As the season for charitable giving arrives, the Wisconsin 4-H program is reassuring donors that their gifts will have a greater impact following a recent administrative change in its fundraising structure.
The Wisconsin 4-H program has transitioned its fundraising to the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, also known as the UW Foundation, which will now serve as its official 501(c)(3) nonprofit partner. This move replaces the previous arrangement with the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation.
Jessica Jens, the Wisconsin 4-H state program leader, explains that the primary benefit of this change is financial efficiency.
“This is why we’re all excited about this opportunity because it means almost all of the donors’ dollars will go directly to programs instead of having to also supplement operations for a private 501(c)(3),” she says.
In her interview with Mid-West Farm Report, Jens also addresses a common concern among donors: that their funds might be absorbed into the larger UW Foundation pool. She firmly reassures us that all donations remain designated specifically for 4-H programs.
“That is a common and understandable misconception that it’ll just get swallowed up by this giant organization… that 100 percent is not true,” Jens said. “We have special accounts for all the different types of donor designations.”
Donors can contribute to a general Wisconsin 4-H fund or designate their gift to specific areas, such as arts programs or agriculture and animal science. This ensures that the donor’s intent is followed, with the money directly supporting events like area animal science days or the statewide 4-H arts camp.
Ultimately, the power of these gifts is their ability to reduce financial barriers for young people to participate.
