Give local, for our collective well-being

Last November, during Give Local, I asked my then 4- and 6-year-old sons to choose a charity they wanted to support. One chose a nonprofit that serves homeless adults. The other, an organization that supports immigrants.

On their behalf, we made donations to both organizations. It was a beautiful way to participate in our community and to remember the ways that each of us, as families and individuals, can show up for one another. It felt especially meaningful last year, in the midst of a pandemic that was affecting many of the most vulnerable people in our community.

One year later, I never thought we’d still be witnessing the same challenges. In the spring, with plans for reopening on the horizon, many of us thought the pandemic was waning. Even early in the summer, hopes were high. Today, the setbacks continue and the overwhelming needs persist.

As President and CEO of the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, I’m keenly aware that we are not all experiencing this time in history equally. Every day, local nonprofits tell us about households that can’t meet their basic needs, homes that need repair, children in abusive situations, worker shortages, and mental health challenges that have pushed people to the brink.

There is a lot of work to do. And local nonprofits don’t have to do it alone. With generosity, we can support the life-changing work they do in our communities.

To do that, we’ll have to bring generosity back as a thriving societal norm. In June, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy reported a drop in the number of households giving to charity. It also referenced research that found “declining trends in empathy, compassion, and interpersonal trust.”

This trend is concerning but reversible. We can take heart in knowing that traditions of giving have deep roots in our country. In fact, generosity and caring for others are common themes across our family origins and cultures — from the earliest potlatches, or gift-giving feasts, held by Indigenous inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest Coast to the most recently arrived immigrants. Generosity and community care have always had the potential to serve as common ground.

Following his visit to this country in 1831, French historian Alexis de Toqueville was struck by the American tendency to form voluntary associations. Whether they were distributing books or building a hospital, they united in groups to improve their communities. He noted that these groups benefited democracy by helping solve collective problems and by drawing individuals out from under the umbrella of their private concerns.

Those early voluntary associations are often credited as the origin of the modern nonprofit sector. Today’s nonprofits still work to address shared issues, calling individuals to act and give together so that we can create the communities we envision.

Give Local, a two-week-long community philanthropy campaign run by the Community Foundation, is an opportunity to put that same spirit into practice. During the online campaign, which runs from Nov. 8-19, over 90 participating local nonprofits will raise funds from new and existing donors.

Making a donation is an opportunity to support work that resonates with your values. With so many organizations doing good work in our communities, you’re sure to find a cause that is meaningful to you. When you contribute, it helps ensure that nonprofits across Thurston, Mason, and Lewis counties will be able to create more resilient local communities for everyone.

If you don’t know which one to choose, simply ask yourself what work you believe contributes to a healthier and more just community and find a nonprofit doing that work.

Remember: It’s not the size of the gift that matters most, but the fact that you give. Developing a giving practice is essential for our communities. To do that, we’ll have to bring generosity back as a thriving societal norm.

Let’s help one another by giving nonprofits the resources they need to continue the work — for all of us.

You can make a contribution to a local nonprofit through Give Local, which runs from Nov. 8-19. Visit spsgives.org to make a donation.

Mindie Reule is the President and CEO of the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound.