Congratulations on receiving a grant from the Community Foundation of NCW!

This is a great achievement for your organization, and you probably want to share the good news with others. We created this toolkit to help you publicize your grant through social media, local press, and newsletters.

When referencing the foundation, please use “Community Foundation of NCW” or “CFNCW”.

You can also use any of these talking points if you feel like it fits into your communications (eg: a press release):

• The Community Foundation of NCW is a tax-exempt philanthropic organization that helps individuals, families, businesses, and agencies support charitable causes throughout Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties.
• CFNCW’s mission is to grow, protect, and connect charitable gifts in support of strong communities.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is an easy, free way to share your grant award news. The most used platforms are Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Facebook and Instagram are now owned by Meta and are linked, so if you make a post in one it can post to the other. Note that Instagram posts have to be done by your phone or device, not a desktop computer, unless you are doing it from the Meta Business Suite. If you need help or want to start your own social media page, contact Jennifer Dolge at jennifer@cfncw.org.

Here are some suggestions for those that are novice in social media or looking for some inspiration:

• Post sample: “We are excited to share our grant award from the Community Foundation of NCW for [purpose].” Share how this award will impact your community, or what people can look forward to seeing as it is implemented. Try to use a conversational voice, as if you’re sharing with a friend.
• Hashtags serve as a search tool (you can type a hashtag into the search bar to find posts that have used it) and/or convey an additional emotion or idea to your message. Since the Legacy Funds don't have their own social media pages, you could use hashtags to identify the source of your funding, for example: #CashmereFund.
• Emoticons can be a fun addition, and studies show that including them increases engagement.
• Photos and videos that accompany your post get more engagement. You can create free images at Canva.com or email jennifer@cfncw.org if you need help.

Be sure to tag the Community Foundation of NCW when making your posts so that we can share it as well. Type “@communityfoundationncw” and it will pop up in your post.

PRESS RELEASE

A press release is a way to announce your story to the public through media publishers. They share facts and information about your news and include quotes from those involved in the project/activity. We have a basic press release template you can follow or use to create your own. We also have a list of local NCW media outlets where you can email your press release.

Your press release should include:

• a point person and their contact information on the press release for whom the media can call or email to get more information or an interview.
• your organization's address and website
• "For Immediate Release" at the top of the page
• a “boiler plate” at the end that gives the media a general sense of the work you do (such as your mission and significant impact in the community).

Community Foundation of NCW’s boiler plate: The Community Foundation of North Central Washington’s mission is to grow, protect, and connect charitable gifts in support of strong communities throughout Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties. Established in 1986, the Community Foundation manages $130 million in assets through 600+ individual funds and has awarded over $55 million in grants and scholarships.

• Download a Sample Press Release
• Download a List of NCW Media Contacts

LEGACY FUND GRANTS

If you have received a grant from a Legacy Fund, be sure to mention the specific fund that awarded your grant in your communications. For instance: "... funded by the Methow Valley Fund at the Community Foundation."

NEWSLETTERS

If you have a blog or a newsletter, this a great way to share with your donors your exciting grant award. You can use the press release and the images for social media and plop them right into your newsletter.

TRANSLATION SERVICES

• CAFE Language Connections- offers low cost translations (and interpretation) services; local nonprofit located in Wenatchee
• Google Translate - not preferred, but provides free translation

LOGOS

You can download one of our logos to use in your communications (links below). We have two options: one is a circular badge (preferred) the other a horizontal. Use whichever makes the most sense depending on the medium.

If you have received a Methow Valley Fund or Woods Family Grant, use their logo primarily and use the CFNCW if allowable, depending on how you are presenting the information. If you do not use the CFNCW logo, please be sure to mention the Community Foundation of NCW as the granting source.

To download:

Click on the logo you wish to use to open it, then right click and "Save As" to your computer.

If you need other images, please email jennifer@cfncw.org.