Making Donations To The Walk-In Counseling Center and Funding Information

The Walk-In Counseling Center is a Minnesota private, non-profit corporation, exempt under section 501 (c.) (3) of the Internal Revenue Service code. As such, all donations are deductible if you itemized deductions on an individual or family tax return.

Monetary Donations Are Used For

The Walk-In Counseling Center needs cash donations to support its basic operations - staff salaries, utilities, and other operating costs. These are essential to its operation since funds WICC receives no public funding and does not bill for its counseling services with exception of a small portion billed to Hennepin County for some crisis services. Most WICC counseling clients lack funds or access to coverage, or were unable to obtain services in a timely fashion elsewhere. By use of volunteers who deliver professional services and not having a largescale administrative apparatus for billing, WICC provides services in a very cost-effective fashion. Income earned from from raining and consulting services provide some base, but are not sufficient to fund the counseling services..

Other Types Of Donations

Local mental health professionals donate about a half million dollars of professional time which are critical to the Center's operation. If interested in donating in that fashion, turn to Volunteering. Board members also donate valuable time and expertise which is essential to the functioning of the Center. If interested, turn to Board of Directors. The time itself is not deductible on income tax, unfortunately, although incidental expenses connected with volunteerism (e.g. mileage) are.

From time to time some goods and services are very helpful, and these are deductible to the extent of fair market value. However, we do not have a list of things needed. In the past, for specific projects, we have received donations of printing services from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Minnesota, and both Minneapolis Children's Medical Center and Honeywell Inc. provided storage for many boxes of the WICC published book Psychotherapists' Sexual Involvement With Clients: Intervention & Prevention.

The Dorsey & Whitney Law Firm was exceptionally helpful in providing pro-bono legal work concerning some property issues which arose due to a condo development next door to the Center, as well as possible merger with another non-profit. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage also contributed an appraisal of our property.

Furniture, office equipment, supplies, and other items have also been donated. Professional books, videotapes, and audiotapes have been donated. Psychologists Norman Garmezy and Jerome Gray donated a large portion of their professional libraries, and many others have donated boxes of books. In the case of goods and services, contact Martha Hughes, Clinic and Administrative Coodinator or Gary Schoener, Executive Director, to discuss your ideas.

Corporate and Foundation Donors Over the Years

Early operating costs were often covered by small gifts from The Enablers, which, in the early 1970's funneled money to youth-serving organizations from small foundations and individual philanthropists. Over the years many other firms have made donations.

In the late 1970's and early 1980's when the Center was purchasing and rennovating its facility, gifts were received from a number of companies and foundations. The donors included the Bush Foundation, the Cargill Foundation, the Caroline Foundation (a Crosby family foundation), the General Mills Employee Fund, the General Mills Foundation, the Honeywell Foundation, International Multifoods, Northern States Power Co., the Pillsbury Company, the Ripley Foundation.

Over the years thousands of individuals and organizations have donated to the Walk-In Counseling Center. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Minnesota and its Foundation has been a regular donor of goods, services, and money as have some of its officers. Andy Czajkowksi, Past President now retired, and Senior Vice President Richard Niemiec were long time board members and donors to WICC. Upon his retirement Mr. Czajkowski designated WICC to receive a special gift from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Minnesota.

The law firm of Halleland, Lewis, Nilan, Sipkins & Johnson has made a generous donation. The law firm of Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly, the Piper Jaffray Co., have been donors, and both of these firms helped WICC put together its 15th anniversary celebration. Joyce Shuette Nelson of Piper Jaffray has contributed in many ways over the years including designing WICC as a recipient of awards she has received. All of these firms have contributed through having associates serve on the WICC Board of Directors.

Corporate and Foundation Donors to WICC's Transition - 2003 - 2005

Starting in 2003 and going through 2006, WICC found itself facing a challenge of continuing to provide services without public funding through the county mental health program which had narrowed its services and committment dramatically in the last quarter of 2003 due to major state budget cuts.

This Transition Period will not be successfully traversed without special corporate and foundation gifts and support. As such WICC has worked with consultant Thomas Berg and also sought input from our many friends to identify donors who might provide relatively large gifts to make this transition possible. The challenge for corporations and foundations is to understand that this is not a replacement for public funds -- something they have all vowed not to do. These funds are needed to maintain stability and to help WICC develop other sources of funds, expand its earned income, form stategic partnerships, find methods of cost-savings, and explore other vehicles through which WICC can be transformed and continue to serve.

By the end of 2004 WICC had received very generous grants from the Katherine B. Anderson Fund of the St. Paul Foundation, the Bush Foundation, the Carolyn Foundation, and the Jay and Rose Phillips Foundation.

In 2005 grants were sought to provide general program funding for WICC and the George Family Foundation and the Park-Nicollet Foundation responded with grants. In 2006 still more proposals are in the works. Sujpport from other foundations for WICC's basic program will be key to long term survival of the counseling program.

Headwaters Foundation Walk for Justice

The Headwaters Fund for Justice (formerly The Headwaters Foundation) sponsors a Walk For Justice year to assist non-profitrs in fundraising. In 2004 WICC was the number one fundraiser among non-profits which participated in the Walk. The Walk for Justice in 2006 will take place on Sunday September 17. If you are interested in signing up to be a WICC Walker or to donate money (which can be done via credit card), click on Headwaters Foundation Walk for Justice 2005 - Group List or go to the internet to the site http://walkforjustice.kintera.org and visit the WICC page on the site to see how we did in 2005.

Friends of WICC Drive

WICC volunteer receptionists, counselors, supervisors, and Board members make generous monetary contributions each year as part of a Friends of WICC fundraising drive. This drive has increasingly included mailings to lists of licensed mental health professionals and others who have reason to support WICC. In the fall of 2003 more than $ 85,000 was raised by this drive. The most recent drive, which began in the fall of 2005, is still underway, but again volunteers and others in the community have been exceptionally generous.

Broader "Grass Roots" Fundraising

WICC plans to expand its fundraising, along the lines of its Friends of WICC and Headwaters Foundation Walk for Justice drives to find broader financial support in the community. Ultimately WICC needs a far broader group of donors each year. Given the many services WICC provides for so many groups and people, it is hoped that this is possible given all of the good will towards WICC which exists in the community. The challenge is to get enough help from our friends to broaden this base.

Family Foundations

Generous donations have been received from family foundations such as the Jerome and Florence Gray Family Philanthropic Fund (administered through the Minneapolis Jewish Community Foundation Philanthropic Fund). The Grays have helped in other ways, with Jerry Gray having been a longtime volunteer supervisor and Board Member, and the family having committed to co-sign the mortage on the center. (The mortgage was "retired" a few years ago, but this long-term commitment was an extraordinary show of support for WICC.)

Other family foundations have been generous over the years including the J. Peter Brull Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation, the IWJ Charitable Foundation, and the Stull Family Foundation.

During our fundraising drive in the Fall of 2003 gifts were also received from the Marjorie Weil & Marilyn Edward Mitchell Foundation, the Paradigm Foundation.

A special gift was received from the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation as a 2:1 match for a very generous gift from one of the foundation's officers and her husband. We are including it here even though this foundation is one of the largest in the country and much bigger than a family foundation only because it came as part of the 2003 special fund drive.

As noted above, the George Family Foundation contributed to the support of WICC's counseling services in 2005.

Although not a family foundation, others have donated to WICC through designating gifts through the Headwaters Foundation. Such special designated gifts, which are anonymous, have been very helpful.

Bequests and Memorials

Memorials have also come to WICC in connection with the deaths of some of our volunteers. The Ralph & Charlotte Bearman Fund administered by the Minneapolis Jewish Community Foundation Philanthropic Fund has made yearly gifts. Charlotte was a longtime volunteer supervisor prior to her death. The family and friends of Ellen Smith Stewart, Susan Raskin, and Herman Schuchman, all designated WICC as a recipient of memorials and gave generously. Ellen, Susan, and Herman were all longtime volunteers who contributed greatly to our work over the years and who died untimely deaths.

Individual gifts are received from time to time in memory of particular persons. Some, like Dorothy Trach, were honored as WICC volunteers who had died. Others gave in memory of long-time Board Member Ames Johnson who passed away in 2004. More recently gifts were given in honor of Rita Stark, longtime donor and mother of WICC volunteer and Board President Trisha Stark.

Other gifts are given to honor a friend, acknowledge an accomplishment, commemorate a birthday or anniversary, as a holiday gift ..... or for any other purpose your imagination can conceive. For example, as a Christmas gift a donation was made in honor of Mary & Jim Frey.

Headwaters Fund for Justice

The Headwaters Fund for Justice (formerly the Headwaters Foundation) allows for donor-advised giving. An anonymous donor has made very generous gifts to WICC through that process. This is apart from the money raised in the annual Walk for Justice (see above).

United Way

In the early 1970's WICC sought United Way funding, but at the time not only did the process require two years, but organizations like WICC were not being funded. When Hennepin County offered mental health funding, which was considered "hard money" funding, WICC embarked on a purchase of service contract which lasted for 30 years.

Some years ago the United Way began to allow donor- designated gifts, including allowing for designation to non-United Way Agencies like WICC (as long as they are non-profits). Consequently, some individuals each year designate WICC as the recipient of their United Way gift. These gifts are appreciated, but since the United Way subtracts an administrative fee, WICC would prefer to receive the donations directly since it then receives 100% of the amount donated.

After the merger of the Minneapolis and St. Paul United Ways there has been an announcement that there may be an opening for organizations who were not United Way agencies to submit proposals. Unfortunately, this is not expected to take place until 2007 or later.