Often, especially at year-end, donors and Donor Advised Funds ask us “What do local charities need?” We usually have good answers because we network with you all the time. But sometimes we need a little more intel and want to help you kick-start your brain.
Therefore, we invite all nonprofits serving Grundy County (charities, social service agencies, churches, schools, libraries, villages, park districts, etc.) to complete and return this Wish List questionnaire. Once received, we will place them on our website and market it to donors and the public at large.Please don’t be shy about dreaming big (new building, new program, additional staff) as well as small (furniture, paying electric bill, new copier, garden benches, money to help clients with un-met needs). Even with all of the marketing, communications, and social media that we nonprofits do, it’s not often that we talk about our dreams and wishes – we’re so busy trying to provide the basics.
But over the years we’ve been able to tell one of your stories to a donor who responds with “Good. I’ll donate to that.” Years ago, a local agency needed air conditioning. With a few “challenge” phone calls, we were able to gather the money they needed. Another time we were able to pair a donor with the work of one charity to benefit the clients of a different charity. We have many more examples - it happens often.
What’s in it for the Community Foundation of Grundy County? It’s a project in direct response to a request from one of our Donor Advised Funds who doesn’t want to spend time doing their own reading and research. So rather than limit it to one donor, let’s open it up to all nonprofits and all donors of all shapes and sizes. We make no promises of the results, but we believe it will engage donors and potential donors.
At times philanthropy feels like it’s only for the wealthy, which we know is not true. We know there are plenty of Grundy residents who would donate to something specific – if they knew what that something specific is. This Wish List Project is an attempt to help donors better understand the nonprofit needs of Grundy County.
