Just months ago, the future of the historic Woman's Club of Spokane was uncertain. Precarious, even.
The nonprofit on Spokane's lower South Hill found itself, like so many local organizations, struggling to regain momentum lost during COVID and to generate enough revenue to pay bills. This was compounded by a host of other recent issues: allegations of embezzlement, flood damage, and upset neighbors after a homeless shelter moved in.
A completely new slate of board members had recently taken over leadership of the club in June and were still figuring out just how dire its financial situation really was. Their greatest fear was that the 117-year-old service-oriented organization would be forced to sell the historic brick building it's called home at the corner of Ninth Avenue and Walnut Street for more than a century.
"I'd say our big issues were, No. 1, financial — just making money. We were pretty broke," says Suzy Kuhner, board president of the Woman's Club. "And then having a stable board, and membership was very low. We had about 16 [members] in April. We had some pretty big issues that we had to deal with, like taxes with the IRS that hadn't been filed."
"But with all of those issues, we've made a lot of progress," she adds.
Today, the Woman's Club's six-person board of directors feels much more secure in its longtime home, thanks in large part to two successful fundraisers, a vintage fashion exhibit and clothing sale in May, and a local craft beer fest in August. Money raised from both, plus other donations, was used to pay down part of a $50,000 line of credit against the building, taken out before the pandemic as an emergency fund. That debt is the main reason the club has been at risk of a forced sale.
Kuhner, who is a resident of the Cliff-Cannon neighborhood where the club's located, directed her attention to the Woman's Club in spring 2021, when the organization was in the midst of a rather contentious dispute. One of the club's then board members had mistakenly handed over the building's keys — despite no formal agreement having been made — to local nonprofit Jewels Helping Hands, which planned to rent the facility as a temporary homeless shelter.
The ordeal made headlines when neighbors complained of problems connected with the building's use as a temporary shelter, and because Jewels Helping Hands refused to vacate the property when asked by the club's board.
Separately, Kuhner says, there's evidence that just before the COVID pandemic, an individual involved with the club was embezzling money. The Woman's Club's current board is still unsure of exactly how much money may have been stolen because the club's accounting was so poorly documented at the time. The person is no longer associated with the club, and no criminal charges were filed.
Yet another cause of the nonprofit's recent financial stress was its loss of rental income from private events like weddings and classes, all paused during the pandemic, but the storm of bad fortune didn't end there. Most of its reserve funds, about $20,000, were depleted after the building's basement flooded, requiring costly asbestos abatement during cleanup, in addition to that $50,000 borrowed against the property.
Despite all of these recent tribulations, the Woman's Club's current leaders are optimistic. While their to-do list is long, they're propelled by recent success in fundraising and member recruitment. Its roster is now up to nearly 50 members.
The vintage fashion sale and exhibit during Mother's Day weekend, made possible in partnership with a local couple who were liquidating their personal collection, raised about $3,500, while also spreading word that the Woman's Club was bouncing back.
"That was huge for us," says Mary Reidy, the club's recording secretary. "People are excited to come in and talk about their memories, and it was just such a positive thing. We met people who went to kindergarten here in the 1940s and '50s, had weddings, and people who've gone to dance classes here. And people wanted to contribute."
"In fact, one of our board members came after the vintage fashion sale," Reidy adds.
That member is Emily Grizzell, now the club's membership secretary. Since joining in May, she's already started a new book club.
"I just walked in and talked to Josette [Crawford, the club's vice president] for like five minutes, and she was so energetic about the club and the possibilities," Grizzell says. "And I was like yeah, this place needs and deserves our love."
Crawford also recalls sharing the idea that with new leadership comes an opportunity to rethink the club's focus.
"Coming out of COVID, we can really decide what the Woman's Club is going to be," adds Kuhner, the club's president. "It doesn't have to be what it was 10 years ago, 100 years ago — it can really be something that's meaningful to women now."
The Woman's Club of Spokane was founded in 1905 and is a member of the nationwide General Federation of Women's Clubs. One of the city's earliest philanthropic groups, the club started Spokane's first day care, charging working women 5 cents a day for child care, and later housed its first kindergarten. Women's clubs like it around the U.S. are long-standing civic hubs for education, leadership and philanthropy, and even political reform, such as during the women's suffrage movement.

As part of its mission, the Woman's Club currently offers use of its space free-of-charge to various community groups, including local refugee women needing a gathering space to socialize and learn new skills for success in their adopted home.
"Pingala Dhital, who's with Refugee Connections Spokane and had been a member, had this idea percolating to start a group for Afghani women because they're so socially isolated here," Reidy says. "And because of their social mores and culture, she had a hard time finding a place where the husbands felt it was safe and where the women felt safe, but the Woman's Club is perfect. This is a really important way for them to start making connections."
Other groups that regularly use the building include the Spokane Folklore Society, which hosts its biweekly contra dance in the main ballroom, along with Woodside Swing dance group. The venue is available to rent for $100 to $200 an hour depending on how much space is reserved. Popular uses are weddings, parties and meetings. The board hopes to start offering more casual, social events soon, and their next big public fundraiser, a Valentine's swing dance, is set for Feb. 11.
Membership, which is open to any gender, in the Woman's Club is $50 a year. Members are asked to volunteer 2.5 hours at the club every three months, whether by helping organize and host events, or other projects like gardening to keep the club grounds beautiful. Interested members can apply online, and anyone can donate to help keep the club going.
The Woman's Club "has an impact on the lower South Hill, and if we lost this building or it became a law office or just sat empty, I mean, what would be the implications of that?" Kuhner asks.
"So we refuse," Crawford, the vice president, interjects. "And as tired as we are, we are moving forward with faith and with determination, and knowing it's going to work." ♦