Did you know that roughly one-third of all charitable contributions occur between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day? That’s really no surprise: That five-week spring opens with a celebration of gratitude for Earth’s bounty and concludes in a multi-cultural, multi-faith festival of gift-giving around Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Giving is in the crisp, pine-scented December air. Chances are, as a public radio listener, you’re in a giving mood yourself.
Large or small, those charitable gifts support a network of nonprofit organizations, including faith communities, that constitute the beating heart of communities across our region. Our nonprofits provide services ranging from education and health, to support for veterans and seniors, to advocacy for animals and the environment, to arts and culture. By improving the quality of life for countless residents, they make real our boldest dreams and help us realize our highest ambitions.
Our nonprofits also are a significant economic force, together employing several thousand full- and part-time workers. And the work is hard: Nonprofits do work that others avoid, binding up the wounds and advocating for those on society’s margins. And they do it with small staffs, heavily dependent on volunteers who balance devotion to the cause against the demands of busy professional and family lives.
Fortunately, nonprofit leaders are geniuses at leveraging financial resources, using a few dollars here to attract a matching grant there. That’s why your support during this season of generosity is so important.
So pick your cause. Give to your favorite nonprofit. Or two or three favorites. Your community will be grateful and your heart will be full because you did.
I’m Pam Clark Reidenbach, and that’s my Perspective.