A Message to Our Community from MWC Founder Carolyn Moor

Dear friends, Wisters (widow + sisters), and community members:

Modern Widows Club has been a lifeline to me, and to many of you as well, throughout our personal and challenging journeys. It is now time for all of us to throw a lifeline to MWC.

I am unhesitating in my decision to be fearlessly transparent with all of you in an attempt to ensure the sustainability of Modern Widows Club. My transparency begins with giving you a realistic view into the health of our organization.

Donations are at an all-time low. So far in 2022 and 2023, grants have been impossible to obtain. Fees we receive for our paid programs are negatively impacted due to the uncertain economy.

All three funding sources are a necessity for sustainability of our 501(c)(3) nonprofit and 509(a)(2) public charity. This lack of funding jeopardizes the positions of MWC’s contracted staff, compensation to me as MWC Founder and Executive Director, and our organization as a whole.?

Stating that this is a crisis situation is an understatement.?

I’m writing today to ask for your help. Will you please take a moment to contemplate continuing to assist us in making a difference in the lives of widows, both now and in the years to come? Your ongoing support means the world to us and those we serve.

Whether you’ve personally benefited from the support of Modern Widows Club or you’ve compassionately referred widows to our organization, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude. Your support has been invaluable.?

Donations

• Please consider becoming one of our 1,200 sustaining members with a monthly tax-deductible recurring donation of $25 or more and help guarantee continued and uninterrupted services for widows
• Pledge an annual recurring tax-deductible gift of any size
• Give a one-time tax-deductible donation of personal significance
• Create a birthday and/or angelversary fundraiser on Facebook?
• Ask your employer if they offer matching gifts for contributions you make to charitable organizations
• Host a fundraising event in your home, community, or company giving proceeds to MWC while raising both awareness and funds
• Enjoy a meal with friends and family while supporting MWC by hosting a fundraiser at a local restaurant
• Help spread the word by sharing our posts (and please donate too, if you’re able) during our three annual fundraising campaigns: Giving Tuesday (November 28), year-end giving (December 15–31), and International Widows Day (June 23)
• Donate stocks at the end of the year and eliminate your federal capital gains tax on that asset
• Satisfy the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRA at the end of the year without the distribution counting as taxable income
• Give a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) grant initiated through your personal DAF account
• When you give to a 509(a)(2) public charity like Modern Widows Club, you can deduct up to 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI) on your annual taxes
• Leave a legacy gift by naming Modern Widows Club as a beneficiary of your estate plan or life insurance policy

Grants

• Do you, or someone you know, own or work at a company or corporate foundation, or a community, private, or family foundation, that might consider giving a grant to Modern Widows Club? If so, please contact me at [email protected].
• Do you belong to a Giving Circle or Collective Giving Organization and can recommend Modern Widows Club as an honoree?
• Is there an award or prize you could nominate Modern Widows Club or MWC Founder Carolyn Moor for??

Programs and Goods

• Register for MWC events and mentoring programs. We currently have two coming up: a virtual Coach-a-Thon on October 24 and PIVOT 6-Month Group Mentoring from January through June 2024.
• Sponsor a widow to attend any of our events or mentoring programs by contacting Lyn Kienholz at [email protected].
• Sponsor annual affiliate fees for a regional or virtual community to lighten the fundraising load for our devoted volunteer advocates who serve tirelessly in numerous cities. Email Lyn Kienholz at [email protected] for more information.
• Register for one or more of our great e-courses, or gift an e-course to another widow
• Purchase and view session recordings from previous Widow Empowerment Events
• Order a copy of our book Legendary Widows: Stories of Legacy for yourself, and gift a copy to a widow or widow supporter you know
• Visit the MWC Shop for T-shirts, books, and more

If you have fundraising expertise in areas that aren’t mentioned above, or other insights and experience you could share, your input would be greatly appreciated and valued.

We extend our deepest gratitude for your ongoing and indispensable support of our organization, which serves widows not only locally but also on a national and global scale. We strive every day to provide compassion and care for widows — it’s a fundamental part of our collective mission — and we hope that embracing this cause in all of its dimensions will be the guiding light for our vital movement going forward.?

Thank you for being an essential part of this journey.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Moor | Founder, Executive Director, and Development Director | Modern Widows Club

“We are all drops of water in the wave of change.”

– Gra?a Machel, Legendary Widow