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GiveLocalNow
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The GiveLocalNow movement hopes to inspire regional residents to turn their community pride into stronger financial support for the local nonprofit organizations that lift up lives, offer food and shelter, and create the civic amenities that we often take for granted.
The story behind GiveLocalNow began with the Foundation and 16 other local funders, who wanted an answer to the question – how charitable are we as a community and how do we compare to the rest of the country? The project commissioned extensive research into local practices and attitudes about giving, which showed definitively that we are behind the national average in some key areas – the number of people giving and the average amount of annual gifts. The research also showed that while 91% of those surveyed believe that it is important to give locally, only 63% actually do so.
To close that gap, a three-year marketing and public awareness campaign was launched in September, 2011 to encourage more people to give more, and give locally. At the end of the campaign, the research will be repeated to see if our region has responded to the call to support our local nonprofits and ensure a vibrant region well into the future. If we could just get to average as a region, we would be adding $250 million each year to their vital work. Just imagine what this would mean to our regional schools, open spaces, safety-net services and cultural life. So, let’s get beyond average!