Supporting Nonprofits

A poll appeared on my internet feed this morning. It asked how I preferred to support a nonprofit. The choices were – donate cash, volunteer, or other. I naturally selected volunteer. The answer by far? Donate money. Volunteering was selected by only 16% of respondents.


I’m still scratching my head over this. I’ve always donated time and effort to the organizations I support. That way I learn more about the intricacies of the issues, the responses, what works and what doesn’t. I also get to know the people involved and see for myself that what I believe and feel is actually the right thing getting done.


Donating money I’ve done in the past. No longer; I’m retired and have more time now than money. You see the issue! But even when I had more disposable cash, I donated my time and effort because of the reasons stated above.


I still support nonprofits. They do a lot of heavy lifting in our society. They are the carers and servers of our communities. They are the group conscience of our society. And they see the problems up close and personal. They invent new and effective means to address our common problems. They are a force of good.


They are a force to reckon with!


Of course, nonprofits are limited by their resources, mostly cash. But then, cash only begets the tools, skills and facilities needed to accomplish tasks. That means more cash is always welcome. Public agencies funded by taxpayers can do only so much; they are limited by their budgets. Nonprofits, however, can and do go the extra mile in meeting the needs of their clients. Political ideologies play a large part in shaping public budgets. The Children and Family Services agencies throughout the nation are only ineffective to the extent their budgets are limited. Ten and 12 hour days can only be survived by staff for so long. Their caseloads are horrific. And the service organizations they refer cases to are almost always nonprofits.


There is a partnership between public and private agencies, the latter almost always being nonprofits.

Know this. Please. The nonprofits need BOTH your dollars and your time and energy to succeed at what binds us all together.


So be generous. Come and join forces with others who are committed to values you share. But also bring your checkbook if you can afford it. These are the invisible ‘taxes’ we pay to keep America strong and true to its values.


June 8, 2020