Senior Tech Tip - 'Tis The Season for Online Giving

​By Russ Alman, Director of Communications

​Like most people, I tend to do the majority of my financial giving during the holidays. And as a techie person, I almost always do it online.

There are endless opportunities to  make monetary donations, and with our modern interconnectedness through the internet, it’s possible for any organization to reach an audience. This can be a double-edged sword: On one hand this makes it relatively easy for individuals or organizations to ask for support; on the other hand, this has exponentially increased the competition for donors’ contributions.

For smaller nonprofits like the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center, it means being a really small fish in a really big pond.

While every nonprofit needs to seek grants and donations to survive, fundraising is a means to an end. Particularly for smaller nonprofits, the staff lives and breathes the mission of that organization. Raising money is something they need to do to achieve that goal, but it is not their focus.

That’s where organizations like the Community Foundation of North Central Washington (CFNCW) can help.
Think of their foundation as a clearinghouse to provide a larger voice representing hundreds of nonprofits in Chelan, Douglas and Okanogan counties. Their mission is to solicit grants and donations for the greater good of our region and disperse those funds to the many organizations that need it. In other words, their mission is to support all the individual missions of other local nonprofits so they can focus more on why they started their causes in the first place.

CFNCW has a team of experts in fundraising, financial management, marketing and communications who all support this mission. They work with donors of all sizes — from average individuals to family trusts to international corporations — to build sustainable funding that supports the needs of our region. In other words, they are very good at what they do.

Of course, we appreciate and value the immense support we receive directly from our members, their families and local companies. But fundraising organizations like CFNCW broaden our reach and open more doors than we can on our own.

While they also have general funds, CFNCW is organized so that local funds stay local to their communities. For example, they have a fund specifically for the Chelan Valley, another for the Methow Valley, and another for the Wenatchee Valley. You can choose which funds you want to support, but this also gives people a way to keep their contributions local to them if they wish.

In addition to these ongoing community funds, CFNCW organizes an annual fund drive called Give NCW. Since the holidays are the most prolific time for giving, Give NCW is designed to amplify this holiday cheer by providing a one-stop-shop where anyone can make direct donations to dozens of regional nonprofits. The proceeds from this annual campaign are funneled directly to the individual organizations. This year, the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center will be a participant in this program.

What does this mean for you? How should you participate?

If you are more comfortable supporting the Senior Center directly, then by all means, you are welcome to take that route. We regularly receive donations by checks sent in the mail or delivered to us in person. We have also added options for you to donate through our website using any form of payment, including credit and debit cards, as well as direct bank deposit. Visit wenatcheeseniorcenter.com/donations and you can choose specifically where your donations will be used. You can even set up a recurring donation on a monthly or annual basis. Zeffy, the fundraising platform we use, allows us to keep 100% of your donation — even when you pay by credit card. In return, you are asked to consider making an additional — totally optional — contribution to support the Zeffy platform, of which you can choose any amount.

There is strength in numbers, however, and there are some additional benefits to supporting us through Give NCW during this holiday drive. Give NCW makes it easy for you to do all your donations in one place, and it’s also an easy way to share that goodwill with others. If you know someone else looking to give for the holidays, you can help them choose from a variety of worthy, local organizations from one website.

In addition, CFNCW offers incentives for organizations to direct their donors to Give NCW. If we receive at least $1,000 in Give NCW donations, we will qualify for their Give to All Pot — a minimum of $50,000 that will be split equally with all eligible organizations. In addition, their Funday Mondays promotion enters all donors on that day into a prize drawing for a $1,000 giving card to use toward additional donations.

Whichever method you use to support us, rest assured that your donation is safe and secure — 100% will be used to support the Senior Center. Compare that to making donations to large national and international charities where 20 percent or more of your is spent on overhead.

That is not to say you should ignore larger organizations — there are many that do wonderful things. However, if you do make donations to these big entities, I encourage you to do your research so you understand where your money is going —  ratings sites like charitywatch.org is  a great resource — and also go directly to the website of the organization to make your donation. Sadly, there are many cyber-Grinches out there willing to ruin your holiday cheer, so please be careful!

All of us at the Senior Center greatly appreciate your contributions. We literally would not be here without your help. No matter the size of your donation — or even the type — all are appreciated. Some members automatically donate their required minimum distributions from their retirement accounts. Others give tangible items to our Thrift Shop or to help operations — and your gift of volunteer time is perhaps the most valuable of all.
We wish you a very happy holiday season filled with family, good tidings and good giving!