Island non-profits are coming together to share one goal: enriching our community.

Endow Orcas, a program of the Orcas Island Community Foundation, assists non-profits with establishing sustainability and long-range planning, specifically permanent financial support like endowments.

“We’re interested in helping non-profits become endowment-ready or improve their current endowment program,” Diane Berreth, a member of the Endow Orcas committee, said. “One purpose of OICF is to strengthen non-profits, and this is one way to do it.”

The program is the brainchild of Joe Cohen and Martha Farish, who are both involved with the community foundation. The couple, along with Berreth and Nanette Pyne, have several decades of experience with donor giving and non-profits. The quartet have been the primary facilitators for the Endow Orcas seminars, which began in 2007.

The first group of island non-profits “graduated” from the program last month. The training included skill-building workshops, resulting in a persuasive case statement for donors and a plan for legacy-style giving, both of which had to be approved by each non-profit’s board. Staff and board members from each organization also attended meetings throughout the year.

The seven non-profits who now have Endow Orcas status are The Funhouse, Orcas Center, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Orcas Island Education Foundation, Orcas Island Medical Center, OPAL Land Trust, and the Children’s House.

“These groups have grown in their knowledge of national trends and best practices,” Berreth said. “But more importantly, they became much more collaborative in sharing issues and ideas. The more collaborative they are, the stronger they are. It’s great for us to see those relationships develop.”

In addition to its coaching sessions for non-profits going through the full course, Endow Orcas holds three to four general meetings per year that all non-profits on the island can attend. The workshops include presentations, brainstorming on topics like stewardship of donors and responsible gifting policies, and ideas for the future.

“I’m very interested in the next group of non-profits who will enter the program,” Berreth said. “Some aren’t endowment-ready, but are ready to grow and in time could reach endowment.”