Community Foundation for Southwest Washington Wins Wilmer Shields Rich Award for Excellence in Communications

Vancouver, WA – April 2, 2009. The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington has been named a Silver and a Bronze award winner for excellence in communications by the 2009 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program. Sponsored by the Council on Foundations, the awards program recognizes effective communications efforts to increase public awareness of community foundations. There are over 700 community foundations in the United States. The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington received the Silver Award in the Newsletters category, and a Bronze Award in the Websites category. The award will be presented during the Council on Foundations 60th Annual Conference, May 4-6, 2009, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Avenue, Atlanta, GA.

“The goal of our overall communications strategy is to educate individuals about the Community Foundation and the range of services we offer to add value to one’s philanthropy,” said Rick Melching, the Community Foundation’s President. “We are honored by the Council on Foundation’s affirmation of the effectiveness of our communications tools.”

The Community Foundation’s new website was launched in November 2008. “Our Board of Directors has a long-held belief that it is essential to use technology to further our goals. Several members bring strong technology backgrounds and have led the way in the Board’s understanding of technology’s capacity to inform and create positive change. With sixty-five percent of Americans accessing information via the internet on a regular basis, a website is clearly an important component of a communications strategy,” stated Rick Melching.

About the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington:
The Community Foundation helps a broad cross section of citizens build stronger communities through effective philanthropy. One of the nation’s 700 community foundations, it is a tax-exempt, public charity that primarily serves southwest Washington. The Foundation holds distinct Funds, ranging in size from $10,000 to over $3 million, that are pooled, managed, and invested to generate growth and income for granting and inflation purposes. Governed by a volunteer Board of local leaders, the Foundation offers services to donors and nonprofit organizations and a wide range of benefits to the community. In total, the Community Foundation has infused more than $80 million into the community since it was established in 1984.