main sectors.

“Aside from private foundations, the most economically powerful nonprofits include organizations broadly related to environmental issues, such as the Jackson Hole Land Trust and the Teton Science Schools,” he wrote, “as well as arts organizations such as the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Community Center for the Arts and the Grand Teton Music Festival.”

That environmental and arts nonprofits receive the bulk of philanthropic giving is not ultimately surprising, nor inherently bad. However, when those sectors receive a higher percentage of the giving, human services organizations are left with a smaller piece of the pie in what is one of the most economically inequitable places in America.

An uneven pie The need for exorbitant amounts of philanthropic giving arises in large part from Teton County’s economic inequality. Data that Farrell collected for his book shows that the top 1% of earners in Teton County make 233 times what those in the bottom 99% make, the highest income disparity in any county in the country.

In real dollars that means the top 1% make an average of $28.2 million annually, mostly through investment income. Wage earners who pull paychecks from hourly or salaried jobs make an average of $41,052 a year.

That income inequality, Farrell argues, creates some of Teton County’s socioeconomic issues. Lack of hous-

REBECCA NOBLE / NEWS&GUIDE FILE

Interpreter and client services specialist Marcela Gonzalez, left, works with parent volunteer Laura Becerra at Hole Food Rescue to prepare lunches for 20 to 30 summer campers.

ing supply, high prices and the need for people to commute from outlying communities are tied to the high economic disparity.

In Farrell’s estimation, wealth, in part, has created the need for philanthropy, but the related giving is in no way tied to those needs. Instead, donors with the ability to shape industries give for social, cultural and personal reasons.

“The real reason is that people give because they want to,” the Center for the Arts’ Rothman said.

Freedom of giving is an inherent part of philanthropy. Farrell’s research (as well as the News&Guide’s conversations with nonprofit leaders) shows that donors give to organiza-

tions that align with their moral and philosophical views or their personal experiences. In a place like Jackson, which draws tourists and residents for breathtaking scenery and untrammeled landscapes, those proclivities favor environmental nonprofits like the Jackson Hole Land Trust.

“We are a tangible aspect of this place that has drawn them here and has real meaning in this part of the world,” Land Trust President Laurie Andrews said. “It’s really front of mind.”

Left to their own devices, donors’ tendency to give to organizations like the Center for the Arts or the Land Trust has created its own kind of income inequality analogous to the

disparity seen in individual incomes.

Environmental and arts nonprofits generally have higher annual revenue and more assets than those in other sectors, though that doesn’t apply to every organization.

In general, more money means more stability. The Grand Teton Music Festival, for instance, pulled in roughly $8.7 million in 2017, mostly through contributions, sales of assets and program revenue, according to IRS Form 990 financial filings.

After spending $3.7 million to put on its programming, which includes a multiweek summer classical music festival in Teton Village and several wintertime concerts, it had a net inSee HUMAN SERVICES on 9

HUMAN SERVICES Continued from 8

come of almost $5 million that year.

That windfall is not always the case — the festival ran a deficit of $600,000 in 2016 — but that high level of fundraising makes it possible to weather the lean years. In looking at the Center for the Arts, a similar trend emerges. In 2017 the Center’s overall revenue was almost $2.8 million, with more than two-thirds of that coming from contributions, while its expenses were just under $1.9 million.

Again, surplus is not always the story at the Center. It ran a deficit of $58,535 in 2016, which Rothman said is to be expected.

“That’s how we all operate,” he said. “That’s why we’re nonprofits.”

But some nonprofits are more equal than others. The Center and the music festival garner big-dollar donations and have compiled large asset holdings, particularly in real estate, but many human services nonprofits function with revenue that doesn’t come close to $1 million. Between One22 and the Community Safety Network, two prominent social services nonprofits, in just one year between 2013 and 2017 did one of them make more than $1 million (the Safety Network in 2017).

The disparity between the arts and environmental sectors may come down, in some part, to a general feeling of connectedness.

“A lot of people come here for the idyllic lifestyle that Jackson is, and it is a great arts community,” said Sarah Cavallaro, executive director of Teton Youth and Family Services. “It’s harder to sell human needs, harder to sell hunger and abuse and neglect.

“They want to be away from that.”

IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 9 being a heavy-hitting donor, like hav- sense of accomplishment to donors. to provide the level of assistance ing one’s name put on a building, can’t “The notion that we solve our hu- community members need don’t have replicated in those fields. man service dynamic is oftentimes the cushion of millions of dollars in Farrell categorizes the avoidance of flawed,” Lund said. “You might help assets or general funds that substansuch “buzz-kill” issues as a willful at- Client A reach the finish line, but Cli- tially roll over each year. tempt to maintain a view of Jackson as ent B is right behind them.”

“All of us try to have reserve aca paradise. One22 Executive Director Whatever an individual donor’s counts,” Teton Youth and Family SerSharel Lund said it also has to do with reasons for choosing organizations to vices’ Cavallaro said. “But it can’t take the nature of human services. Even support, the disparity in giving cre- a $700,000 hit.” in a massive capital undertaking like ates a tenuous perch for human serAll the nonprofit executives who the Land Trust’s Save the Block cam- vices organizations. A nonprofit like were reached for this story — repaign or the Center’s drive to build its the Grand Teton Music Festival can gardless of sector — were quick to downtown facility, many arts and en- weather its $600,000 shortfall in note their gratitude to the Jackson vironmental fundraising efforts have a 2016 because it has years like 2017 donor class. But Cavallaro said it can distinct finish line. that replenish its coffers. still feel as though human service Human services are an ongoing enHuman services organizations that nonprofits catch short end.

See HUMAN SERVICES on 10 terprise, so they can’t offer that same are already stretching their budgets

THE ECONOMICS OF PHILANTHROPY IN TETON COUNTY ASSETS AND REVENUE OF SELECTED NONPROFITS $30 million CFTA (A)

$25 million JHLT (A)

GTMF (A)

$20 million

$15 million

$10 million GTMF (R) JHLT (R)

$5 million CFTA(R) CSN(A) JHCA (A) CSN(R) ONE22 (R) JHCA (R) ONE22 (A)

$0

The ‘buzz-kill’ factor While Farrell was researching for his upcoming book, he conducted extensive interviews with ultra-wealthy Teton County residents, some who lived here full time and others who split their time between Jackson and other places. His aim was to understand what motivated them, particularly philanthropically. He asked about their lives and their giving tendencies.

He found they were keen to discuss the environmental issues they valued — open space, wildlife crossings, migration patterns — but less inclined to discuss socioeconomic ills.

“In addition to the inability of human and social service organizations to offer the kind of social prestige, fun events and connections to power,” Farrell wrote, “they are associated with what one Teton County employee called ‘buzz-kill issues.’”

As Cavallaro and Andrews noted, many people move here because of a connection to the natural world.

Farrell writes that the environmental stewardship that flows from that creates social networks with status and intangible benefits.

Putting conservation easements on land, of course, does carry tax and financial benefits, but being able to point to a tract of land and claim responsibility for its preservation also grants a kind of social capital. The events that come along with being in the donor class, from private dinner parties to concerts like the annual Center Benefit or the Land Trust Annual Picnic, are part of the way donors integrate into the community.

To be uninformed or disengaged is undesirable.

“Among all these issues, environmental topics carry the most social weight,” Farrell wrote, “and to be ignorant is to risk embarrassment among one’s peers, or to be exposed as an out-of- touch carpetbagger.”

Poverty, hunger, trauma, the main issues at the heart of human services, don’t have the same cachet. Some of the tangible benefits that come with

$-5 million

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

CENTER FOR THE ARTS (ASSETS)

COMMUNITY SAFETY NETWORK (ASSETS)

GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL (ASSETS)

JACKSON HOLE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE (ASSETS)

JACKSON HOLE LAND TRUST (ASSETS)

ONE 22 (ASSETS)

CENTER FOR THE ARTS (REVENUE)

COMMUNITY SAFETY NETWORK (REVENUE)

GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL (REVENUE)

JACKSON HOLE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE (REVENUE)

JACKSON HOLE LAND TRUST (REVENUE)

ONE 22 (REVENUE)

2018 NONPROFIT REVENUE BREAKDOWNS JACKSON HOLE LAND TRUST Sales of assets $1,210,308 Investment 17.3% income $413,502 5.9%

Contributions $5,173,715 73.8%

JACKSON HOLE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE Program services $4,719 0.8%

Other 7.2%

Contributions $529,139 92.0%

ONE 22 Program services $119,715 12.0%

Contributions $879,676 88.0%

Program services $227,160 3.2%

COMMUNITY SAFETY NETWORK

Contributions $1,375,283 100%

GRAND TETON MUSIC FESTIVAL Investment income $281,135 3.2% Program services $567,098 6.5%

Sales of assets $621,124 7.2%

Source: IRS 990 FORMS GATHERED THROUGH PROPUBLICA'S NONPROFIT EXPLORER

Contributions $6,747,831 77.7%

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Program services $839,445 30.4%

Investment income $28,370 1%

Other $10,595 0.4%

Contributions $1,883,371 68.2%

ANDY EDWARDS / NEWS&GUIDE

10 - IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019

BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE FILE

The Center for the Arts, according to its 2017 IRS Form 990 filings, has about $27 million in assets. CEO David Rothman said most of that is the value of its three-story facility, which sits on town-owned land in the heart of downtown Jackson.

HUMAN SERVICES Continued from 9

“I would love to see human services be as important as wildlife and the environment. I love to see a [specific purpose excise tax] for $10 million for human services,” she said. “I think our humans are as important as our animals.

“It’s easier to look at the moose sometimes than it is to look at each other.”

A new kind of donor Last year sociologist Farrell spoke at the 22 in 21: Philanthropy summit that Jonathan Schechter hosted at Spring Creek Ranch. Something he said rankled a few of the high-dollar donors in attendance.

Farrell drew a distinction between old and new money in Jackson. The older, more established families, he said, are more likely to spread their money across a wider swath of the community. Newer donors — wealthy individuals and families that recently moved here — fall into the trends he notes in his book.

He said they are more likely to use their giving to develop social capital and pursue passion projects. One22’s Lund said Farrell’s research holds true but that the trend is due, in general, not to donor selfishness but to unfamiliarity with the issues that confront the community.

“I think in many cases people buy or build a mountain getaway in this pristine beautiful place,” she said, “that doesn’t look to have the same social problems or despair of their old community.”

Once they get to know the community, that obliviousness dissipates.

“After a few years of participating and being part of it, going to church, going to the grocery store and relying on someone to shovel their driveway and roof,” she said, “they start to notice those individuals as individuals.”

The new donors Farrell pointed to didn’t grow up in Jackson, don’t have family ties to the original settlers, haven’t seen the town as it has evolved over the years. Convincing them to give their dollars to human services, Lund said, is simply about education.

Her theory is that donors are “financially astute” people who know what they pay for services and what

AMBER BAESLER / NEWS&GUIDE FILE

Ana Castro, 12, and Kelly Vilchis, 11, put together a CPR dummy during the baby-sitting skills unit of the after-school program Teen Power in 2018 at Jackson Hole Middle School. The students will earn their CPR certifications and learn other life skills through the Teton Youth and Family Services program.

rent, groceries and other expens- “Those donors that help us have cones cost in Teton County for those sistency and predictability in our working hourly jobs. Once they have budgets and the future. They make it steeped themselves in the community, so we can invest in staff.” it becomes harder to engage in the igHuman services leaders pointed to norant bliss Farrell described. those kinds of donors as the ones who Judging just by give to their orthe numbers, an ganizations year organization like after year. Lund the Land Trust said developing would seem to be relationships with “It’s easier to look much better off, those donors at the moose but Andrews said shows them the her nonprofit is good their dolsometimes than it is lars can do and not immune to the struggles. A demonstrates her campaign like to look at each other.” clients’ needs.

Save the Block Doing so, she — Sarah Cavallaro said, “takes time,” seemingly brings TETON YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES and that donor is out every largeand small-dolmore likely to be lar donor Teton someone who has County has, but lived in the comfunding day-to-day operations takes munity for at least a while. its own kind of benefactor.

Lund and Cavallaro said the do“It’s hard to say to a donor, ‘You’re nors that return to them yearly with keeping the lights on,’” Andrews said. donations, or give their time to help

run programming, are a special breed — people who genuinely care about those who make the community function. But they also pointed out that human services organizations everywhere have the same struggles.

Funding for counseling, interpretive services and other assistance for low-income families is always hard to come by, no matter where you live.

Though Jackson donors do funnel more money to arts and environmental causes, they still keep organizations like One22 and Teton Youth and Family Services in mind when they open their checkbooks.

Cavallaro is thankful for those who do.

“We have affiliated programs around state that can’t provide the same breadth of programming,” she said. “We are grateful for living here and having the philanthropic community we do, regardless if we’re not the biggest part.”

Contact Tom Hallberg at 732-7079 or thallberg@jhnewsandguide.com.

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Grocery shoppers help out by rounding up Jackson Hole grocery store customers support local charities and nonprofits.

By Mike Koshmrl

J

ackson Whole Grocer customers have not one but two opportunities to chip in and support human service organizations every time they step up to the register.

Regardless of whether shoppers are buying two weeks of groceries or just enough for a meal, cashiers customarily ask them if they’d like to donate a nickel earned for every reusable bag being filled up with groceries. At the end of the transaction there’s another chance to give, that time by rounding up to the nearest dollar and donating the change to good causes.

“It’s a nice way to help people remember their bags when they go shopping, and help the community in the process.”

— Sarah Greengross LUCKY’S MARKET

By and large, Whole Grocer shoppers opt for philanthropy rather than saving a few cents.

“When they’re asked, the majority of the people say yes,” Jackson Whole

MIKE KOSHMRL / NEWS&GUIDE

Lucky’s Market gives shoppers a choice where their 10-cent credit for every reusable bag goes. Customers get a wooden dime for every bag, and can opt to drop it into a bin for one of three nonprofits. Recent choices were Cultivate, Teton Adaptive Sports and Jackson Hole Children’s Museum.

Grocer front end manager Monica Dietrick said. “Our customers are the most generous people in town, they really are.”

The concept of checkout fundraising campaigns for charities is nothing new, and the practice has permeated even the largest of big-box stores and generated hundreds of millions of dollars nationwide. A 2012 report by the Cause Marketing Forum determined that 63 large retailer checkout campaigns collectively brought in more than $358 million. That’s around 1% of the overall charitable giving that occurred in the United States that year.

The handful of Jackson Hole charity checkout campaigns that are built into credit card readers in the valley can

make a major difference to local nonprofit organizations. At Jackson Whole Grocer, around $10,000 was generated in a recent quarter.

For a long time Whole Grocer would cycle through different hand-picked charity and nongovernmental recipients every month, but for the past year or so one entity receives all the funds: an organization called Systems of Care, Dietrick said. It’s an group that donates to other human services charities in the valley. To name a few: Central Wyoming College, the Good Samaritan Mission, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Teton Area, Hole Food Rescue and Turning Point.

Whole Grocer store owner Jeff Rice made the call to switch to Systems of

Care as the sole recipient, she said.

“He recognized that without people we don’t have a business,” Dietrick said, “and just felt compelled to honor human services charities for that reason.”

Lucky’s Market is a grocer in the valley with charitable checkout systems in place that give shoppers the ability to elect where their 10-cent credit for every reusable bag goes. Customers are given a wooden dime for every bag, and can opt to drop it into a bin for one of three nonprofits, the recent choices being Cultivate, Teton Adaptive Sports and Jackson Hole Children’s Museum.

“At the end of every quarter Lucky’s doubles your donations,” Regional Marketing Specialist Sarah Greengross said, “so really that 10 cents is 20 cents.”

Greengross, who oversees the “bags for change” program, said the bins typically return anywhere between $500 and $1,400 each quarter depending on the season.

“It’s really exciting,” she said. “Especially in light of the bag ban in Jackson, it’s a nice way to help people remember their bags when they go shopping, and help the community in the process.”

Albertsons has gotten into the checkout giving fray as well. The campaign this fall is called “Turkey Bucks,” and it’s fitting of the season. While at the checkstand, Albertsons shoppers since mid-October have had the opportunity to donate to Jackson Cupboard, which in turn used the donated funds to assemble Thanksgiving dinners for the valley’s neediest residents.

Many dozens ultimately benefited this past holiday.

“This Thanksgiving, 92 full holiday meals will be donated to Jackson Cupboard,” Albertsons spokeswoman Kathy Holland said.

Contact Mike Koshmrl at 732-7067 or env@jhnewsandguide.com.

USE YOUR LIBRARY. SUPPORT YOUR LIBRARY. Meeting space • Program collaboration Learning Lab & Auditorium use free for non-profits Knowledgeable staff • Research help • Wi-Fi Foundation Directory Online

12 - IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Match and challenge grants pay dividends to secure the matching gift. But this time around, the donor was clear he wanted to see a high volume of contributors.

“That donor was really inspired by the concept of quantity versus quality,” Wolfrom said.

Three hundred people, not just 100, donated by the deadline. The success

By Allie Gross of the first challenge shaped the rest of aced with the daunting task of the campaign: The Land Trust reached raising more than $7 million in its goal by introducing a series of chaljust a few months last summer, the lenges that encouraged a high volume Jackson Hole Land Trust decided to try of donors.

“In this town, wealth is a little overa new strategy: the challenge grant.

“It was a totally new concept for whelming to smaller donors,” Wolfrom us,” said Jenny Wolfrom, director of said, “and this campaign was all about community, and advancement and getting everyone engagement. to rally around a In late April “When you approach specific cause. Hav2018, the Land ing those quantity Trust embarked somebody who has versus quality gifts on an ambitious really excitcampaign to raise the capacity to give a was ing to people. They the millions needed to preserve a his- very large gift, and you felt even if they were donating $1 or toric downtown block, affection- have those significant $100 it was making a difference.” ately known as the Donors contin“Cafe Genevieve numbers of supporters ued to be attracted block.” At the start, to the fundraising a donor, seekbehind it, it’s a model. ing to contribute $100,000 to kick“A lot of the phidifferent motivation start the effort, aplanthropy in this for them. It strikes a proached the Land town is carried by Trust with an idea: the really wealthy,” different chord.”

He would provide Wolfrom said. the gift if 100 other “They get pulled in — Jenny Wolfrom a lot of directions. donors contributed DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT AND High-capacity doby a deadline.

The donor, ENGAGEMENT AT JACKSON HOLE LAND TRUST nors are asked over Wolfrom said, and over again by wanted to be sure the nonprofits for his money was going toward something gifts. When you approach somebody who the entire community was excited about. has the capacity to give a very large gift, Often, “match” or “challenge” grants re- and you have those significant numbers of quire a certain dollar amount to be raised supporters behind it, it’s a different motiva-

Community efforts rally donors large and small, helping nonprofits reach goals.

F

BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE

The historic cabin that houses Healthy Being Juicery is part of what is known as the “Cafe Genevieve block” in downtown Jackson. In late April 2018, the Jackson Hole Land Trust embarked on a fundraising campaign to preserve the area from development. Through a series of challenge grants it brought in more than $7 million from more than 5,700 donors.

tion for them. It strikes a different chord.”

There was Million Dollar May (1,000 gifts to secure a $1 million donation), $4 million by the Fourth (another 1,000 gifts for another $1 million donation), and the Last Chance, Last Challenge (1,500 gifts for another $1 million). All in all the project raised more than $7 million from more than 5,700 donors.

At each party and event to raise funds to “Save the Block,” people inquired about how to help meet the challenges. Small donors were encouraged that all contributions made the same dent toward the challenge — whatever they were able to give — and the common goal created camaraderie. Many donors gave repeat gifts.

“We were getting calls from people asking if they could donate a roll of pennies and have each penny count for

a gift to be 100 gifts,” Wolfrom said.

“Everyone was really trying to be creative and figure out how they could help us get to the specific number of gifts we needed, within their capacity.”

Other nonprofits use different approaches to the “match” or “challenge” grant. For example: For the past two years, One22, a nonprofit focused on helping the Latino community, has conducted challenge grants in the spring, providing a fundraising boost during what’s traditionally a quieter philanthropic season in Jackson.

One22 Executive Director Sharel Lund said matching grants and challenges are used in a variety of strategic ways, whether to bring more supporters into an organization, meet an urgent need See GRANTS on 13

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IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 13

GRANTS

Continued from 12

or build sustainability into a funding plan. One22’s first time using the model was spring 2018, when it launched a $100,000 challenge grant over the course of about a month.

Then, in spring 2019, five families agreed to give One22 $125,000 a year for three years if the nonprofit could find additional donors to commit to a matching three-year gift. That means the nonprofit, established in 2016, can count on $250,000 each year through 2020.

“For a new nonprofit like ours, which relies on individual donations for more than 90% of our annual operating budget, this sustained funding is hugely beneficial to our ability to plan ahead and deliver services with confidence,” Lund said.

Christina Kuzmych, general manager at Wyoming Public Media, said the radio station conducts “match” challenges on air during fund drives. Usually a donor will provide a gift of, say, $10,000, and stipulate the gift should be matched in a particular time frame. Kuzmych said the model is “very successful.”

“For one, the donor actually puts some skin into the game, and then, everyone likes a ‘challenge,’ especially if it’s happening live on their radio and they can hear it being made,” she said in an email. “People like to see success, and they like to be a part of that success. They also appreciate the donor who put up the money for that challenge. I often hear from people reminding me of so-and-so’s great challenge, and how much fun it was. Or, if they missed the end, they’ll ask if it was met.”

Tory Martin, director of communications and engagement at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, said match and challenge grants have always been a “tool in the tool belt of nonprofits and community organizations who are looking to drum up increased support.”

“With the rise of online giving in the last five or so years, especially things like Giving Tuesday and Facebook birthday fundraisers,” Martin said. “you do see a lot

The buildings that now house Healthy Being Juicery, front, and Cafe Genevieve are seen here in 1938.

more peer-to-peer fundraising and using challenges and matches to say, ‘This person is giving, you should too, and that will increase your impact.’”

Martin said trends are showing that smaller donors are giving less, so it’s important to encourage volume of givers. “Being able to say you have 10 $5 givers instead of one $1,000 giver demonstrates a lot more community buy-in and a lot more culture of philanthropy in my community,” Martin said.

All the Save the Block high-dollar donors chose to remain anonymous. Wolfrom said they wanted the campaign to be a community effort.

“They didn’t want to be the person that saved the day,” she said.

Other match donors are named.

One22’s 2018 drive was titled the Carole and Jack Nunn challenge grant, named

for the donating family. Lund said donors placing their name on a grant means a lot, because it demonstrates a commitment to the nonprofit and encourages the donors’ peers to join in supporting it.

“It’s a real gift to the organization when an influencer in the community is willing to put their name on something,” Lund said.

As for the amount of the match grants, Lund said, it’s important to set a number that’s ambitious but doable.

“That’s part of the art of putting it together, is making sure that it’s a challenge, that it’s a stretch, but it is important to meet it,” Lund said.

Kuzmych said that to run a large grant number like $200,000, Wyoming Public Media would need to secure a specific gift tied to a specific purpose, like a tar-

Human Services Council 163 individualized therapies for kids with special needs Over 1,000 individuals and families received quality and affordable mental health services with more than 20,000 hours provided.

geted news desk or a new facility.

Wolfrom said the Land Trust would consider using the strategy again for “the right project.” Challenge grants can be useful for funding projects on a short timeline, Wolfrom said.

“It keeps people interested; it keeps people engaged,” she said.

Buying an easement on a large ranch might not garner the same kind of widespread support and engagement as saving the block, which drew communitywide support.

“If we have maybe a project that the community was really passionate about again, and we knew people would really get excited about, we would probably try to mimic that model,” she said.

Contact Allie Gross via 732-7076 or valley@jhnewsandguide.com.

collaborating to provide essential human services in the community for 30+ years

Emergency financial aid totaling more than $120,000 was mobilized to assist 114 households struggling with rent, transportation, and other critical expenses this year.

Providing early childhood services to 1,000 kids a year Head Start/Early Head Start program for 88 children of at-risk families

600 free developmental screenings

200% increase in income for participants and their children.

449 students received 32,769 hours of free literacy support

Single moms and their families double or triple their income after completing free

Over the past 5 years, over 400 parents or guardians at risk of abuse and/or neglect were able to build skills and never abuse their children

6,950 safe bed nights

83% of youth served in the last

provided annually for survivors of gender based violence.

5 years at the crisis shelter stayed out of the juvenile justice system.

JACKSON HOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM

24 hour support for 30 community members with intellectual disabilities

job skills training

Adventure, sports, the arts, and academic enrichment was provided to deserving local kids through 123

youth scholarship awards in 2019, totalling $64,900.

Provided over 13,000 hours of service to seniors with homecare.

+

72 Individuals completed Substance

Abuse Treatment last year.

1,000 students participated in substance abuse prevention programs 534 meals a day (home cooked breakfast, lunch and snacks) for kids Provided over 25,000 meals to seniors.

YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS! By donating to these organizations, you CAN make a difference!

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14 - IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Small donors convince big givers to join Small gifts energize the bigger donors, community campaigns and the fundraisers themselves.

By Rebecca Huntington

L

ooking solely at the dollars, it’s easy to discount the value of small donations. But seasoned fundraisers say pint-sized gifts can still pack a punch.

Jackson economics analyst and writer Jonathan Schechter looked at 2017 tax returns to get a sense of who is giving and how much. What he found is startling.

The bulk of reported charitable giving in Teton County — 96% — came from 13% of households with incomes of more than $200,000 a year. In raw terms those households accounted for $224 million of the total $232 million reported for Teton County.

“We don’t know where those donations were made,” Schechter said. “They could have been made anywhere in the world to any tax-deductible nonprofit.”

Yet despite that “sheer math,” Schechter said, “the importance of smaller donors isn’t necessarily in the dollars that they give.”

Indeed, fundraisers stress that small gifts can lead to bigger ones and enthusiastic donors bring energy to a project — no matter the size of their gift.

Shawn Meisel, a fundraising consultant who has worked for a variety of Jackson Hole organizations, recalled how during her time at the National Museum of Wildlife Art she connected with donors who started giving in the $25 range. She reached out to thank them and invite them on a museum tour.

REBECCA HUNTINGTON / NEWS&GUIDE

Brenton Reagan hands out raffle prizes at Cowboy Coffee on the evening of April 3 during the “Let’s Keep Grooming Snow King” fundraiser. The event made its $3,000 goal and kept the snowcats going.

They had the capacity to give more and eventually did.

“They’re dipping their toe in the pond,” she said. “They want to see … will you talk to them at $50 or $100.”

A personalized thank-you can mean more at a $25 to $50 giving level be-

cause it’s less expected, she said.

Bigger donors are also quick to ask an organization how many donors they have overall, according to Jackson Hole Land Trust President Laurie Andrews.

“The small donors’ energy gets the big donors excited,” Andrews said.

The passion of individuals giving small amounts — with some pitching in more than once — powered the trust’s recent Save the Block campaign, which raised $7 million from roughly 5,700 single-dollar to million-dollar donors.

See SMALL DONORS on 15

WE ARE WYOMING WILDLIFE ADVOCATES We fight to protect our treasured wildlife.

We take on the most controversial issues.

We aren’t afraid to speak for those without a voice.

We exist to improve lives and help people feel better!

Your donation to us supports: • Fighting to stop the trophy hunting of grizzly bears • Monitoring wolf hunting seasons and fighting for the protection of wolves across Wyoming • Science-based comments to state and federal wildlife management agencies • Lawsuits when necessary— we won a case to phase out the Alkali Feedground on the Bridger-Teton National Forest

• Educating youth about wildlife advocacy through filmmaking • Distribution of thousands of free guides to educate residents and visitors on wildlife conservation challenges in Wyoming • Alerting the public about how to be effective and when to take action during comment submission periods • And so much more!

Teton County Pet Partners does this by registering and matching animal therapy teams to individual and community needs We provide animal therapy to Children’s Learning Center, C-V Ranch, JH Airport, JHCS, Legacy Lodge, SJMC, Teton Behavior Therapy, Teton County Library, Teton Literacy Center, VOAD and several local preschools.

Have a dog (or cat!) that would make a great therapist? Interested in registering with Pet Partners as an animal therapy team? Contact us!

Photo by Brian Turner

wyowild.org 372717

www.tcpetpartners.org | info@tcpetpartners.com

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IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - 15

SMALL DONORS Continued from 14

All the gifts showed the community was invested, literally, in preserving the character of the downtown Cafe Genevieve block, Andrews said.

Modest gifts can also mean a lot to the fundraisers themselves. Jackson Hole filmmaker Jennifer Tennican relies on fundraising to produce films about the Jackson Hole community. Her latest film, “Hearts of Glass,” features the early stages of Vertical Harvest, which, along with providing year-round produce, offers meaningful employment for community members with disabilities.

“The small gifts, they all have stories, and they motivate us.”

— Laurie Andrews JACKSON HOLE LAND TRUST

“It’s meant a lot to me, with the film about disability, is there have been a number of people, self advocates with disabilities, who have donated to the film, and maybe they’ve donated $5 or $10,” Tennican said. Those advocates typically have extremely modest incomes, making their donations especially significant to Tennican.

Likewise, Andrews said: “The small gifts, they all have stories, and they motivate us.”

There’s also value in making a contribution for the givers themselves.

“Everybody wants to belong to something,” Meisel said. “When you live in a town like Jackson, sometimes the price of belonging is pretty high. Membership for low, basic donations gives

BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE

Jackson filmmaker Jennifer Tennican fundraised to make her documentary about Vertical Harvest, “Hearts of Glass.” She said donations from the produce grower’s employees, many of whom have modest incomes, were especially powerful.

people a way to belong to something.”

People can also pool small amounts to do more good than they can do on their own.

Last spring, with abundant snow remaining on Snow King Mountain well into April, uphill users banded together with Exum Mountain Guides to raise $3,000 to pay for grooming — priced at about $1,000 a week — even after the mountain closed its lifts. Snow King

Give a gift to nature this holiday seasoN

matched their enthusiasm by donating a fourth week of grooming.

Exum guide Brenton Reagan led the charge by organizing a raffle at Cowboy Coffee, where people packed the house.

“I saw so many different types of people,” he said. “The demographic was outstandingly all over the place.”

By the end of the evening, raffle tickets netted $2,805 while beverage sales brought in $150. A single donor

contributed the rest.

For Reagan each raffle ticket sold at the grooming fundraiser counted as a vote of confidence in the new spring ritual.

“It took the people to do it,” he said.

“We the people did it 5 bucks at a time.”

Contact Managing Editor Rebecca Huntington at 732-7078 or rebecca@ jhnewsandguide.com.

Help the Housing Trust continue building sustainable, affordable homes.

greateryellowstone.org/give

Here’s what we have done since 1994

146 HOMES

Built or acquired 146 permanently affordable homes

420 PEOPLE

which have served more than 420 individuals, couples, and families.

This year, make a lasting impact by donating to the Housing Trust’s Annual Fund. Your gift will provide an opportunity for 50 more community members to have affordable, stable housing at our upcoming project King Street Condos.

PROTECT WHAT YOU LOVE photo: cindy goeddel 372607

www.housingtrustjh.org/donors/why-donate 372606

16 - IMPRINT • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, December 4, 2019

SMART GIVING. EFFECTIVE NONPROFITS. STRONG COMMUNITY.

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