Charles Dickens forever changed the holiday season with his message of giving to those in need and focusing on community over profit. As we enter this holiday season, post-pandemic and mid-inflation, there are plenty in our own communities that could use a bit of extra help. Start your holiday gift giving with a donation to Give Local South Puget Sound, an initiative of the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound November 7 – 18, 2022.
The Gift That Keeps on Giving for Thurston County Nonprofits
With over 100 participating nonprofits, you can choose one that speaks to you to donate this holiday season. Or maybe you need a gift for that person who has everything, or wants nothing. A donation in someone’s name is an amazing holiday gift that you know won’t be returned or end up in a landfill.
The monies raised help local nonprofits accomplish their missions throughout the year. “When we look at the impact of Give Local over the last five years, it’s easy to see the quantifiable numbers,” shares Mary Lam, philanthropy and communications officer for Community Foundation of South Puget Sound. “For example, our communities have raised $2.1 Million in support of about 100 local nonprofits. What is much harder to measure is the ripple effect of generosity as individuals connect with nonprofits that further the causes they most care about, and what that exposure means for each nonprofit’s work.”
And, what makes Give Local even more powerful is the $100,000 Bonus Fund provided by the Dawkins Charitable Trust. During Give Local, each charity gets a proportion of the Bonus Fund, depending on how much they raise during the Give Local campaign. It’s just another way your gift keeps on giving.
“Give Local is a platform for us to share our story and a powerful reminder of the generosity in our community,” says Carly Colgan, chief executive officer for South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity. “For us, it is the start of our year-end giving campaign and a great way to showcase and raise funds for some of our lesser-known programs and initiatives. Everyone knows that housing is an urgent need in our community, and Give Local helps us address the lack of affordable housing by introducing new donors to our work.”
Discover Thurston County Nonprofits
Browse the Give Local South Puget Sound website to learn about 100 nonprofits, some you may have never heard of. “Give Local, and the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound connected our organization to a community of folks that we would have taken years to find,” shares Andre Bouchard, executive creative producer of Indigenous Performance Productions. “Our outreach can be less visible as it connects to specific groups of people, such as Native American youth. The Give Local campaign helped us find people who are passionate about our work so that we could begin forming relationships with them. This connection has helped to deepen our impact by spreading the word.”
Nonprofits Win with Give Local Donations
“We started Give Local based on two simple ideas,” shares Mindie Reule, president and CEO for Community Foundation of South Puget Sound. “The first is that generosity is for everyone. We believe giving should be accessible 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.”
It does not matter if you can give $5 or $500, it all adds up. That’s the beauty of Give Local. Every person can help make a difference for their neighbors in need in Thurston County. In fact, in 2021, 80% of the donations were under $200. And every cent goes to the nonprofits – credit card and platform fees are covered by generous sponsors – so you truly know where your money is going.
To paraphrase Scrooge, let’s honor the holidays in our hearts and keep it all the year. A gift through Give Local does just that for thousands in need in our community. Head to the Give local website November 7-18 to make your donations.
Community Foundation of South Puget Sound would like to extend a special thanks to our Give Local 2022 sponsors: The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation and Lucky Eagle, Dawkins
Charitable Trust, KXXO Mixx 96.1, LewisTalk, Olympia Federal Savings, ThurstonTalk, TwinStar Credit Union, Union Bank, VanSchoorl Consulting, WSECU, 94.5 Roxy and other private sponsors.
