Friends Fall 2013

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    Campaign NOLS: Endowing Our Core Valuesis an investment in the future of NOLS andthe future of our global community. The ve-year,$20-million campaign comes to a close on Dec. 31.Through this campaign, NOLS aims to shore up theschools nancial foundation, ensuring that we cancontinue to be the leader in wilderness education long

    into the future.A huge success of the past year has been withinthe annual fund. Before the end of our scal year, wemet and exceeded our goal of $1,558,000. This dem-onstrates the collective power of our donors and theirsteadfast belief in the NOLS mission. As of mid Sep-tember, we have 2 percent left of our goal to earn thecapstone gift of $750,000 towards Campaign NOLS.

    Our family of supporters is made up of thoseindividuals, couples, families, and organizationswho make our work possible. They come from allwalks of life, young and mature, graduates, pa rents,and friends. NOLS donors make small gifts andlarge contributions: the 20-something a lumnus who

    donates $25 each month and the retired couple whoput NOLS in their will, the scholarship recipientwho gave back once she made it big, the parents of aNOLS graduate who saw such a huge change in theirchild, the NOLS employee who gives $5 out of eachpaycheck, and you. Each and every donation adds upto help us fulll our mission. Thank you for all youhave done and for what youre doing now!

    At NOLS, we believe that positive, ethica l leaderslike you change the world. As a 501(c)(3) nonproteducational inst itution, we cannot help cultivate thoseleaders without the help of our broader community.Without donated funds, we could not send over 740scholarship students on courses like we were able to dolast year. Our donors support advocacy for wildlandprotection and help us increase our sustainability

    projects school wide. Gifts fund the developmentof cutting-edge research to improve our wildernessmedicine curriculum and backcountry nutrition, which you can read more about on page 4. Donor dollars make possible NOLS outreachprograms, allowing us to teach local residents at ouroperations around the world. These individuals arenow creating positive change at home by serving asland managers and outdoor educators with strong wilderness ethics.

    A graduate of one such program, the MexEducators Sea Kayaking course, Carlos Retaexplained it well when he said, I think that NOLnot just about the experiences in the eld; it is ahow you can make a difference in your everydathrough what you learn out there. In order to continue these incredible progrfor years to come, we need to ensure the schoothe nancial stability to weather any storm.

    A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E N O L S D E V E L O P M E N T O F F I C

    FRIENDSS U P P O R T I N G E X C E L L E N C E A T N O L S O C T O B E R

    Campaign NOLS: An Investment in Our Future Leaders

    FRIENDS IS FOR PEOPLE COMMITTED TO HELPING NOLS PROVIDE THE WORLDS BEST EDUCATION IN WILDERNESS SKILLS AND LEADERSHIP.This newsletter aims to provide useful and interesting information on charitable gift planning and supporters of the school. NOLS is not engaged in rendering legal or tax advisory servicescharitable gifts, and these laws vary from state to state. While NOLS welcomes and encourages inquiries about the material in this publication, individuals should consult with their professional adv

    NOLS is an organization whose mission is far-reaching, ambitious, and on the cutting edge of experiential eduleadership, and personal development. I believe that the types of opportunities that NOLS offers should be availablwho seek these experiences. Offering my support through donations, volunteering, and serving on the Board of Trusways in which I can contribute to its mission and future generations.

    Caroline Burnett, NOLS Board of Trustees

    By Larkin Flora, Communications Coordinator

    Part of planning our route for the future is ensuring a strong foundation today. It takes teamwork and the whole commusupporters to bring us to our nal goal of $20 million by the end of this year.

    CONTINUED ON INS

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    F R

    A s a student on the 1986Semester in Alaska,her second of four NOLScourses, Wendolyn Hollandexperienced a profoundfeeling of failure that hasshaped much of her lifesince. The 17-year-old had

    iron decient anemia and wasnt getting enoughoxygen to her brain.

    I was tripping over myself on the glacier in Alaska, she rec alled, which is not a good way b eglacier traveling.

    Since then, Holland has looked at the world in anew way and has worked hard to not let fear or failurehold her back.

    Its given me the courage to go out and try newthings, knowing that that the failure part is OK. The

    worst thing is to not try at all, Holland explained. This drive has pushed her to multiple jobs inand out of the environmental sector to where she isnow: a consultant to green energy companies tryingto navigate Washington. While her environmental

    ethic was solidied by her NOLS exleadership skills are most applicable tThrough her courses, Holland has beto group dynamics, knows how tunderstands when to let others lead time comes to push her own agenda. When Im working with a new in charge, I set the tone like I would iof the day on my NOLS course, Holl This past summer, Holland wroher will. When she thinks about the in

    have had a lasting impact on her lishes known, on values she has had iand incorporated into her lifethere arhandful of institutions that stand out. And NOLS is absolutely at the tsaid the new Summit Team member.

    The NOLS Summit Team, establisherecognition society for donors who intheir estate plans or establish some otNOLS. For more information, contactment at (800) 332-4280 or developm

    Charlie King U SING NOLS S KILLS TO E MPOWER O THERSBy Madelyn Wigle, Alumni Relations Intern

    VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION

    W hen you see a NOLS sticker on the bumperof a car and have the urge to run it down andexclaim, me too! that is fellowship, said CharlieKing, 1990 Wind River Wilderness alumnus andcurrent life coach.

    There are specic parallels between Kings currentlife-coaching career and the values he was taught atNOLS. If he does his job correctly and empowers hisclients from a leadership standpoint, they wont needhim anymore. Hell work his way out of a job.

    For King, its all about leadership in action,not just in theorycalling on people to lead forthemselves. The NOLS mission lies not only in theconception of the principles, but also the practice ofthem out in the world. That is the unsung beauty of NOLS, reectedKing, Theres no gap between developing leaders

    and training them.Over 20 years after he graduated from his course,King considers it a pivotal point in his life. He wasable to see himself through new eyes. He felt capableof so much more than he ever had before.

    It physically shifted mylife, King explained. NOLSalways stayed with me as one ofthe things that helped me getseated in who I am. Today, King believes thereis potential in the relationshipsbetween alumni, as well as theirnon-grad friends and family, to get NOLS. He is determined to stoke therelationships and get together with otin the Seattle area. Some current prboth fall and winter camping, a kayLake Washington, and a social night in

    Being in the presence of other peperspective creates fellowship throughand a gritty appreciation for things c

    open re, King said of his fellow alusense of, we can do anything.

    If youre interested in being a NOLS aluin your community, contact us at alum

    SUMMIT TEAM PROFILE

    Wendolyn HollandS PREADING NOLS L EADERSHIP IN THE W ILDS OF W ASHINGTONBy Larkin Flora, Communications Coordinator

    AT I S AN E NDOWMENT ?he nonprot sector today, the sure sign of thencial stability and a healthy organization is aendowment. Comprised of an array of gifts

    crued interest, an endowment is a fund that isnently invested. The return earned on the in-nt can be used by the organization for a varietyds. In this way, a single gift to an endowmentes support in perpetuity.cause endowments (including ours) typical ly

    provisions that prohibit spending theal, they provide crucial long-term stabilityorganization, allowing it to stay focused onsion regardless of changing annual pressuresnomic downturns. That stability is not onlyal to ensuring that the NOLS Board of Trusteesry on with its present work, but it also givesand staff the ability to look beyond currentes and needs to imagine how the organizationfulll its mission years from now.

    T HE NOLS E NDOWMENT P ROVIDING S TRONG R ETURNS NOLS completed its rst endowment campaign in2000, successfully raising $8 million. Many in theNOLS family saw the wisdom in establishing suchan endowment and contributed generously to thecampaign. Today the endowment fund stands at over$24 million.

    Its no secret that many donors see an endowmentas proof that an organization already has more thanenough funding. But nonprots like NOLSwhoseendowment total is roughly two-thirds the cost ofone years operationstill have a long way to go toensure long-term nancial stability. While there is plenty of room yet for us togrow, we are proud of the strides weve made duringthe ongoing campaign to shore up our economicfoundation, ensuring that a quality wildernessleadership education will remain available forgenerations to come.

    Just as NOLS works hard to be a good steward ofthe wilderness classrooms through which our studentstravel, we also strive to be a good steward of the fundsentrusted to us by donors. Thanks to the wisdomand guidance of the NOLS investment committee,combined with the strength of the current market,our endowment release grew by over 17 percent, or$116,000, in scal year 2013. This marks the fourthconsecutive year of positive returns.

    Of course, its not just future students who willbenet from the foresight of todays donors. Becauseof the endowments solid performance for the lastfour years, the amount of the release has also beengrowing steadily during that time, allowing us tobe increasingly exible in meeting the needs of

    todays students. Currently 4 percent of the averageendowment assets over the last 12 scal quarters isreleased each year to support the NOLS scholarshipprogram and other endeavors that allow the schoolto fulll its mission. In 2013 the endowment releasetotaled nearly $652,000. This, coupled with theNOLS Annual Fund fundraised dollars, supportedcritical program and operating expensessuch ascurriculum development and public policy research

    while also providing $1,532,000 in endowed andgeneral scholarships.

    P LANNED G IFTS & T HE NOLS E NDOWMENT

    As the leader in wilderness education, NOLS hasalways encouraged its students to think ahead andtake the long view. The Leave No Trave principleplan ahead and prepare, which students hearagain and again from their instructors, is just as aptorganizationally as it is in the eld.

    Thats why the NOLS Endowment is thebeneciary of all planned gifts to the school unlessa donor otherwise restricts the gift. Whereas gifts to

    the NOLS Annual Fund are put to immediate use,planned or deferred gifts allow NOLS to look aheadand practice what we preachto both plan aheadand prepare!

    In two years NOLS will turn 50. As we begin tothink about and plan for the next 50 years of wilder-ness and leadership education (and the 50 after that),the work we did during Campaign NOLS to buildup our endowment will allow us to stay focused onthe schools long-term stability. Planned and deferredgifts are one vital way we can support the endowmentand Campaign NOLS.

    IRA ROLLOVERMake a gift from your IRA before the endof December and take advantage of thistax break before it expires!

    Set to expire Dec. 31, 2011, Congressextended the Individual RetirementAccounts (IRA) charitable rollover into2013 as part of the scal cliff deal.

    This allows donors age 70.5 and olderto make direct, tax-free donations ofup to $100,000 per year to a charitableorganization. Donations must be madefrom a traditional or Roth IRA, and donorsneed not report the donated amountas income on their federal tax returns.It should be noted that IRA charitablerollovers cannot be used to fund giftannuities or other life income gifts.

    E N D S

    ate NOLS Endowment Started: 2000

    urrent Endowment Assets: $24+ millionvestment Gain in 2013: 14%

    mount Released to Scholarships &ograms in 2013: $652,000

    mount Released to Scholarships &ograms Since 2010: $2,127,000

    imary Means of Supporting Endowment: anned gifts and endowment-restricted

    utright gifts.

    SUPPORT N OW ,G IVE L ATER For the rst time in the history of capital cam-paigns at NOLS, irrevocable planned giftslife income gifts, charitable lead trusts, andirrevocable bequestscan be made towardCampaign NOLS. A clear vision for the fu-ture is critical, for both individuals and insti-tutions. A planned gift to Campaign NOLSis a testament to your belief in the school anda way to demonstrate your personal legacy.

    out more about any of these gift options, contact NOLS Development staff today at (800) 332-4280 or [email protected].

    F r e d r i

    k N o r r s e l

    l

    anned Giving and the NOLS Endowment ilding Stability for the Future

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    W hether providing rations for mountaineering,sailing, or climbing, the NOLS food systemhas been developed to balance food weight withnutrition and appropriate foods for various activities.As would be expected with prolonged physical

    challenge, many NOLS students see a change in bodycomposition during their course. For most, this is aloss in fat. However, some students who start theircourses with a lean body composition can have achallenging time maintaining muscle mass.

    In a partnership with the University of Utah,NOLS is studying the variables that can affect thesechanges, such as increased protein intake, designatedrecovery food and drink, added leucine and otherbranch chain amino acids, high-calorie diets, andnutritional education. NOLS is working with sportsnutrition expert Stacie Gaia at the University of Utahto undertake this research. Gaia has completed severalstudies regarding how to keep the body nourished on

    high-altitude expeditions, such as on Mount Everest.The new data from the NOLS partnership has shedlight on the amount of calories adequate to supporthigh levels of activity and stress on the body. A wilderness setting requires a great deal of

    activity, and NOLS students will soon have a betterunderstanding of the effort it takes to lose fat, buildmuscle, and maintain adequate levels of nutrition.This past summer, researchers collected data on 15coursesapproximately 200 studentsto informrevisions to the NOLS ration system. The school isalso revamping its nutrition curriculum resources tohelp faculty best educate and coach students.

    With obesity and diabetes reaching all-timehighs, it is especially valuable for youth to understandhow their bodies function. NOLS students will learnhow their bodies perform at high physical levels andtake these lessons forward with them in life to helpcurb unhealthy eating and exercise behaviors.

    4 F R I E N D S

    NATIONAL OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP SCHOOL | 284 Lincoln Street Lander, Wyoming 82520 (800) 332-4280Larkin Flora, Editor. To subscribe, contact: NOLS Development (307) 335-2276 [email protected] is printed on 100% recycled, 60%-PCW FSC-certied paper.

    PHILANTHROPIC TIDBITGIFTS AT WORK

    Advancing Expedition Nutrition THE FATE OF THECHARITABLE DEDUCTIOBy Larkin Flora, Communications Coordinator

    The charitable deduction has been under thelately as Congress strives to create tax refSenate Finance Committees new blank slaall expenditures, credits, and deductionsthe charitable deductionwill be stripped code before being added back in. It remainwhether or not the charitable deduction willthe reformed tax code. The most likely scenario, however, is noabolition of the charitable deduction. Inmay be a cap on itemized deductions or a the top tax rate. President Obama continuescapping all itemized deductions at 28 percenover $200,000 for individuals or $250,000 Another scenario proposed by the House WayCommittee chairman is a reduction in the top39.6 percent to 25 percent. In both cases, onpercent of households who itemize would be

    Many charitable organizations and advohave lobbied Congress advising against enditable deduction. In 2009, only 27 percent of who itemized claimed the charitable deductime, Congress has yet to present a tax reformfate of the charitable deduction remains mere

    By Melissa Hemken, Foundation Relations Ofcer

    NOLS latest backcountry nutrition research will help students get the most out of their course rations and allow them to make consciousfood choices in the frontcountry.

    INSIDER NEWS

    MANAGING LIGHTNINGBy Madelyn Wigle, Alumni Relations Intern

    Lightning injuries cause the second-highe

    of storm-related deaths in the United Sbackcountry travelers at a high risk for tincident, NOLS has partnered with the NatiService and the National Oceanographic &Administration (NOAA) to complete a nlightning safety. This partnership will allowaccess to the most up-to-date research and s This book is intended to educate NOLbefore, during, and after their courses. Thewider audience. With so many people usinserious lightning potential, NOLS wants trecognize hazardous terrain before the stormand its too late.

    Anyone who uses the backcountry shou

    of the risks lightning poses and have the knavoid those dangerous situations, co-author explained. Avoiding lightning should be anof everyones risk management. Morris experienced the reality of his resewhile visiting Yellowstone National Park in and his parents were at Artists Point oveGrand Canyon of Yellowstone just when thto rumble. With its high, exposed location anrailings, Morris recognized it was probably ththey could be. And with that knowledge, he qgroup to a safer location.

    NOLS backcounty lightning safety boavailable February 2014.

    T r a c y

    B a y n e s

  • 8/13/2019 Friends Fall 2013

    4/5CONTACT US: Phone: (800) 332-4280 Web: www.nols.edu/giving Email: [email protected]

    A gift to NOLS is an investment in the future. By looking forward and planning ahead, weprepare our school for future challenges and scal ebbs and ows.

    From a student in the early 70s to an instructor through the 80s and nally as a board member in the 90s and 2000s, I haveNOLS grow and change while staying true to its core values. NOLS is a terric steward of its funds. With my family, we are psupport the annual fund and the NOLS fundraising efforts, including support for Campaign NOLS.

    Kurt Petersen, NOLS Board of Trustees

    O u r P l a c e o n T h e M a p : C A M P A I G N P R O G R E S S

    $20 MILLION

    $18 MILLION

    $16 MILLION

    $14 MILLION

    $12 MILLION

    $10 MILLION

    $8 MILLION

    $6 MILLION

    $4 MILLION

    $2 MILLION

    $0

    Capstone gift of $750,000

    Remainder to be raised to recieve capstone: $3Current fundraising total: $18, 906,000

    Mid-campaign gift recieved after raising initial $10 million

    Storms on an expedition are inevitable and so, clearly,are the scal ebbs and ows that affect endowments.We believe in what we teach in the eld: the necessityof taking the long view, of looking at the big picture.We recognize that nancial stability happens overtime, not overnight. We also recognize that puttingthe right pieces into place today will foster suchstability down the road.

    Donations to the endowment can include thoseof cash and stock, as well as certain legacy gifts,such as a gif t annuity. Monthly gifts and pledges areboth great ways to leverage your dollars by makinga larger contribution over a longer period of time.Since a pledge can be paid throughout a ve-year pe-riod, what seems like a smaller annual donation willresult in a more signicant contribution over time.The total amount of the pledge is counted towardthe campaign goal, meaning you can do more to

    support leadership and wilderness education todayand spread your payments out. Learn more about theendowment and making a legacy gif t on page 2.

    By supporting NOLS, you are investing in thefuture. We attract highly motivated students whowant to learn how to lead and take those skil ls

    out with them into their communities after theircourses. Our students range in age from 14 to 72and hail from all over the world. These leaders knowthe value of communication. They understandthe importance of giving feedback constructively,embracing it actively, and keeping things positive,

    which allows them to prevent and resolve conictsin their communities. Thanks to donor support, the school was ableto extend that education to students who wouldotherwise be unable to attend, providing over $1.5million in scholarship funding during scal year2013; students like Naomi Greene who came toNOLS through our partner organization GirlTrek.Naomi plans to use her new skills to inspire other

    women and girls of color to step outside of theircomfort zones and challenge their bodies and minds.The challenges of her course can be summed up in

    her description of the day she summited Wind RiverPeak in Wyoming. To keep myself going, I repeated the mantraleft, right as we ascended the 2,000-foot climb.Suddenly, a team member ahead whooped with

    joy. We had made it to the top! That day, I found

    strength inside me that I had not known before. Thank you for all you have done for Naomiall of our scholarship students in the past year. Wyour help, we will be able to continue provithese life-changing experiences to our future lefor many more years to come.

    CAMPAIGN NOLS CONTINUED...

    B e n

    j a m

    i n F o x

    NOLS leaders take their new skills back into their comto affect positive change at home.

    S t e p h a n e

    T e r r

    i e r

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    5/5CONTACT US: Phone: (800) 332-4280 Web: www.nols.edu/giving Email: [email protected]

    The Courage to Take RisksBy Melissa Hemken, Foundation Relations Ofcer

    Carter McBride rst learned about NOLS whilevolunteering with the Boy Scouts of America.He completed the Wood Badge adult leadershiptraining but felt that he still needed more skills tocondently and safely lead youth in the outdoors.This desire to expand his skills brought him toNOLS for a 23-and-over Wind River Wildernesscourse in 2011.

    One of my mentors always says, You cannotlead others unless you truly know yourself and howyou act and/or react during times of stress, adversity,doubt, and failure, McBride said.

    McBride believes that the NOLS experienceplays to all of those characteristics by placingstudents in the wilderness laboratory. His NOLScourse transformed him, teaching him patience,tolerance, and the willingness to open himself up towhat he describes as the truth of understanding.

    Inspired by his own NOLS experience, hewelcomed the idea when his daughter, Chelsea,inquired about taking a course. So, a year afterhis course, Chelsea joined the NOLS family as agraduate of a Wilderness Horsepacking course.

    This past year, Carter had a particularly specialopportunity to show his appreciation and supportfor NOLS as a donor and member of the ExpeditionDenali support team. Expedition Denali set out tobe the rst all-African American team to summitNorth Americas highest peak this summer. Thoughthey did not reach the summit, the team, includingthe support team, is inspiring countless youth ofcolor to get outside and discover the outdoors.

    The experience solidied in my heart and soulthe mantra to never cease to dream, plan, train,execute, dream, he shared.

    Sharing The DreamBy Melissa Hemken, Foundation Relations Ofcer

    O n a NOLS expedition, students learn a lot aboutgroup dynamics, self-awareness, leadership,and backcountry skills. For Anne Kiser, her 2006

    Yukon Outdoor Educator course also taught her theimportance of organization. I lost my bug net the rst day of the hikingsection, Kiser said. For two weeks I had a swollenface because I had so many mosquito bites. I learnedimmediately that there are harsh consequences forbeing a disheveled mess. NOLS provided a structure and focus to Kiserslife that she didnt have previously. It gave her thecondence to start climbing and pursue a loveof skiing, mountaineering, and general outdoorpursuits. It gave me the courage to take risks that I

    wouldnt have taken before, she explained. This adventurous spirit and focus took her

    to Lander, Wyo., where she landed a markeinternship with NOLS, then on to Chile, wheretaught English and also sold wine out of the baa van.

    Its amazing what 25 days in the wildernesdo to a persons soul, Kiser explained, My Nexperience was huge. It changed the course olife. Kiser is grateful to NOLS and gives tannual fund to provide the same experiences to young people. I like to tell people that wilderness makedirty on the outside and clean on the inside.

    Carter McBride pauses to take in the views of the surrounding peaks in Wyomings Wind River Range.

    Today, Carterss donations help provide bothyouth and adults with experiences similar to thetransformation both he and his daughter have had.

    Together, we must make sure that PPetzoldts dream continues to evolve and grCarter declared.

    Annie Kiser tests her chef skills while baking with a twiggy re atNOLS Rocky Mountain.

    I like to tell people that wildernessmakes you dirty on the outside and

    clean on the inside.