ANNUAL REPORT

FROM THE CHAIR

Yampa Valley Gives, in its first year, has proven the people of the Yampa Valley love to Give Where They Live!

It is apparent after December 9th that a giving day was something this community was longing for. I can’t express my sincerest congratulations to all involved with this powerful campaign in our community. In the first year of everything, it is a learning experience. The Leadership Steamboat class that spearheaded Yampa Valley Gives, went out on a limb, learned about the nonprofit sector, and created a successful program that will remain an ongoing legacy. The Leadership Steamboat class would agree this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Community First Foundation, Yampa Valley Community Foundation, El Pomar Foundation, and Boettcher Foundation. These incredible Foundations gave the insight, experience, and financial and logistical support to make Yampa Valley Gives a reality. There is no doubt that December 9th exceeded all of our expectations. I personally want to thank the big players who made Yampa Valley Gives possible. First of all, thanks to the 2014 Leadership Steamboat Class. Without the drive and willingness to take this program on as our group project, we would not have built such a large asset for our community. Second, thanks to the Community First Foundation. Their already successful ColoradoGives campaign allowed Yampa Valley Gives to become a Regional Champion and have much of the ground work already laid, making our job a lot easier. They also put us in touch with El Pomar Foundation and Boettcher Foundation, which resulted in YVG being the third and final recipient of their 75th Anniversary ColoradoGives Regional Champion grant. This was crucial in getting us started and allowed us to pay for marketing efforts, as well as build a local incentive fund for our participating nonprofits. Next, I would like to thank the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. Leadership Steamboat 2014 knew we were not experts in the nonprofit world; YVCF help us assimilate and learn about the nonprofit community, assisted us in conveying the right and appropriate messages, and gave great validity to the program we were creating. They also temporarily absorbed YVG as a YVCF program, which was a massive help in how quickly this program was established. Lastly and certainly not least, I want to thank the 2014 Yampa Valley Gives Board of Directors. It truly takes a team to accomplish big goals like Yampa Valley Gives. Without the efforts of Leadership Steamboat 2014, local nonprofits, and giving community members, this program would have never seen the success it did. Thank you Yampa Valley. As we continue to grow the Yampa Valley Gives campaign, we look forward to seeing how big this program gets. In 2013, the 12 Routt and Moffat participating nonprofits raised about $14,000. In 2014, with the creation of Yampa Valley Gives, participating nonprofits grew to 40 and the dollars raised exceeded $400,000. This was a milestone, and believe me when I say that we are not done. Our team has more passion and energy than ever before. Our goals are lofty but achievable, and there is no doubt that we will be positively surprised with what we accomplish in 2015. Happy giving Yampa Valley, and thank you for helping make our volunteer efforts so rewarding! Sincerely,

2

Glen Traylor, Chair

ABOUT YVG

Yampa Valley Gives strives to widen the reach of the ColoradoGives program and Colorado Gives Day in an effort to make a difference for nonprofits in our community. Colorado Gives Day is an annual statewide movement to celebrate and increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. In 2014, Yampa Valley Gives’ inaugural year, $405,000 was raised for 40 Routt and Moffat County nonprofits in 24 hours. Yampa Valley Gives brings the excitement and generosity of Colorado Gives Day to the Yampa Valley to benefit local nonprofit organizations and make it easier to GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE. As a ColoradoGives Regional Champion, Yampa Valley Gives serves as the platform for donors to learn about participating local nonprofits and make online donations to those nonprofits on Colorado Gives Day and throughout the year. YampaValleyGives.org is a year-round website that links to profile pages of local nonprofits, providing comprehensive, objective, and up-to-date information about each organization. This platform provides an easy way for donors to support their favorite nonprofit organizations online.

GOALS Grow philanthropy Yampa Valley Gives is committed to growing philanthropy in our valley. Strengthen collaboration Yampa Valley Gives works to strengthen collaboration within the nonprofit community. Increase awareness Yampa Valley Gives seeks to increase awareness of the many nonprofit organizations that serve Northwest Colorado. Make a difference Through our efforts, Yampa Valley Gives strives to make a difference in the community that we love.

3

Yampa Valley Gives hosted three outreach events for nonprofits. A Kick-Off Party introduced YVG to interested local nonprofits, and Dana Rinderknecht from Community First Foundation presented information about Colorado Gives Day. A Registration Workshop with Bryce Wilkinson, Community First Foundation’s registration and profile expert, providing hands-on assistance to nonprofits needing help with the registration process. A Marketing Presentation shared information about the local and state Incentive Funds, YVG’s marketing efforts, and the marketing tools available for individual nonprofits.

NONPROFIT OUTREACH

Of the many lessons learned in 2014, communication with the nonprofits was the biggest learning curve. Assisting 28 nonprofits through the 15-hour ColoradoGives application process for the first time was challenging. In the end, a total of 40 Routt and Moffat County nonprofit organizations had successfully enrolled under the Yampa Valley Gives umbrella. Each of the 40 organizations received at least one donation on Colorado Gives Day 2014.

4

5

RESULTS

In YVG’s inaugural year, a total of $404,926.71 was distributed to the 40 participating Routt and Moffat County nonprofits. After final reconciliation, Colorado Gives Day donations totaled $371,109 from 729 donors and 1,520 donations. On average, YVG donors made 2.1 donations per donor — the highest average among all Regional Champions.

Donations State Incentives/Prizes YVG Incentives/Prizes

$ 371,109.00 $ 21,239.89 $ 20,000.00

Credit Card Fees (-)

Total Distributed

For the first time, Regional Champions had custom donation tickers which tracked donations in real time throughout the day. Preliminary results at midnight exceeded expectations with $370,974 donated to 40 local nonprofits in 24 hours.

6

$ 404,926.71

“It's incredible to see our community giving so much love to nonprofits, and such success would not have been possible without Yampa Valley Gives!” Kate Elkins, Grand Futures Prevention Coalition

YVG INCENTIVE FUND Yampa Valley Gives offered a $20,000 local Incentive Fund to inspire nonprofit and donor enthusiasm and participation on Colorado Gives Day. The YVG Incentive Fund included $13,000 in Leaderboard Awards for the nonprofits that received the most money and the highest number of donations, $3,500 in Entrepreneur Awards designed for smaller nonprofits ($100,000 or less in total net assets), and $3,500 in prizes awarded during the Gives Day Games. The Games were created to drive excitement and donations during the Gives Day Party. Overall, the award structure was developed to ensure that nonprofits of all sizes worked to raise money and expand their donor bases.

“The energy on Colorado Gives Day was so exciting, and the generosity

was truly contagious!

What a gift you’ve given to all of us in the nonprofit sector and the community we serve.” Anne Mudgett, Yampa Valley Sustainability Council 7

YVG’s 2014 sponsorship efforts were accomplished in a very tight timeframe, as Leadership Steamboat didn’t finalize the decision to move forward with the project until February. That left less than ten months to develop the entire YVG identity and structure, identify marketing needs and budget, and solicit sponsors to secure funding. With a team of just two individuals, YVG was successful in securing eight sponsors. These generous sponsors were crucial in funding our marketing efforts to get the word out to the community and to ensure success on Colorado Gives Day.

SPONSORSHIP

TITLE SPONSOR ($5,000)

PLATINUM SPONSOR ($1,500)

SILVER SPONSORS ($500)

8

GOLD SPONSOR ($1,000 IN KIND)

BRONZE SPONSORS ($250)

Marketing of YVG began from scratch—by creating an identity the community could recognize. Carrie Wettlaufer of Element Print & Design graciously donated her time and graphic talent to create the Yampa Valley Gives logos that have become central to our marketing efforts.

MARKETING

YVG’s marketing campaign was structured to increase awareness of Colorado Gives Day, inform potential donors of the 40 participating nonprofits, and begin to grow an identity that will be recognized throughout the community year after year. To that end, marketing efforts included: Print and online advertisements Radio advertisements Facebook and Twitter Nonprofit Marketing Toolkit Steamboat Springs’ July 4th Parade entry Local government proclamations Press releases Chamber event calendar Lincoln Avenue street banner Rack cards and posters School outreach TV18 Stickers Honk & Wave signs Gives Day Party

9

FINANCIALS

2014 BUDGET SUMMARY Total Revenue

$ 15,048.06

Grant

$ 5,871.00

Sponsorship

$ 8,600.00

Donations

$

566.00

Interest

$

11.06

Total Expenses

$ 9,245.58

Start Up

$

345.40

Nonprofit Outreach

$

18.53

Marketing

$ 8,881.65

End of Year Balance

$ 5,802.48

In Kind Donations

$ 2,730.47

In honor of their 75th anniversaries, the Boettcher Foundation and El Pomar Foundation joined forces to celebrate giving and encourage others to give through a $150,000 grant to Community First Foundation. The grant’s purpose was to help expand Colorado Gives Day throughout the state and make it easier for nonprofits outside Denver to use ColoradoGives.org to accept donations online. $29,871 of this grant was generously provided in support of Yampa Valley Gives as the ColoradoGives Regional Champion in Northwest Colorado. $20,000 was distributed as the 2014 local Incentive Fund, $5,871 was earmarked for YVG marketing efforts, and $4,000 funded the development of YVG’s landing page on the ColoradoGives website at YampaValleyGives.org. 10

Formed by the 2014 Leadership Steamboat class in partnership with the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, Yampa Valley Gives is overseen by a ninemember Board of Directors with the help of numerous volunteers from local businesses and nonprofit organizations.

LEADERSHIP

2014 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Glen Traylor Chair | Sponsorship

Casey Earp Nonprofit Outreach

Doug Tumminello Vice Chair

Rebecca Bessey Marketing

Chuck Cerasoli Secretary | Treasurer

Laura Karch Becky Slamal

Tarsha Ebbern Yampa Valley Community Foundation

Karen Waeschle

Board (left to right): Rebecca, Laura, Glen, Tarsha, Karen, Becky, Casey (Not pictured: Doug, Chuck)

Rebecca Bessey, 2014 High Five Award Recipient YVG’s annual High Five Award honors the person whose efforts went above and beyond to help with Colorado Gives Day in the Yampa Valley. Award recipients generally show selfless acts in giving time and energy to progress the YVG program and goals.

If you are interested in participating or learning more about the Yampa Valley Gives and Colorado Gives Day program, please contact us at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.

11

Yampa Valley Gives YampaValleyGives.org | [email protected]