With Wendi's Help Mentorship
Donation protected
On December 31, 2016, we lost our friend, an incredible person, and mentor, Wendi Atwood Rogers. She was a successful paralegal in Dallas, Texas, who saw no boundaries in helping others. We (myself, Debbie & Kristine) immediately decided to continue her legacy of mentoring and helping others, and have been doing just that for the last three years. Currently, we are raising money to file for 501(c)(3) status so we can continue our mission.
Our mission: Providing inspiration through mentorship to individuals, support of community mentor programs, and creating mentorship programs for organizations at no cost.
Since creating a non-profit organization is expensive, we started with a charitable fund called “The Wendi Atwood Rogers Memorial Fund” in January of 2017. www.withwendi.org We raised over $5,500 through money donated solely by friends, family, and our employers. Since 2017, we have hosted an annual mentorship workshop and are currently planning a virtual 2020 mentorship workshop in Dallas, Texas. The workshops are open to all. They are highly motivational, create a great networking opportunity, and free of charge. Last year, we made our first donation to Path4Life, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Tom Bean, Texas. Path4Life is a safe haven for teens to go to after school, where they can study, hang out, and oftentimes receive their only meal of the day. Last, we hosted a successful fundraiser to obtain school supplies for kids in need in a small school district.
The $5,500 already raised is currently held in a charitable giving account and, can only be utilized for the benefit of 501(c)(3) organizations approved by Fidelity Charitable. By law, this money cannot be used for administrative costs to set up a non-profit organization. Further, Fidelity Charitable only accepts donations via check, which must be mailed to them. As you can imagine, our inability to accept donations online has significantly hampered our fundraising efforts. So that we may continue to accomplish our mission, we must continue to raise funds. However, to do so effectively, it is crucial that we form a 501(c)(3) of our own, rather than relying on our current relationship with Fidelity.
In order to establish our own 501(c)(3), we will be forced to incur legal fees. Also, we will need to hire an accountant to help with tax and IRS applications, and a website designer that can establish a means by which we can accept donations online. The anticipated funds needed for all of this is $5,000.
The sooner we get our non-profit filed and approved by the IRS, the more mentor programs we can offer, and the sooner we can deploy funds to other non-profit mentoring and community programs. Obviously, with the COVID situation, we feel that many people will be looking to change careers, graduates will be trying to get their careers started, and communities will need help. We enjoy sharing the things Wendi taught us including kindness in helping others and wanting others to succeed. Our 5-year goal is to be working to help others full time through our non-profit.
Please visit our website, visit our social media, follow us! You can find out more about our mission, about Wendi and about the co-founders, Cynthia, Debbie and Kristine at www.withwendi.org. We truly appreciate any assistance. As we tell our attendees seeking assistance, "give what you can." Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Our mission: Providing inspiration through mentorship to individuals, support of community mentor programs, and creating mentorship programs for organizations at no cost.
Since creating a non-profit organization is expensive, we started with a charitable fund called “The Wendi Atwood Rogers Memorial Fund” in January of 2017. www.withwendi.org We raised over $5,500 through money donated solely by friends, family, and our employers. Since 2017, we have hosted an annual mentorship workshop and are currently planning a virtual 2020 mentorship workshop in Dallas, Texas. The workshops are open to all. They are highly motivational, create a great networking opportunity, and free of charge. Last year, we made our first donation to Path4Life, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Tom Bean, Texas. Path4Life is a safe haven for teens to go to after school, where they can study, hang out, and oftentimes receive their only meal of the day. Last, we hosted a successful fundraiser to obtain school supplies for kids in need in a small school district.
The $5,500 already raised is currently held in a charitable giving account and, can only be utilized for the benefit of 501(c)(3) organizations approved by Fidelity Charitable. By law, this money cannot be used for administrative costs to set up a non-profit organization. Further, Fidelity Charitable only accepts donations via check, which must be mailed to them. As you can imagine, our inability to accept donations online has significantly hampered our fundraising efforts. So that we may continue to accomplish our mission, we must continue to raise funds. However, to do so effectively, it is crucial that we form a 501(c)(3) of our own, rather than relying on our current relationship with Fidelity.
In order to establish our own 501(c)(3), we will be forced to incur legal fees. Also, we will need to hire an accountant to help with tax and IRS applications, and a website designer that can establish a means by which we can accept donations online. The anticipated funds needed for all of this is $5,000.
The sooner we get our non-profit filed and approved by the IRS, the more mentor programs we can offer, and the sooner we can deploy funds to other non-profit mentoring and community programs. Obviously, with the COVID situation, we feel that many people will be looking to change careers, graduates will be trying to get their careers started, and communities will need help. We enjoy sharing the things Wendi taught us including kindness in helping others and wanting others to succeed. Our 5-year goal is to be working to help others full time through our non-profit.
Please visit our website, visit our social media, follow us! You can find out more about our mission, about Wendi and about the co-founders, Cynthia, Debbie and Kristine at www.withwendi.org. We truly appreciate any assistance. As we tell our attendees seeking assistance, "give what you can." Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Fundraising team: Wendi Atwood Rogers Memorial Fund (1)
Cynthia Minchillo
Organizer
Dallas, TX
Debbie Oaks McBride
Team member
