The team at the Community Foundation of Boulder County is committed to sharing tips and insights that can help you get more satisfaction from your charitable giving and in turn make an even bigger difference in the causes you care about.
Here are three recommendations:
Strive for energetic effectiveness.
Whether a gift to charity is $25, $2500, or $25 million, it’s cause for celebration. Philanthropic support of all shapes and sizes can make a difference. What’s even better, though, is to apply discipline to those dollars so that the strategy matches the enthusiasm. Certainly media-based philanthropy efforts are effective to raise the overall awareness about charitable giving, but awareness is just the beginning. At the community foundation, our team is dedicated to helping you apply your charitable passions to make a meaningful impact, especially by helping you address root causes with your giving, above and beyond providing immediate relief to those in need.
Give from the heart.
A recent Rolling Stone article illustrates how philanthropy can shape leaders by instilling values of empathy and responsibility. The author shares a heartwarming perspective based on participating in charitable activities as a child to rally around a sister with Down Syndrome. This makes such an important point: When your philanthropic efforts mean a lot to you, you’re more likely to stay engaged for the long term, resulting in significant cumulative community return on your personal investments. It’s really inspiring to see charitable individuals view their contributions as part of their personal and professional development.
Get your kids involved.
The community foundation is always striving to offer ways for fund holders to involve their children and grandchildren in charitable giving. This is really important in light of the decline in charitable giving, especially among younger generations, which is becoming a significant concern. One of the ways that CFBC encourages youth engagement is through 15 Forever. This program of the foundation was established in 2006 to promote civic engagement, philanthropy, and leadership among young people in Boulder County. Since then, this youth-driven program has granted more than $250,000. 15 Forever is a collaboration between the Community Foundation and YouthRoots, a national youth philanthropy organization that teaches high school students how to make the world a better place, while developing their leadership and life skills. We encourage you to explore this program and more and please reach out to the community foundation to discuss potential solutions and ways you can get involved.
Thank you for your commitment to philanthropy! If you’re already a fund holder, we are grateful that you’ve made the choice to organize your giving by working with the community foundation. If you’re considering getting started, we’d love the opportunity to work together.
Contact us at philanthropicservices@commfound.org
