The Birth of a Forest?

We needed to start somewhere so we started at the beginning.

After borrowing from our endowment principal in 1997 in order to keep the organization alive, an endowment worth just over $2,200,000 was suddenly down to zero. So a seed was planted. A dream was born to become serious about Endowment and guarantee the security of the SDSO forever.

We are one of eighteen not-for-profits who successfully met a 3:1 challenge by the Kresge Foundation at the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation (SFACF). Because of this challenge, we now have over $1.5 million in SFACF funds alone. We also have endowment funds at the First National Bank in Sioux Falls and at the South Dakota Community Foundation for an overall endowment total of $1,650,000. The portion of income we receive from endowment has grown from 0% to 5%!

Our entire Endowment Campaign – no matter where the funds are held - has the theme, Plant a Seed. Every person who contributes to any aspect of the endowment receives a certificate for a starter tree at Landscape Garden Centers. A tree is the perfect symbol for endowment because it provides benefits from the moment it is planted and the benefits continue to grow as the tree grows. We have asked each person who receives a certificate to keep us informed as to where the tree has been planted and what significance has been placed on it. We will keep you up to date on these stories as we receive them.

Rev. Ray Jones has donated his tree to be planted as part of the new Dow-Rummel facility to memorialize his wife, Josephine. Franklin and Marit Pudas have received two fruit trees – cherry and apple. They have promised to bring pies to the SDSO office in a few years. As we continue to realize our endowment dream coming true, we suspect that this one great seed of an idea might eventually become a virtual forest.

An endowment gift is as simple (or as complex) as you wish it to be. Every gift is 100% designated by the donor and is 100% tax deductible. You tell us where your gift goes. It can be a $10 contribution or for thousands of dollars. Multiple gifts are very common with endowment givers.

If you would like to include us in your estate plan, all you need to do is give your financial advisor the legal name of our organization (South Dakota Symphony Orchestra) and proof of our 501c3 status (Fed ID #46-6017026). If you let us know you have done so, you will automatically be included in our Encore Society – a special society for people who have provided for us in their estate plans. We won’t even ask for details or proof! But you will receive a specially designed lapel pin signifying this commitment to the SDSO.

To learn more about the SDSO endowment, to make an endowment gift, or to receive an endowment brochure, call the Symphony office at 335-7933 or toll free at 866-681-7376. You may also email sdsymphony@sdsymphony.org  to request information.