Who's Your Foundation?
The giving season is here! The turkeys have been eaten, the sales are rolling in and the Christmas tree is being decorated! Tuesday, December 1 is Giving Tuesday. Do you have a non-profit you are planning to donate to? No? Well, if you don’t have a favorite foundation I am here to encourage you to pick one. Giving has a positive impact that happens for both the donor and beneficiaries. Especially this year. After a year like 2020 non-profits and individuals could use a little extra positivity wherever they can get it.
“As Generation Z enters the workplace, we’ll likely see further shifts in generational giving trends. This young generation’s consciousness of the world around them seems to fuel a desire to improve their communities. Despite generational giving differences, an increasing number of minds are focused on solving social problems, moving us closer to a better world every day.” - Classy.org
Even if you have recently lost your job and are thinking, “Girl, I need donations for myself, how am I going to give to someone else.” Well here are a few ways you can support your favorite non-profit without spending any extra money.
See if they are apart of Amazon.Smile. Set them as your foundation and Amazon will donate a percentage of your qualifying purchases to your foundation. (You can search Bloom Foundation Gives.)
Volunteer. While this may look different since non-profits aren't having events in person. If you are good at social media you can volunteer your time. Just ask how you can help!
Share their fundraiser links, mission, and support them on social media. Sharing a post on your page can go a long way at no cost to you!
If you can give, here are a few ways to make your donation count.
Check with your employer to see if they match donations. Bloom is apart of Benevity Causes where companies like Compass Real Estate, Google, Nike, and Apple match employee donations. Be sure to donate through their system and inform your coworkers of this resource.
Fundraise in their honor. (10% of monthly proceeds, 10% of a specific item, etc.)
I found it most rewarding to support a foundation that I have a personal connection with. It makes giving more rewarding, fun, and easier to keep up with.
I’ll never forget how impactful the first event I volunteered for with METAvivor. It was during New York City Fashion Week back in February. That day I laughed, I cried and I made all sorts of new friends and connections. My last hooray before COVID hit. It was truly, life-changing. But not just for me, for the entire metastatic breast cancer community. METAvivor raised over $200k for metastatic breast cancer research. Ever since learning about METAvivor and that they are the only organization in the US that exclusively funds MBC research I became a loyal supporter and donor. My first big step into the breast cancer community.
This year on October 13th, Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, I and a few other breast cancer thrivers had dinner on Mount Washington in Pittsburgh so we could see the buildings downtown light up in teal, pink and green in honor of MBCAD. The manager caught wind of our reservation and at the end of our dinner, he comped our meals. METAvivor was hosting an event sharing MBC stories and showing off the teal, pink and green lights in their hometown. It was an incredibly inspiring event. Once I got home from dinner I decided to donate what I would have spent on dinner to METAvivor. See, make it fun and donate when you can.
Remember, giving has a positive impact that happens for both the donor and beneficiaries. Find your foundation and prepare for them to start making an impact in your life! Before you know you’ll have a new community that feels like family.
Give with purpose this year! Bloom Foundation Gives would be honored to be your foundation! “No one has ever become poor by giving.” - Anne Frank
xo, Erika