A Guide to Great Giving

Transcription

1 A Guide to Great Giving For the last three years, #GivingTuesday has challenged individuals and communities to make the world a better place through generosity. The simple act of giving not only helps others, but also fundamentally connects you to the human family and nourishes a generous community spirit. This year, we want to continue to place emphasis on the concept of great giving. Essentially, this means giving smarter, giving more creatively and giving in a way that is most beneficial for you and the causes closest to your heart. This toolkit includes some great resources to help you: 1. Identify charities to give to; 2. Research the impact of your gift; and 3. Learn new ideas to sustain your gift and to become more involved with the charity you support. Feel free to use each section of the toolkit as you prepare for #GivingTuesday. Share with your friends, your staff, and your community to learn how to give smarter and how to give great.

2 Great Giving Begins with You There are a number of charities to give to, but it is important to know about the nonprofit you support. With a little research and by using the tools below- - you can learn the best methods to give smarter, more strategically, and with the most impact. Do you know which charity you would like to support? If YES, YOU KNOW THE NONPROFIT YOU WANT TO SUPPORT, than get to know them better. You should: Make sure they are a registered 501c3 charity Go to the organization's website and download their 990 form for their latest financial statements. It is important to know that the charity you support is in good economic standing and has all of its records up to date. Check out their GuideStar profile or Charity Navigator ranking Read reviews about the nonprofit on GreatNonprofits (or write a review about them!) Stop by the organization's offices and talk to their staff Volunteer to learn more about the programs you support Call, , or ask the organization about past results and measurements If NO and you need some help finding a charity to give to, that's OK! If you know the cause you would like to support, there are a number of search engines and tools to help you find the perfect organization to give to, including: America's Charities, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, Federal Trade Commission, Foundation Center, GiveWell, GreatNonprofits, Guidestar, Network for Good, You can also use the #GivingTuesday Community to search for specific organizations and explore causes by using our Search all Partners and Groups tools. And after you make your donation, remember to Tweet, post and share about how much you love your nonprofit and appreciate what they do!

3 Maximizing the Impact of Your Gift Great giving is about more than just dollars; it is also about making sure that your donation is sustainable year after year in order to create positive change. When you see long- term progress being made in the causes you care about, you can take ownership over becoming a part of the solution. Before you donate, ask yourselves the following questions: How much can I afford to give? Budget for the following year to make your gift an annual donation. You can also pledge a smaller donation and give regularly (monthly or once- a- quarter). How will my donation be used? Research the charity's website and read their donation pages to see if 100% of your gift will be going to the program you are supporting. Make sure you select the exact program you would like to donate to; otherwise, give an unrestricted gift to provide general program support and to help with overhead costs. You can always call the organization's Development department to learn more about their budget and funding needs, or look on this site to learn more about overhead and donations. Am I using my credit card to give? Did you know that many major credit cards collect fees when processing online donations? In 2013, banks make over $430 Million dollars in fees from profits donations. Call your credit card company and ask about the fees associated with your gift and ask if they are doing a special promotion for #GivingTuesday. And remember to check the box when asked to cover the fees for your nonprofit! Many online donation pages are adding this feature and a few extra dollars is a huge help to the organization you are supporting! Am I donating through a middleman or giving platform? Look at the website you are using to donate. Is this page created by a third party? If so, they may be keeping a percentage of your gift to cover processing fees some even 10% or more of your donation. Call your nonprofit to learn about the best ways to donate or if there are any special campaigns you can support to ensure that the most of your gift goes to the charity. Does your company match your gift? Many major companies provide employee match giving programs that automatically double your gift. Ask your Human Resources department to learn more or check out this great tool by Double the Donation to search for your company for #GivingTuesday. Also, this year, CECP is moving International Corporate Philanthropy Day to #GivingTuesday. Check out the ideas and tips from CECP to get your company involved.

4 Sustaining Your Gift Giving does not stop with your donation. There are many ways you can continue to give and sustain your gift over time. Idea 1: Budget for next year. Become an annual supporter by budgeting to give again the following year. Pledge to give recurring gifts over the next week. Every dollar counts. Idea 2: Keep in touch with the charity you support. Join their mailing list and receive the latest updates about the charity's programs and progress. Visit the organization and talk to the staff tell them about why you support what they do and thank them for their work. Idea 3: Volunteer. Giving does not have to be just about the dollars. You can give your time by volunteering and using your service time to learn more about the organization. You can also get your friends and colleagues to join you and provide you with the opportunity to learn more about your philanthropic interests. Idea 4: Lend your voice. Ask the organization if you could be an ambassador for their cause by Tweeting or posting in support of their programs. Getting social can go a long way and help introduce the charity to new donors and volunteers in your network. Idea 5: Create a giving circle. Giving circles are a new form of participatory philanthropy where groups of individuals donate to a pooled fund and decide together the charity and cause to support. It is a great way to bring people together and to increase your awareness of and engagement in local charities. Check out this great Giving Circles toolkit created by NewAnthropy, the organization leading the #GiveTogetherOK movement in Oklahoma. For additional ideas, read this interesting article from Yahoo about Giving Circles in the workplace.

5 Advisers and Partners to Help You Give Great America's Charities, Association of Fundraising Professionals, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Blackbaud, CECP, Charities Aid Foundation, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, DonorPerfect, Federal Trade Commission, Foundation Center, GlobalGiving, GiveWell, GreatNonprofits, Guidestar, Microsoft, National Center for Family Philanthropy, Network for Good, NewAnthropy, circles TechSoup Global, Twitter, UpLift, VolunteerMatch,