Email  Print

SV Fund sees big increase in legacy pledges

Sonoma Valley Fund’s campaign in 2012 to endow Sonoma Valley’s nonprofit charitable organizations achieved a 95 percent increase in legacy gift commitments to Sonoma Valley nonprofits.

“Our goal was two-fold,” said Barbara Young, Sonoma Valley Fund’s president. “We sought to increase awareness of legacy giving in the Valley and to encourage more people to make a charitable legacy gift commitment. I’m pleased to report significant results on both fronts, with numbers that go well beyond our initial hopes and expectations.”

Endow Sonoma Valley Month was a joint effort between Sonoma Valley Fund and its 22 nonprofit partners, many of who made significant efforts to recruit legacy donors during the course of the year. Executive directors, development directors and board leadership of the nonprofits in the Valley made considerable progress in developing their legacy giving programs and participated enthusiastically during the month of events. 

Endow Sonoma Valley Month itself consisted of a series of public events and community conversations that explored the role and importance of legacy bequests in preserving and improving the quality of life in Sonoma Valley.

As a direct result of these efforts, Sonoma Valley Fund and its 22 nonprofit partner organizations have now secured more than 225 committed legacy donors, up from 115 donors at the beginning of 2012. These charitable gift commitments reflect the generosity of Sonoma residents from all walks of life. “While the legacy gifts vary in size, they will have a substantial impact on nonprofit organizations that serve and help preserve the Valley we all love and call home,” Young said.

Sonoma Valley Fund will continue its Endow Sonoma Valley Month efforts in 2013 and beyond. The fund is organizing a slate of events in the coming months that will continue to build awareness about the importance of legacy giving to the Valley and to steadily increase the number of residents who have made legacy gift commitments.

For additional information about legacy giving, visit sonomavalleyfund.org or email jrymer@endowsonomavalley.com.