The Kennebec Valley YMCA held its 2015 Endowment Campaign Kick-Off and Donor Appreciation event April 2 at the Kennebec Valley YMCA Harold Alfond Gymnasium. In addition to showing appreciation to the donors of the campaign, they also announced the kick-off of the Harold Alfond Foundation Endowment Challenge, according to a news release from the YMCA.

The KVYMCA established its permanent Endowment fund in 2009. In June of that year, the YMCA held a public kick-off event with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, as the keynote speaker. It was announced that the Board and other key donors had raised $50,000 in cash and $1 million in planned giving.

Harry Lanphear, board president and Endowment Committee Chairman, speaks during the Kennebec Valley YMCA held its 2015 Endowment Campaign Kick-Off and Donor Appreciation event April 2 at the Kennebec Valley YMCA Harold Alfond Gymnasium. Contributed photo

In 2012, the KVYMCA Strong Kids Annual Scholarship Campaign Committee created a three-year challenge, the Grand Plan, to increase giving to the annual Strong Kids Campaign from $120,000 to $240,000 with incentives that would support the Endowment Fund. The KVYMCA successfully achieved the Grand Plan by doubling donations to the Strong Kids Scholarship Campaign. This success generated endowment gifts totaling $300,000.

The long-term vision for the KVYMCA’s Endowment is to help fund the YMCA’s scholarships and operations while using less than four percent of income annually, as generated by the endowment principal.

Harry Lanphear, board president and endowment committee chairman, announced the Kennebec Valley YMCA’s goal is to raise $2.4 million in cash by 2018, and $2.6 million in planned giving also by 2018, for a total of $5 million. In June 2014 the KVYMCA received a conditional challenge grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation. If the YMCA can raise $400,000 in cash and cash pledges by the end of 2015, the YMCA will receive $200,000 toward the endowment from the Harold Alfond Foundation.

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