If you generally give at the end of the year or maybe a handful of times throughout the year, you might be surprised why monthly giving would be so much better, not only for the nonprofit but for you too!
#1: Monthly donating is convenient for you. With subscription models everywhere (take Netflix for example), monthly giving spreads out the cost over a series of months and makes this a more tolerable situation for budgets and allows you to plan better accordingly. Are you really going to miss $10.00 a month? Probably not. That might be the cost of coffee once or twice a month. However, your monthly donation is giving that nonprofit regular cash flow that they can count on each month.
#2: Fewer asks: Yes, you read this right. There are fewer asks to you as the donor by the nonprofit. Before, they might call you, text you, email you every time there is a new need or a new ask (which can be several times a year). However, if you are a monthly donor and who is giving as little as $10/month ($120 a year), you will probably be contacted much less since you are already giving regularly. This should leave more time for them to give you updates and reports on the progress on the organization’s work and what their regular donation is achieving. Fewer requests to give, as you are already giving, and more updates on the difference you are making. That’s a good thing for you the donor! And….
#3 It helps the monthly revenue for the nonprofit. You might not be thinking that your $10.00 a month is really helping that much but what if 100 other people are doing the same thing as you. Now your $10.00 a month just went to $1000.00 a month of cash that the nonprofit can count on each month! That money is now accessible immediately for them to use towards their mission. It is predictable income.
So, why did I decide to start with the benefits of monthly giving before getting into the “meat” of my article. Very simply…..I need you, the donor, to become a monthly donor to the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund (The Fund).
Since its inception in 2000, the Fund has directed nearly $1.5 million in grants to 100’s of different nonprofits serving Lakewood Ranch and the surrounding areas in both Manatee and Sarasota counties. It is easy to look around and see all the new houses and fancy cars. It is just as easy to overlook the challenges that many of our neighbors are facing – spousal abuse, food insecurity, the loss of one or both parents and the need for counseling, the inability to drive due to a debilitating disease, abandoned animals, and the list goes on and on. In addition to the annual grants, our board and organization is particularly proud of the steps we took in April 2020 – at the beginning of the Covid crisis – to help support many of our local nonprofits that were faced with a double whammy – decreased revenues due to the inability to hold fundraising events and increased costs due to the additional needs resulting from the crisis.
The Fund, in early 2021, received its own 501 © 3 exemption after spending the past 20 years of existence working closely with the Manatee Community Foundation to achieve its mission. Just like students graduating and setting out into the world on their own journey, the Fund’s new exemption marks a new beginning for an organization with more than two decades of history.
Many of you have nonprofits that you are passionate about and have made a commitment to support. What do we say to that? – Good for you! Please continue to give to those organizations, but if you can take just 10% of that donation and give it to the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund, you can help ensure that you are addressing many of the very important but less obvious needs of Lakewood Ranch and the surrounding areas.
A donation of as little as $10/month can make a HUGE difference, particularly when you think about the scope of Lakewood Ranch! This small amount can help make sure that we as a community are addressing the needs that may not be so readily apparent.
Giving is more important than ever and with your help, the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund can do even more!
Monthly donations and giving is easy – all you have to do is use this link (igfn.us/form/xHRYkA) and the good news – YOU can give online. And if you want to see some of the videos of the great nonprofits that we have helped over the last few years, or to sign up for our newsletter, or just look around the website, please visit us at lwrcf.org. We would love to have you become part of our family.
Want to be in the “know” with what the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund is doing? Do you want to be the first to learn about events that are happening at the Fund? Add your name to our email list and we’ll share all the juicy details!
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