You may have seen the call-outs on social media or the messages from local charities in your email inbox. Today, May 5th, has been designated as a worldwide day of philanthropy and generosity - it’s Giving Tuesday. And this year, a lot of people are in need of our generosity.
Giving Tuesday is a worldwide event that’s happened annually for the last eight years. The day is leveraged by charities, non-profits, universities among other kinds of entities to fundraise for a wide variety of causes. Organizations that rely on charitable donations capitalize on the event to meet budgetary needs and could be in trouble if those needs aren’t met by donors.
But this year poses an additional set of challenges for groups who raise money through private philanthropy, because the global pandemic we’re in has been accompanied by a global financial downturn.
So: How is our charitable giving impacted by this financial crisis? What impact will all of this have on organizations who rely on donations to stay afloat? And how can those of us who can give during this time ensure that our money's getting to the people and places who need it most?
In this episode, we talk to a team of community leaders with a lot of experience in outreach and philanthropy - and they’ve banded together to raise money in the community and get it to the places it’s needed most.
Our Guests:
John Baker, Community Foundation of Central Missouri executive director.
Lindsay Young Lopez, Food Bank of Central and NE Missouri executive director.
Steve Hollis, City of Columbia Human Services manager.
Joanne Nelson, Boone County Department of Community Services director.
Andrew Grabau, Heart of Missouri United Way executive director.
Erik Morse, Veterans United Community Services director.
If you need help, you can call 2-1-1 and the United Way of Missouri is there to assist you. The Food Bank’s website is sharefoodbringhope.org where you can get or give help. Or go to CoMoHelps.org where you can donate money to relief efforts. To donate to KBIA, click the donate link at the top of KBIA.org.
