Guide to Non-Profits and Corporate Giving
Welcome to RISBJ’s first annual Guide to Non-Profits and Corporate Giving! In this issue, you will find profiles of several amazing local non-profits, ways to get more involved in corporate giving and ideas on how to get more engagement from your staff and peers.
I have always felt that giving back was a part of my own personal social responsibility. For me, it started (way) back in my high school and college days, where I volunteered in a variety of campus organizations. The experiences were fulfilling in a lot of ways, and when I took my first corporate job, I joined the company’s internal United Way Committee. Over the past several years, I’ve enjoyed volunteering my time and services to causes that are important to me. I strongly believe that giving back to the community is something that we should all try to adopt into our professional culture on some level.
Here are a few important things I’ve personally learned over the years of being involved with various organizations:
Do not overcommit
It’s so easy to say yes…to everything, especially when it is for a good cause. The problem with this is if we are not being realistic with how much time we have and how much we can contribute, then we are not setting ourselves or the organization up for success. Saying no isn’t always easy, but in the long run it will help you maintain a stronger reputation and make a greater impact on the causes that you devote your time to.
It’s not always about the money
Sometimes people feel as though donating means giving money. In reality, non-profits do a whole lot of fundraising to work toward their mission delivery. But they often also need donated time, services and other resources. From volunteers at fundraising events, to volunteering your expertise and knowledge to help organizations reach their goals, the value of our time can often exceed the value of our financial gifts.
Getting others involved
When was the last time you asked someone else to help support a cause you feel passionately about? There truly is strength in numbers and the more people we can get to commit to help on some level, the more we can help support our cause. From forming company teams for non-profit events, to holding your own company sponsored fundraising event, when we’re passionate about a cause, it’s infectious and others will do what they can to help. All we have to do is ask!
There are many ways to get involved to help the community and I hope this issue provides the resources and inspiration to support the many non-profits we have in Rhode Island that work hard every day to strengthen our community.
