Giving local is another part of the picture
Published on Wed, Nov 18, 2009 by Beckye RandallRead More Voices
We've been banging on the "Buy Local" drum pretty heavily these past few months, reminding readers about the benefits of keeping sales tax revenues flowing into local city coffers and supporting unique, homegrown businesses.
As the season of giving approaches, it seemed to be an appropriate time to talk about keeping our charitable dollars local as well.
It doesn't take fancy graphs and pie charts to understand that contributions to non-profit agencies are down for the second year in a row. The economy has dealt a harsh blow across the board, even affecting those philanthropists who typically bear a large load in supporting non-profits.
In 2008, Giving USA reported that charitable contributions were down 5.7 percent from the year before, the largest drop recorded since the group began keeping track. Individual giving, with is by far the largest component of charitable contributions, declined by nearly 3 percent, and corporate donations dropped by 4.5 percent.
Again, these numbers come as no surprise. It's harder and harder to reach out to others when you've lost your job or your business has suffered a severe downturn. The agencies and organizations that depend on donations have tightened their belts, just like everyone else, and are doing more with less.
Still, each of us can be mindful about the needs of our communities when we are able to spare some change for charity, and make sure that our dollars are staying near home.
And while the focus this time of the year is understandably on providing food and holiday gifts for those less fortunate, it's also important to remember those local organizations that contribute to our quality of life through the arts, educational efforts and services that reach out to troubled youth, vulnerable seniors and veterans among others.
'Tis the season to give. And to ensure your gift has the most direct impact, seek out opportunities to support local organizations that enhance our own backyard. Helping non-profits thrive in your community is a gift that comes full circle with programming, services and activities that benefit us all.
As the season of giving approaches, it seemed to be an appropriate time to talk about keeping our charitable dollars local as well.
It doesn't take fancy graphs and pie charts to understand that contributions to non-profit agencies are down for the second year in a row. The economy has dealt a harsh blow across the board, even affecting those philanthropists who typically bear a large load in supporting non-profits.
In 2008, Giving USA reported that charitable contributions were down 5.7 percent from the year before, the largest drop recorded since the group began keeping track. Individual giving, with is by far the largest component of charitable contributions, declined by nearly 3 percent, and corporate donations dropped by 4.5 percent.
Again, these numbers come as no surprise. It's harder and harder to reach out to others when you've lost your job or your business has suffered a severe downturn. The agencies and organizations that depend on donations have tightened their belts, just like everyone else, and are doing more with less.
Still, each of us can be mindful about the needs of our communities when we are able to spare some change for charity, and make sure that our dollars are staying near home.
And while the focus this time of the year is understandably on providing food and holiday gifts for those less fortunate, it's also important to remember those local organizations that contribute to our quality of life through the arts, educational efforts and services that reach out to troubled youth, vulnerable seniors and veterans among others.
'Tis the season to give. And to ensure your gift has the most direct impact, seek out opportunities to support local organizations that enhance our own backyard. Helping non-profits thrive in your community is a gift that comes full circle with programming, services and activities that benefit us all.
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North County Voices
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