Folly #76: Giving Annually

Make it monthly on Giving Tuesday.

I hope this finds you lazing in L-Tryptophan laced memories of yesterday’s food, friendship and family. Before leftover pie for breakfast, I’m sharing a thought about Giving Tuesday next week…

Annual Giving

One of the most challenging things about grants is the timeframe.

As a nonprofit, you wait for some random date picked by the foundation that may only be once a year. (Can you imagine what that’s like? You miss it and have to wait another 12 months??)

You spend days writing, editing and re-checking the grant proposal.

You wait a few more months for a decision.

Then you wait another month to get the funding. And now you’re very likely in a different fiscal year than the one you applied (and needed funding) in.

It’s insane: an incredibly difficult financing structure for businesses that do incredibly difficult work. And funders make it that way.

So why do most individual donors choose to give in a way that doesn’t make any more sense than annual grant applications?

Most of us wait until the end of December to make charitable gifts. Perhaps it’s human nature to procrastinate. Perhaps we can’t make a decision because of the sheer number of nonprofits out there. Perhaps we have good intentions of doing more research this year on where the money is needed most.

It’s needed now.

Monthly Giving

There are so many reasons to support your favorite organization with monthly (aka sustainer or recurring) charges to your credit card.

1. You’re ending annual appeal letters. Monthly donations mean that nonprofits can move away from the idiotic fundraising strategy of mailing solicitations. (Sadly, we all get them. And they go straight from our mailbox to the recycle bin.)

2. You’re providing funding when it’s needed. Salaries are paid each month. Overhead needs to be paid each month. Programs have activity (and costs) each month.

3. It’s easier to monitor. You see your contributions on your monthly credit card statement and know exactly what your charitable giving is each year, without having to dig up that list or spreadsheet you keep somewhere.

4. It’s easier on your budget. Give $250 a year to Nonprofits for Whales? Well, $25/month is much easier on your wallet (and gives those whales just a bit more each year).

5. It’s easy. Period. Why put the pressure on yourself to do year-end giving?

Giving Tuesday started as a response to all the spending and consumerism around today: Black Friday.

Giving Tuesday is next week. On December 3, please move to monthly giving to really support your favorite nonprofits.

You matter. You – and the 64% of annual donations that come from individuals, not foundations or corporations – are the true powerhouse behind philanthropy. Your move to monthly giving benefits:

the environment (fewer trees used for fewer paper letters)

your budget, and

the work you care about.

And isn’t that really why you’re here, reading the Follies?

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In this week of gratitude, I’m grateful to you, dear Reader. Thank you for being on this journey towards better fundraising and financial stability for the nonprofits we love and admire.