Each month we try to bring you inspiring and feel good stories of the impact of WYN, and we'll be sure to continue doing so, but since we just finished crunching some numbers from 2024, I wanted to share a little bit more about the dollars and cents of WYN.
It is not uncommon for people to view nonprofit organizations as "takers" in our society (since they rely on public support) without recognizing what they provide to the community. These contributions are not only in the realm of social benefits but also economic benefits. Below are a few examples of ways that WYN contributes to our local economy.
First, did you know that Western Youth Network employs 28 people on an ongoing basis as well as a handful of substitute staff for our afterschool program?
Last year WYN distributed approximately $1 million in wages, paid by grants and other forms of public and private support, which empowered our employees to pay mortgages and support the local economy in a variety of ways. WYN employs 6 Ashe County residents, 4 Avery County residents, 5 Alleghany residents and 13 Watauga residents who are headquartered in Boone yet many of them work regionally. We also contractually employ local businesses for accounting, construction, and building maintenance, to name a few.
Organizationally, WYN invested over $175,000 in local utility and communications vendors like Carolina West Wireless, SkyLine/SkyBest, New River Light and Power and Mountain Electric Cooperative as well as WJ Office for office supplies and Creekside Electronics for technology needs, local restaurants, Chambers of Commerce, printing companies, car garages, and local tourist attractions (activities for our children). So many of these companies invest in WYN, so it is nice to be able to support them whenever possible. We have a wonderful community network that we work to help preserve.
In 2024, for every dollar that you invested, WYN was able to produce an additional $1.78, meaning that your gift was nearly doubled each time you donated.
Programmatically, WYN strives to provide our services free of charge to families in many cases, and when a family has the ability to pay for afterschool care, it would be at the rate of no more than $7.50 per day (area average is more like $15 per day).
Lastly, we wanted to highlight that YOU keep all of this going. We are so pleased that our donor retention rate is over 50% which is well above the average retention rate for many nonprofits. Your ongoing investments in WYN not only support the life-changing work that we do every day, but also serve as part of the fabric of our local economy. We're so grateful for you and our local network!
