Support the YDST

Only with your support can we achieve our goal and fund crucial strategies related to the 2025 legislative session.

Youth-serving organizations like yours from across the state jointly set our legislative priorities through the Youth Development Strategy Table Leadership Committee. On behalf of our collective work and as the co-chairs of YDST, we ask that you join us in ensuring our strategies can be activated. Please consider investing today to support our collaborative work and cover expenses such as:

  • Youth activation! Our young people are ready to lean into advocacy and we want to support their efforts. This includes ensuring they have the supplies, training, and tools they need to be successful, as well as providing stipends for their time and expertise.
  • YDST Advocacy Day – an important opportunity to make our voices heard at the Capitol. 
  • Supplies and materials to promote the YDST and our policy priorities.
  • Focus groups and regional meetings. 
  • Marketing and outreach. 

The YDST provides advocacy support for expanded learning, mentoring, and wrap-around programs and the professionals who make these programs a reality. Our legislative goal has been laser-focused on bringing recognition to the field and creating an equitable and sustainable funding model. In the past year, we have successfully: 

  • Garnered new legislative champions for youth development priorities.
  • Increased participation in advocacy through action alerts with 5,294 emails sent to legislators.
  • Saw the passing of the $100,000 youth development capacity building program in the Senate.
  • Partnered with OSPI to include $10,000,000 for youth development grants in the 2025 decision package. 
  • Engaged youth in advocacy efforts, including youth speakers at Advocacy Day.
  • Built awareness of the YDST among policy-makers and providers.
  • Increased coalition members, amplifying our power and voice.

To reach our goal of $25,000, we are asking members to contribute according to their size and capacity.

There are over 150 organizations represented on the YDST and if half of you contribute the suggested amount, we will exceed our goal! We are grateful for whatever you can share. Below are suggestions based on budget size (basically we suggest that you provide $1of support to YDST for every $1,000 of your budget). 

< $250,000 = $25-$250
$250,000 – $500,000 = $250-$500
$500,000 – $1,000,000 = $500-$1,000
> $1,000,000 = $1,000 or more

To make an investment, please click this link. NOTE: In the form, there’s a question that asks, ‘This Donation is in Honor Of’. In that box type ‘YDST’. That will direct the funding into the YDST-related accounts. 

To make a contribution after the new year, click here to make a pledge and you can make your donation anytime in 2025. 

If you want to know more about any of the activities listed, have ideas for the YDST, or just want to connect, we are here for you! Feel free to email Katya at katya@washingtonclubs.org or Claire at claire@djhcc.org. 

School’s Out Washington (SOWA) is fully committed to facilitating the YDST to advocate for equitable and sustainable funding for the youth development field in our state.  As the backbone organization, SOWA budgets $100,000 annually toward the YDST advocacy and lobbying efforts. SOWA’s own fundraising efforts will support our policy and advocacy work through the YDST by covering staff, a contract lobbyist, and marketing staff and support.

Our fundraising goal of $25,000 will support key additional strategies such as stipends and travel expenses for youth and providers, food costs, supplies, and special events. These critical activities rely on the contribution of dedicated members like you, and cannot happen if we don’t raise the necessary funds. These critical activities rely on the contribution of dedicated members like you, and cannot happen if we don’t raise the necessary funds.