As Yakima Valley Community Foundation continues to grow, I am able to see how our grantmaking and philanthropic leadership are producing very positive results throughout the valley.

In just three short years, the Foundation has already defined itself as a vitally important instrument that improves the lives of people who live in this part of the world. During this time, close to $1,000,000 has been awarded to forty-one nonprofit organizations – and we’re just getting started!

Members of the YVCF board of directors will soon complete the organization’s first long-term strategic plan, which promises to dynamically propel the impact of what this foundation can accomplish over the years to come. The plan focuses on four primary directions:

• Strategic Fundraising – to build the Foundation’s asset base. As assets grow, the amount of grantmaking dollars will increase, as well.
  
• Building Credibility and Trust – to strengthen efforts to assure that the community knows what the Foundation is accomplishing and to welcome factors of accountability.
  
• Keeping Our Finger on the Pulse of the Community – to become better connected to all valley communities and more knowledgeable about their specific needs. To proactively allocate resources to nonprofit agencies that will best help to address these needs.
  
• Maintaining a Healthy, Engaged Board of Directors – to attract high-quality volunteers, and keep them engaged through educational and spirited interchanges with valley nonprofits that partner with the Foundation to bring about positive, systemic change.

Please take time to review each section of theYVCF Web site to see how Yakima Valley Community Foundation is gaining momentum with every gift we receive, with every grant we make and with every innovative approach we take to address challenges facing the valley. 

The YVCF Board of Directors is privileged to serve as stewards of local charitable resources that support so many worthy causes and touch so many lives. On behalf of the board, I invite you to share your time, talent and treasure in the Foundation’s mission to improve the quality of life for Yakima Valley residents.

Sincerely,

John K. Rothenbueler
Chairman of the Board