George and Sheila Saul’s story begins far from Whidbey Island—in Ithaca, New York, where they met in ninth grade. After Sheila graduated from Cornell and George from West Point, they married in 1973 and spent the next 37 years building a life of service. George served in the Infantry before transitioning into a long career working in technology companies, while Sheila taught in classrooms across the U.S. and Germany before focusing on raising their two sons. In 2010, they retired to Penn Cove and quickly immersed themselves in the community. Over the past 15 years, they have become deeply woven into the fabric of Whidbey Island through extensive hands-on volunteerism, leadership, and philanthropy.
At WCF, George serves on the Board of the Whidbey Community Foundation and on the Development & Donor Relations Committee, helping strengthen the very organization they’ve chosen as their philanthropic homeroom. The board and staff at WCF are grateful for George’s leadership on the board and how he models his generosity through volunteerism, financial support, and legacy giving.
What Drew Them to the Whidbey Community Foundation
For George and Sheila, partnering with WCF felt like a natural extension of their values: community-rooted, practical, and focused on long-term impact. They appreciate that WCF offers “one‑stop convenience” for giving—both now and after they’re gone. As George often says, WCF is the trusted partner that helps answer all the “What‑ifs?” of charitable planning: What if an organization closes? What if community needs shift? What if they want to update their plans without revising their trust or will? WCF provides the flexibility, stewardship, and local insight they were looking for.
Their Donor Advised Fund: A Tool for Impact Today
The Sauls established a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) at WCF in March 2020 to simplify and strengthen their giving. After years of donating directly to nonprofits, they found that DAF allowed them to maximize their charitable impact—bundling gifts for tax efficiency, contributing appreciated stock without capital gains, and keeping all their charitable receipts in one place. They love the ease of WCF’s online portal, the ability to support Whidbey nonprofits with a few clicks, and the way their DAF serves as a bridge to their legacy plans. One of their first gifts was to support an early childhood reading program at Sno‑Isle Libraries in honor of George’s mother—a meaningful example of how the DAF helps them give both intention and flexibility.
The Whidbey Veterans Job Assistance Fund: Removing Barriers to Employment
In 2023, George and Sheila launched the Whidbey Veterans Job Assistance Program, through a fund held at WCF and administered by the Opportunity Council. Inspired by their fathers—both WWII Army veterans—they created this fund that helps local veterans and their spouses overcome last mile barriers to securing full‑time employment. The program covers practical needs such as childcare, licensing fees, tools, transportation, or other expenses that stand between a veteran family and a job offer. For the Sauls, this work reflects a core belief: just as early literacy is foundational for children, stable employment is foundational for adults striving for self-sufficiency. The program began as a pilot and will be endowed upon their passing, ensuring that veteran families on Whidbey receive this support for generations to come. They invite the community to support this work by giving here.
Legacy Planning: Keeping It Simple, Keeping It Local
When it came time to update their estate plans, George and Sheila approached the process with clarity and purpose. They decided to leave a finite amount to their sons—enough to support their own meaningful contributions in their communities—and to leave much of the remainder to Whidbey environmental and educational organizations and their Vet Job Assistance Program primarily through their family DAF at WCF and to educational programs at Skagit Valley College Foundation. Their WCF Fund Agreement outlines exactly how they want their legacy gifts distributed, including specific bequests to several organizations on and off Whidbey and instructions for WCF to invest the remaining funds into its annual grantmaking program and the WCF Forever Fund, an endowment to support the sustainability of the foundation. They appreciate that when they want to make changes, they simply call WCF—no attorney required. For them, WCF is the tool that makes legacy giving both simple and deeply personal.
Advice to Other Donors
George and Sheila often share that philanthropy doesn’t need to be complicated. Whether establishing a DAF or beginning legacy planning, they encourage donors to start by reflecting on the values and outcomes they care about most. They’ve learned that hands-on volunteering creates deep impact but doesn’t always scale—so they use their financial resources to support education and employment, two areas that empower people toward long-term self-sufficiency. They also encourage donors to reflect upon how much to leave to children or other family members, how to support the community, and how to create a plan that can adapt over time.
Encouraging Others to Partner with WCF
For friends and neighbors considering how to structure their giving, George and Sheila offer simple advice: entrust WCF to help carry out your philanthropic intentions. They value WCF’s local knowledge, its ability to steward funds responsibly, and its commitment to honoring donor intent—now and in the future. They see WCF as a partner that makes giving easier, more strategic, and more impactful.
Their Wish for WCF’s Next 10 Years
If you are looking for a long term, forever-partner, dedicated to improving the quality of life on Whidbey Island, you can’t go wrong teaming up with the Whidbey Community Foundation.
Learn how Whidbey Community Foundation can support your philanthropic interests
For a decade, Whidbey Community Foundation has stood alongside nonprofits, donors, and community leaders as a committed partner in strengthening our island. Through shared vision, responsive grantmaking, and collaborative initiatives, WCF has helped local organizations thrive and meet emerging needs with confidence. As we mark ten years, we celebrate the partnerships that make meaningful change possible—and reaffirm our commitment to walking with our community, every step of the way.
Contact HollyH@whidbeyfoundation.org to discuss your philanthropic interests.
“The Whidbey Community Foundation offers us 1-stop convenience for our charitable giving. It is a convenient partner to help us distribute charitable giving while we are alive and it will serve as a trusted partner to carry out our legacy-giving after we die.”
~ George and Sheila Saul