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End-of-year is an incredibly important fundraising time for nonprofits, including the Y. It’s the busiest time of year for donations, and you’re likely to receive many appeals asking for your support.
As you contemplate if and how to donate, I want to share a few recommendations that have been top of mind for me since I had the privilege of participating in Town & Country Magazine’s Philanthropy Summit last month:
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Do your research. Many nonprofits are worthy of your support; but researching their records and reputations is always smart. There are many resources like give.org that can help.
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Then, give wholeheartedly and with trust. We, the nonprofit sector, are responsible and good stewards of your giving. We wouldn’t be able to keep going otherwise. Nonprofit work is not easy, but we do it because we genuinely care about our missions and believe we can and are making a difference. Trust our record and know that we will make the most of your investment in us.
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Finally, understand that your simple act of giving validates our efforts and fuels us for even greater impact. No matter the size of your donation, your support signals that you believe in the impact we make and want it to continue. That faith is an incredibly powerful motivator, and it helps us to keep going even on the hardest days.
These three points bubbled to the top of the panel discussion I joined at the Philanthropy Summit with several fellow nonprofit leaders about the effect of MacKenzie Scott’s generous gifts on our organizations.
Together, Cecilia Conrad of Lever for Change, Yolonda Marshall of the Student Leadership Network, Philip Chong of QARI, Layla Zaidane of Future Caucus and I spoke about the power of Scott’s unrestricted giving--the no-strings-attached donor strategy has become more prevalent in recent years thanks in large part to Scott. She has vetted nonprofits through research, and then gifted large donations without guardrails or direction for how it should be spent. She gave wholeheartedly and with trust.
The results were far-reaching, as recipients were able to innovate, invest in their futures and expand their impact in ways that restricted giving can make challenging.
For the Y, as I shared during the Philanthropy Summit, Scott’s generous gifts came at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every day felt like an uphill battle, and her monumental gifts affirmed that the hard work was making a difference. In the moment, the gifts were a lifeline and spurred YMCAs to keep going. Nearly four years later, YMCAs continue to build on our progress and leverage Scott’s investment to create lasting, positive change in communities.
While few people in the world have the resources to give on the scale that Scott does, we all can mirror her intentionality, her trust and her goodwill. No matter the amount you give this season, know that your generosity and your trust in us as good stewards fuel our resilience and commitment to our missions.
Read more about the impact of MacKenzie Scott’s gifts in this piece, a feature in the November issue of Town & Country Magazine.
