Friends of the Woodinville Farmers Market
21 Acres Campaign
Fundraising Strategies and Plan
Mission: to promote health, wellness, and economic viability by making local, sustainably grown agriculture accessible to
everyone.
Vision: to create a vital, open public space where the community can deepen its connection to agriculture and enhance its
understanding and appreciation of sustainable living practices, environmental stewardship, and food security issues.
Project: Build 21 Acres, a capital project that will provide a permanent home for the Woodinville Farmers Market, a
community kitchen and meeting spaces, community sustenance gardens and walking trails, and a working farm to
demonstrate permacultural principles and sustainable farming practices.
Assets:
Provocative, exciting project with much potential for community engagement
Well situated property (between downtown core and “wine country”)
Strong support from King County Department of Natural Resources
Woodinville Farmers Market is well-regarded on state level (recognition for Senior and WIC food programs)
Strong individual appeal as a community beautification/environmental enhancement project
Great potential as a youth education site — ripe for partnerships with youth groups
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Challenges:
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Large capital plans (land acquisition and construction costs) by a small grass-roots organization with relatively
limited track record
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Under-developed and inactive board of directors — not representative of general community
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No paid program staff
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No programming history — IRS 990s show no spending until this past year
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No fundraising history/no relationships with institutional funders or individual donors
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No history of grants and gift management
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Limited ties to local government
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Limited farmer involvement in organizational decisions
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Limited organizational database/mailing list
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Some (publicized) community resistance
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Differences in opinion on board re: the focus of the project’s goals (social service/food security focus vs.
environmental/demonstration focus)
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Not a great deal of focus on low-income populations or economic development
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Diverse goals can mean a complicated message to communicate
Components of Campaign
I.
II.
Board Development
Case Statement & Fundraising Materials Development
A) Full scope of project to be finalized by September 30, 2005
Factors:
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Master Site Plan to be completed & permits submitted by September 30 th
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Growth Management hearing on November, 2005
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Permitting results
B) Case Statement to be finalized by October 15, 2005
Components:
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Need for Project
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FRIENDS history narrative
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Mission and vision narrative
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Definition of user population/audiences/clients
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Description of site components
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Updated renderings and groundplans
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Work plan/timeline
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Letter of Agreement between FRIENDS and Woodinville Farmers Market
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Declaration of Cooperation between FRIENDS and the various community participants in the
design and construction of the project (e.g.; architect, youth groups, garden clubs, Back 18 tenants,
community gardeners, various design leads — solar, energy, et al)
C) Website, Campaign Brochure, & Collateral Materials to be finalized by October 31, 2005
EcoFusion & Tim Sanders Design to develop?
III.
Budget and Business Plan
Full capital budget to be finalized and approved by FRIENDS board by September 30, 2005
IV.
Community Outreach and Promotion
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V.
Community meetings and design charettes conducted by Gretchen Garth and Vince Carlson
Promotional materials & press releases on activities — Brenda Vanderloop
EcoFusion & ONE/Northwest to manage database and communications plan?
Funding
FUNDING PLAN: $3 million total project goal
SOURCES:
Public/Government
Foundations & Corporations
Individuals
Civic Clubs
In-kind
$200,000
$300,000
$2,250,000
$50,000
$200,000
7%
10%
74%
2%
7%
A) Institutional Funders
1) Government Funders — Julie Davison
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Federal government sources
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State of Washington (CTED funding not likely — ag a low priority and project lacks a
strong human services piece)
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King County
Department of Natural Resources WaterWorks grant program ($50K grant for
Living Roof submitted)
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City of Woodinville — limited prospects without further development
Parks & Recreation
Public Works — recycling program
Capital budget (Ray Sturtz has indicated a low probability for city funding)
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Woodinville Water District
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Brightwater mitigation — not likely
2) Foundations — Keri Healey
Have Approached/Unlikely:
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Seattle Foundation
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Bullitt Foundation
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Farm Aid
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Hugh & Jane Ferguson Foundation
Possible:
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W. K. Kellogg Foundation
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Kresge Foundation (longshot)
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Land O’Lakes Foundation
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SAFECO
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Jenifer Altman Foundation
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Ben & Jerry’s Foundation
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Burning Foundation (not likely for capital, need to put a program focus on)
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Horizons Foundation
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Satterberg Foundation
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Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation
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Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation
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Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation
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M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust
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PEMCO Foundation
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Charlotte Martin Foundation
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Harry Chapin Foundation
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Wallace Genetic Foundation
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Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation
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Foundation for Sustainability & Innovation
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Lazar Foundation (no capital, but for message development possibly)
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Jang Foundation (low probability, limited WA funding)
Strategy: Will target private trust officers and managers of donor advised fund to put the
project in front of affluent individual donors and low-profile family foundation.
3) Businesses
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Puget Sound Energy/Bonneville Environmental Foundation — in-kind solar a
possibility (they have a strong interest in project, but we need a solar expert on board
for this application)
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Precor USA
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Molbak’s
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Local bank branches (Washington Mutual, Banner Bank, Bank of America, First Mutual
Bank, Frontier Bank, KeyBank, Wells Fargo Bank)
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Willows Lodge
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HerbFarm
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DeYoung’s Farm & Garden
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AT&T Wireless Services
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Boeing (I spoke with about, not a strong possibility because of lack of direct human
service component; educational elements might be a possibility down the line, but they
will not likely do capital for this project; is worth continuing to cultivate)
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Group Health Cooperative
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Target Stores
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Wineries
4) Civic Organizations
Woodinville Rotary
B) Individual Donors
1) FRIENDS existing email contact list
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Currently under 200 names on FRIENDS list
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Using booth at Saturday market to expand mailing list
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Sending quarterly project updates to cultivate this list
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Need to begin membership/annual support program with this list — measure organizational
and project support, “warm up” for capital asks, cultivate and identify potential campaign
volunteers from this list
2) NEW DONOR PROSPECTS list building
Strategies:
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Look to other major capital campaigns and community projects in Woodinville/Sammamish
Valley to identify prospective donors
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Review the board and membership lists of local civic clubs, homeowner associations, Chamber
of Commerce
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Review political donor lists to identify local donors
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Look to the board and donor lists of affinity organizations serving agricultural, environmental,
green/sustainable living causes
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Conduct community outreach to collect new names (market booth, participation in Harvest
Tour in October, propose partnership with Woodinville Weekly, possibly conduct a postcard
mailing to local zip list to launch website)
Conduct prospect brainstorm with FRIENDS board and fundraising committee
ACTION ITEMS FOR COMMITTEE
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Have committee conduct a group prospecting session to review and evaluate names currently on
prospect list
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Have committee members each fill out a NEW PROSPECT sheet adding names/addresses to our
master prospect list
3) Cultivation Activities
ACTION ITEM FOR COMMITTEE
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Have committee devise a strategy to cultivate individual donor prospects with small, low-cost
events: in-home parties, site tours/picnics, inviting friends to visit site for October 1st Harvest
Tour
4) Naming Opportunities
Major Gifts — tie to facilities components: Master Gardener Tool Shed, Farm Trails, Composting
Toilet, Community Kitchen, Meeting Room(s), Market corridors
Community Gifts — floor or wall tiles, pavers, benches
ACTION ITEM FOR COMMITTEE
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Have committee work with architect to create/select naming opportunities that can be offered to
potential donors, determine donation level list — this information will be included in donor
brochure/packet.