The Ford Foundation was once described as “a large body of money…completely surrounded by people who want some.” It’s easy to look at a big pile of silver like a major foundation and think that’s what American philanthropy is all about.
But, actually, philanthropy in the U.S. is not just a story of moguls and big trusts. In fact, it’s not primarily about wealthy people at all.
https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/philanthropy-magazine/article/the-power-of-small-givers
to local nonprofits on giveGreater.org®
giveGreater.org® cards available for the public in November
To drive more local giving, The Community Foundation is launching a two-phase, online giving campaign in October known as I Give It Forward through which $200,000 will be available to match gifts made to local nonprofits on giveGreater.org® - the online knowledge and giving resource for local nonprofits serving Connecticut’s Greater New Haven region.
The Community Foundation is taking a different approach this year by promoting giveGreater.org® through its known donor pool and friends of The Community Foundation instead of directly through the nonprofits, as it did for the 2010 Challenge. I Give It Forward is The Community Foundation’s way of broadening the circle of people who are knowledgeable about the local community and who give locally.
During Phase I of I Give It Forward, gifts made by giveGreater.org donors and friends of The Community Foundation between October 13, 2011 to October 31, 2011 will be matched. They will receive two (2) I Give It Forward giveGreater.org® cards, one for their own use and the other to share with someone who is also passionate about the Greater New Haven community. Both cards can be used for a $50 match when accompanied by a donation of $50 or more to any organization on giveGreater.org.
Phase II of I Give It Forward begins November 7, 2011, coinciding with The Community Foundation’s Annual Meeting, to create a broad movement to give locally. At that time, I Give It Forward giveGreater.org® cards will be available to the public for purchase by making a gift to The Community Foundation. The intent is for people to pass the cards along as gifts to friends, neighbors, colleagues and others to benefit the growing number of local nonprofits on giveGreater.org®. Phase II ends on December 31, 2011; cards must be designated to a nonprofit on giveGreater.org by January 31, 2012. Dollars not designated by the deadline will be distributed as grants.
About giveGreater.org®
giveGreater.org® was launched in 2010 as an online knowledge and giving resource provided by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven in partnership with Guidestar, a leading source of nonprofit information. The website was created to increase giving to local nonprofits by providing one searchable database for people to find, learn about and give to nonprofits serving Connecticut’s Greater New Haven region. As part of the launch, the giveGreater.org® 2010 Challenge was issued to the community encouraging gifts of at least $50 or more between November 1 – December 31, 2010 to nonprofits profiled on giveGreater.org®; to incentivize giving, The Community Foundation allocated $200,000 to be awarded as grant prizes to the nonprofits that met minimum eligibility requirements and received the most number of gifts. More than $500,000 was distributed to local nonprofits through the 2010 Challenge; details of the Challenge are available at www.cfgnh.org. In 2011, giveGreater.org® attracted its first corporate sponsor, Higher One Inc., which conducted an employee matching gift program through the site between the months of July and September.
Since 1928, donors to The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven have built the community’s endowment currently valued at nearly $300 million. In 2010, The Community Foundation’s Board of Directors distributed more than $19 million in grants from over 800 different named charitable funds, supporting a wide range of programs and projects. For more information about The Community Foundation visit www.cfgnh.org.
