Monterey County Gives! 2014 - Introduction

HOW TO DONATE
Go to www.mcgives.com
Click the Donate Now button

As CEO of the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC), I’ve had the pleasure of writing this introduction for several years. Typically it has focused on the excitement of launching MCGives! But because of you, the readers of the Monterey County Weekly and donors to Gives!, this message is now less about a launch, and more about describing a year-round initiative that culminates with a remarkable seven weeks of giving.

Monterey County Gives! Goals
$1,250,000 | 1,750 donors | by midnight Dec. 31

Last year saw Gives! go over $1 million for the first time. The Weekly and its founder and CEO, Bradley Zeve, have become zealots for philanthropy. Gives! is the perfect instructor on philanthropy’s embrace of gifts large and small, of the power of individuals to generate impact. This impact sometimes comes from the obvious – a large donation – but often it is the story of a youngster whose creativity and pluck produced a contribution that inspired others to action.

Matching Grant + Challenge Grants
nearly $225,000 as of press deadline

Bradley and I meet several times a year to discuss the search for match money, improvements to the website (last year’s introduction of individual agency matches was extremely effective), and a continually growing partnership with the participating nonprofits. Philanthropy is my job; for the Weekly, it is a passion.

One of the keys to a successful campaign is the energy brought by the nonprofits. Almost all of them promote Gives! in their year-end appeals, knowing that every dollar donated through Gives! will benefit from a partial match. We are very aware that the higher the match, the greater the incentive to attract donations.

Special Awards

$2,500 Ingenuity Award to the nonprofit that offers an exciting and innovative approach to the sector’s challenges.

Two $1,000 awards, one for the organization with the most donors and one for the organization with the most donors age 35 and younger.

The long-standing providers of match money – the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel, the Weekly and the CFMC – now have company. Whole Foods joined in last year by contributing a percentage of sales on a busy holiday shopping day. This year the Cannery Row Co. has made a major contribution, as has the Ona and Robert Murphy Charitable Trust managed by Kilzer Wealth Management. Add to that a still-growing number of CFMC donor advisers who are notifying us of their desire to participate, and we will have a record year of match money. This growing total will be shown on the Gives! website.

But none of this matters without you. Gives! is about you logging on to the website and deciding which organizations you want to support. It is a classic study on the power of the individual (you!) and the many (all of you!).

These nonprofits are essential to life in Monterey County, and they simply can’t do the work without resources. Enjoy Gives! Enjoy giving. Know you’re making a difference.

Dan Baldwin is the president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

Thanks to Monterey County Gives! Partners and Sponsors

PARTNERS

• Monterey County Weekly
• Community Foundation for Monterey County
• Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• Cannery Row Company
• Ona and Robert Murphy Charitable Trust (managed by Kilzer Wealth Management)

SPONSORS

• Whole Foods
• Doolittle Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County
• Jose F. Fernandez Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County

Monterey County Gives! is a special project of Monterey County Weekly’s Community Fund, a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

Important Dates

Nov. 13

MC Gives! kicks off and website goes live www.mcgives.com

Dec. 2

#GivingTuesday is an international day of giving. You can participate through Monterey County Gives!

Dec. 18

Shop at Whole Foods in Monterey and they’ll donate 5 percent of all purchases to Monterey County Gives!

Dec. 31

The Monterey County Gives! campaign ends at midnight

Challenge Grants

Arms of Angels Enviro-International $500.00

Arms of Angels Anonymous $250.00

Arms of Angels Friends of Angels $100.00

Arms of Angels Friends of Angels $150.00

Easter Seals Central California Crosse-Dye Family Trust $5,000.00

Everyone's Harvest Everyone's Harvest Board of Directors $2,600.00

Friends of the Pacific Grove Library Pam and Jim Cain $1,000.00

Friends of the Pacific Grove Library Friends Board of Directors $1,000.00

Independent Transportation Network The Board of ITN Monterey County $2,500.00

Monterey Bay Charter School Stackpole MD, Inc $2,000.00

Monterey Bay Charter School Monterey Bay Charter School Governing Board $2,000.00

Monterey Bay Charter School Monterey Bay Charter School Foundation Board $2,500.00

Orchestra In The Schools Orchestra in the Schools Board Members $4,300.00

Peace of Mind Dog Rescue Boand Family Foundation $14,000.00

Point Lobos Foundation 

Kit Armstrong $5,000.00

Point Lobos Foundation Fred and Carolyn Brown $500.00

Restorative Justice Partners Restorative Justice Partners, Inc. Board of Directors $785.00

Ventana Wilderness Alliance Bob and June Dawson $5,000.00

Ventana Wilderness Alliance Pamela Lee Lowry $500.00

Ventana Wilderness Alliance Maria E. Ferdin $2,500.00

YOSal Bev and Gary Ranzenberger $500.00

YOSal Anonymous $1,000

YOSal Joanne T. Johnson $5,000.00

Opportunity Fund Colligan Family Fund $10,000.00