February 21, 2008 issue
Watauga Community Foundation Fundraising Dinner Saturday
Story by Corinne Saunders
The North Carolina Community Foundation (NCCF) operates in 64 counties across the state, sustaining endowment funds that regularly support local charities, nonprofit organizations and scholarships.
It celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and NCCF President Jennifer Tolle Whiteside will speak at the fundraising dinner for the Watauga affiliate on Saturday, February 23.
“She will speak on trends in rural philanthropy and going forward,” said Maria Manning, NCCF regional services manager.
The Watauga affiliate was established in 1991, and Boone is a good example of rural philanthropy, she added.
“We’ve been granting for 12 years a wide variety of nonprofits, like OASIS, WYN, The Children’s Playhouse, Arts Council, the public library, Hospice House [and] the Hunger and Health Coalition,” Manning said.
This year marks the Watauga County Community Foundation’s third fundraising dinner.
“We have a dinner every other year,” Manning said. “We try not to compete with other nonprofits and their fundraising events.”
She expects a good turnout for the event that will take place in the ballroom of the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone.
“We’ve had about 100 guests in years past, and we’re hoping for the same amount this year, even though it is different—not the traditional dance and dinner,” Manning said.
The registration deadline has passed for the dinner, but contributions to the Watauga County Community Foundation can be made at any time by sending a check to PO Box 2851, Hickory, NC 28603.
The Watauga County Community Foundation maintains 27 funds with assets of more than $2.5 million, Manning said.
“A lot are donor advised,” she said. “[The donors] make the decision to distribute [the funds] or not and we follow their decision.”
However, five percent of the $100,000 in unrestricted funds is distributed every year.
A call for applications is held each spring, and the nonprofits that receive funding typically receive between $250 and $500.
“Just as a family puts money into a savings account to make its dreams come true, the WCCF is building a brighter future for all of Watauga County,” Manning said.
For more information, contact Maria Manning at 888-375-8117 or mmanning@nccommuityfoundation.org.
For more information about the Watauga County Community Foundation’s list of funds, click to www.nccommunityfoundation.org/affiliates/northwestern/watauga/index.php.
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