About

Spur was founded in April 2016 by Wood River Valley community members interested in improving philanthropy in the area, on both an individual and communal level. Understanding the importance of the nonprofit sector to the economy, the community's needs, and local quality of life, Spur’s founders recognized how the Wood River Valley could benefit from a curator of philanthropic opportunity.

Spur is designed to facilitate giving by simplifying the donor experience and the landscape of opportunities while helping nonprofits thoughtfully increase their efficiency and impact.

Our Mission

Spur’s mission is to inspire effective philanthropy for the Wood River Valley.

We seek to:

  • Expand funding to the nonprofit sector
  • Assist donors with giving purposefully and impactfully
  • Foster excellence and accountability in nonprofits

Why "Spur"?

Our name, Spur, references three facets of our role and connection to the Wood River Valley:

  • “Spur” implies the role of catalyst for making things happen, and our goal is to spur along both donors and nonprofits to better support the community.
  • A “spur” is a slightly pointed instrument to encourage motion when something is at a standstill, and we are not afraid to dig in to instigate change.
  • Sun Valley was originally serviced by a “spur” line of the Union Pacific Railroad, providing the foundation for the community that we service today.

Our Vision

We have a new vision for giving:

A vision that all members of our community are invested in its future, each bringing what he or she has to offer to ensure the Wood River Valley will always be a prospering place to live and visit.

Spur is the first community foundation established specifically to benefit the Wood River Valley, working with both donors and nonprofits to connect visions to the resources that can make them a reality.

We exist to nurture and protect the Wood River Valley by making broader impact possible. Our operating costs are underwritten by our board, advisors, and a limited number of donors so that 100% of donor contributions can go directly to local causes.

Together, we can fully realize what it means to share this place—to be intentional stewards of the Wood River Valley.

Arrow pointing upwards

We have a new vision for giving.

A vision that all members of our community are invested in its future, each bringing what he or she has to offer to ensure the Wood River Valley will always be a prospering place to live and visit.

Spur is the first community foundation established specifically to benefit the Wood River Valley, working with both donors and nonprofits to connect visions to the resources that can make them a reality.

We exist to nurture and protect the Wood River Valley by making broader impact possible. Our operating costs are completely underwritten by donations from our board and advisors so that 100% of donor dollars go directly to the cause.

Together, we can fully realize what it means to share this place—to be intentional stewards of the Wood River Valley. 

We are a Catalyst

We Live Excellence

We Care for the Whole Community

We are a Trusted Resource

We are Nimble

Emotional
Storytelling
People
Intimate
Nonprofit
Rational
data
place
epic
donor

Team

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Tim Wolff, President
Erik Boe, Treasurer, Secretary
Peggy Baker
Jonathan Neeley
Carol Nie
Britt Palmedo

STAFF

Sally Gillespie, Executive Director
Sally@SpurFoundation.org
(208) 450-2607

Luis Alberto Lecanda, Database and Reporting Associate
Luis@SpurFoundation.org

Tara Burchmore, Communications and Operations Associate
Tara@SpurFoundation.org

Advisors

Jack Anderson
Barbara Boswell
Bob Disbrow
John Dondero
Peter Palmedo
John Perenchio
Steve Rivera
Steve Shafran
Lisa Stelck
Dave Tedesco
Willy & Sheila Walker
Gabriela Murgatroyd Wehner
Mary Wilson

Team

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Tim Wolff, President
Erik Boe, Treasurer, Secretary
Peggy Baker
Jonathan Neeley
Carol Nie
Britt Palmedo

STAFF

Sally Gillespie, Executive Director
Sally@SpurFoundation.org
(208) 450-2607

Luis Alberto Lecanda, Database and Reporting Associate
Luis@SpurFoundation.org

Tara Burchmore, Communications and Operations Associate
Tara@SpurFoundation.org

Advisors

Jack Anderson
Barbara Boswell
Bob Disbrow
John Dondero
Peter Palmedo
John Perenchio
Steve Rivera
Steve Shafran
Lisa Stelck
Dave Tedesco
Willy & Sheila Walker
Gabriela Murgatroyd Wehner
Mary Wilson

Meet the staff

Sally Gillespie

Executive Director
sally@spurfoundation.org(208) 450-2607

Sally has spent over 24 years in the Wood River Valley’s nonprofit sector, and now takes the reins at Spur to engage investment minded philanthropists with the community’s greatest needs. She works with nonprofits and donors to allow Spur to inspire effective philanthropy. She lives in Sun Valley with her two children.

Alison Forbes Van Hook

Nonprofit Services Director
alison@spurfoundation.org

Alison has been working in the nonprofit sector for 20 years. Before moving to Idaho, she served as an Executive Director, Development Officer and fundraising and strategic planning consultant for nonprofits in Los Angeles, CA. Since moving to Sun Valley in 2016, she has continued to raise support and awareness for nonprofit organizations working as a Development Director and a strategic planning consultant in the Wood River and Treasure Valleys. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University and a Master's in Education from Harvard University. In addition, Alison completed the Annenberg Foundation’s Alchemy+ Nonprofit Leadership Program.

Anna Parker

Donor Services Manager
anna@spurfoundation.org

Anna has been active in the Wood River Valley nonprofit sector for the past 12 years and brings a wealth of experience in fundraising, donor relations, and database management. Anna was most recently part of the development team at Sun Valley Community School, serving as their Database Manager and Development Associate. In her previous role at Sun Valley Museum of Art, she served first as Donor Relations Officer from 2018-19, and then as Director of Development from 2019- 2020. From 2015-17, Anna served as the Director of Development for The Advocates where she oversaw all fundraising events, annual giving campaigns, and worked on the initial phases of their capital campaign. From 2007-2015, she worked for Carson International as a Project Coordinator. Anna holds a B.S. in Secondary Education from University of Portland.

Wendi Gaspers

Operations Manager
wendi@spurfoundation.org

Wendi has a diverse professional background in banking, marketing, branding, finance, and operations management. She moved to Sun Valley in late 2020 from Arizona but is originally a Seattle native.

Meet our Board

Carol Nie

President of the Board

Carol Nie joined Spur in 2016 and heads Spur’s Grants Committee. She is a dedicated member of the Wood River Valley community, serving as a founding member of the Wood River Women’s Foundation and Board Chair of the Sun Valley Music Festival for eight years. She founded the Festival Music Institute and was instrumental in the development of the Sun Valley Pavilion. Currently, she is a Board Member of Opera Idaho, an Advisory Board Member of the Sun Valley Museum of Art, and a Member of the Idaho Chapter of the International Women’s Forum. Carol has two grown daughters and two granddaughters, and she received her undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and her M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

‍Erik Boe

Treasurer & Secretary

Erik Boe has lived in the Sun Valley area since 1993 and enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter. He has served on the board of the Idaho Conservation League, the Environmental Resource Center and the YMCA of the Wood River Valley’s finance committee. Currently, he serves on the Galena Trails Advisory Board in addition to his role with Spur. He works at Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC and attended the University of Oregon.

Tim Wolff

Founder & Board Member

Tim Wolff founded Spur in 2017 to elevate the effectiveness of nonprofits and to help donors make intelligent investment decisions in the social sector. Tim is passionate about positively impacting the Wood River Valley and loves spending time with family and friends skiing, biking, hiking, reading, and studying. Tim has spent over 30 years in private equity and real estate investment and development. He is a graduate of the University of Washington and Harvard Business School’s OPM Program and founder of the Scottsdale, AZ YPO chapter.

Lyndsay Lyle

Board Member

Lyndsay Lyle joined Spur in 2021 as an advisor before joining the board in 2022. She loves recreating in the Wood River Valley and can often be found out on the trails running or skate skiing with her husband, Christopher, and their three children in tow. Lyndsay is a Managing Partner at Skyline Capital, a family office focused on supporting and investing in high growth businesses. She was previously YouTube’s Director of User Operations, where she oversaw global operations for YouTube's viewers and content creators. Prior to YouTube she led business operations for two of Google’s consumer marketplaces, Google Helpouts and Google Offers, and prior to that worked for Williams-Sonoma and The Boston Consulting Group. Lyndsay has her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Duke University, where she sits on the Board of Visitors, and her MBA from Harvard Business School.

Jonathan Neeley

Board Member

Jonathan Neeley has lived in the Wood River Valley with his wife and two children since the late 90s. He is the President and CEO of BRIO Investment Group, an active investor in the real estate and various equity markets, and has a broad range of business experience, including serving as President of Maintenance Warehouse, a subsidiary of The Home Depot Company, and founder of Aqua Investors. He has previously served on the board of Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, including as its President.

Britt Palmedo

Board Member

Britt Palmedo has been an active and engaged community member in the Wood River Valley since 1989, dedicating over twenty years of service to local nonprofit boards, including The Community Library, The Sun Valley Summer Symphony (Sun Valley Music Festival), The Sun Valley Center for the Arts (Sun Valley Museum of Art) and St. Luke’s Hospital Auxiliary. When not attending board meetings, you can find Britt outside with her husband playing golf or tennis, biking, hiking, skiing, or playing in the garden with her four granddaughters. She attended Hampshire College and raised her three children in the Wood River Valley with her husband, Peter.

Lisa Stelck

Board Member

Lisa Stelck is a 27-year resident of Sun Valley where she and her husband raised their two sons, one of whom is now back with his three young children. A graduate of UCLA and Stanford Graduate School of Business, Lisa has worked primarily in the fields of education and real estate. She has served on numerous non-profit boards, most recently as a board member and vice chair of the Sun Valley Museum of Art. Lisa is passionate about our valley and seeks, through her work with Spur, to help it continue to blossom in opportunity, compassion, and community spirit for all who live here.

Mary Wilson

Board Member

Mary DeWitt Wilson joined Spur’s Board of Directors in 2021 after serving as an advisor. She has more than 25 years of experience growing and streamlining business operations as the president of J.E. DeWitt, Inc. After visiting the Wood River Valley in 2018, she quickly decided to make it her full-time home.  Mary has served on the board of Richstone Family Center and is also a member of the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation’s Endowment Board. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing and hiking. Mary graduated from UCLA and has two grown children.

Advisors

‍Peggy Baker

Leslie Benz

Bob Disbrow

John Dondero

Andy Jones

John Perenchio

Peter Palmedo

Trina Peters

Steve Shafran

Steve Rivera

Dave Tedesco

Beverly Tiffany

Bobby Turner

Willy Walker

Gabriela Murgatroyd Wehner

Get Involved

Contact us to learn more about how we can help you give back to the Wood River Valley.
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