It’s the Giving Season!
Written by Melissa Baxter, WCCF President
Giving opportunities surround us all year long, and in the next few months there is a special focus on giving – to family and friends around the holidays – and also to the nonprofit organizations making such a difference in our communities. The addition of “Giving Tuesday” to our calendars (typically the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) has been joined by a “Giving First” campaign by some organizations, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
At the Waukesha County Community Foundation (WCCF), we partner with generous donors to meet local challenges and improve the quality of life in our community. As you are considering your charitable contributions during this season, we encourage you to take a look at the local Nonprofit Directory on our website to assist with your decision making.
Sponsored by our partner, Waterstone Bank, the Nonprofit Directory provides details on more than 6,500 nonprofit organizations in Waukesha, Milwaukee, and Washington Counties.
Here are some ways to use the directory:
- Search by topic. Interested in supporting a specific population such as veterans or children or the homeless? Search by keyword and find the organizations in our community doing that work. Some will likely be familiar to you, but other very worthy organizations may not be.
- Dive deeper. Perhaps you’ve supported a particular organization in the past and want to know more about their impact or financials. Our Nonprofit Directory draws data from GuideStar, while providing more details than are included with a free GuideStar account.
- Check out the seal. Each nonprofit organization listed in the Directory has a seal which indicates the level of information the organization has provided, in addition to those items that are publicly available. Organizations with the highest level of transparency are indicated with a Platinum Seal. You can also restrict your search to a particular seal designation.
Our Nonprofit Directory is available to everyone, not only those who have created Funds at the WCCF. We are committed to effective philanthropy and are honored to connect donors to 501c3 organizations serving our community.
The end of the year also typically means an evaluation of finances, including taxes. As you work with your advisors, please know we are ready to assist you. We can help with setting up a fund to strategically manage your philanthropic giving, accepting donations of required minimum distributions from IRA Funds, or working with you and your advisors on estate planning.
However you choose to give this season, thank you for your generosity. Each act of kindness contributes to a brighter and more hopeful future.
