Submitted by Community Foundation of South Puget Sound
Generosity is good for everyone, including the giver—especially when the ripple effects of that generosity create positive changes close to home. Give Local South Puget Sound is a chance to “give where you live” and support the many people creating those positive changes here in our own backyard.
Look around and you will find them coming together and doing work that matters to our communities. They’re bringing joy and meals to local seniors or planting native plants along our shorelines to protect salmon and the health of our waters. They provide fun opportunities for kids to learn and engage with books, music, art and technology. They’re building homes, planting gardens, feeding the hungry, and creating countless opportunities for human connection.
Much of this work happens because of our local nonprofits. In fact, there’s a good chance that whatever local cause you care about here, there’s a nonprofit not far down the road working on that very thing.
But how do you find and support them? One of the easiest and most effective ways is Give Local—our region’s own online giving campaign hosted every November by the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound. Everything about Give Local is designed to make giving inclusive, effective and fun.
The Community Foundation and generous Give Local sponsors cover credit card and other fees so 100% of donations go directly to local nonprofits. The $100,000 Give Local bonus fund also boosts every gift with a proportional match, so every dollar goes further than usual to make life better for people in our communities.
Give Local 2021 is happening November 8-19 and participating is easy. Simply visit the South Puget Sound Give Local website during Give Local to learn about and give to nonprofits serving our Thurston, Lewis, and Mason County communities. It’s the perfect way to support a local nonprofit you love or to find and connect with a new one.
“We started Give Local based on two simple ideas,” says Mindie Reule, Community Foundation president & CEO. “The first is that generosity is for everyone. We believe giving should be easy and welcoming for every person who wants to share a gift with the community, no matter how much they can give. The second idea is that we can all do so much more for our communities when we come together than any of us can do alone.”
Those ideas have flourished through Give Local. What began as a small, invite-only online crowdfunding campaign that raised just over $120,000 for 50 local nonprofits in its first year has grown into a vibrant, community-wide event that raised over $520,000 for 80 nonprofits in 2020—despite the hardships that year.
In fact, some of Give Local 2020’s success was a direct response to those hardships. When the Community Foundation created Give Local in 2017, they had no idea how big the needs would eventually be or how relevant the online giving platform would become.
“Last year was a hard year for nonprofits,” says Reule. “So many in-person fundraising events were cancelled, but the needs in our communities grew. Give Local gave people a safe and easy way to still show up for their neighbors and give. That created a lot of hope in a difficult year.”
Give Local 2021 is the 5th annual Give Local, and with 93 participating nonprofits—the most participants yet. This is no surprise since the needs continue to grow.
“People still need support,” says Daisha Versaw, Community Foundation director of community programs. “Whether its soaring construction costs that put home repairs out of reach, increased domestic violence, or more young people in mental health crisis, the needs are staggering. But, together, the South Puget Sound has enough love and generosity to meet those needs and keep our communities strong.”
If you are someone who wants to share your love and generosity with your community, then Give Local 2021 is for you. The Community Foundation invites everyone who loves the South Puget Sound to visit South Puget Sound Give Local website from November 8-19. Come learn about a new nonprofit, explore the good work happening here, or find a new place to volunteer. Make a donation—big or little—or help spread the word to support work that matters to you.
