5
street roots
Dec. 7, 2012
Philanthropy
for the masses
Willamette Week s annual giving
program engages a younger crowd
o f community-minded donors
BY ISRAEL BAYER
S T A F F W R IT E R
he Give’Guide, created by the
Willamette Week in 2004, started by
raising $20,000 for a handful of local
nonprofits. Nine years later, it helps raise
more than $1.5 million dollars for more than
100 local organizations. The groups span
the fields of animal services, the arts,
community, education, environment health
and wellness social action and youths.
The mission of the Give’Guide is to instill
an annual giving habit in Portlanders under
the age of 36. Equally important is the
guide’s goal to raise as much money as
possible for the nonprofits profiled online at
wweek.com/giveguide.
Street Roots, which is among the
nonprofits in the GivelGuide, sat down with
Nick Johnson, the guide’s executive
director, to talk about the project.
T
Israel Bayer: Tell us about the
GivelGuide.
N ick Johnson: The goal of the
GivelGuide is to create a platform to compel
the Willamette Week’s readership to give
back to the community and engage
individuals in their civic duty.
I t ’s also m e a n t to e n c o u ra g e p e o p le
u n d e r 36 to give a t a y o u n g e r age. We know
that if younger people give a donation, even
if it’s only $10, they are more likely to give
throughout their entire lifetime.
I.B.: Why should young people and others
give to nonprofits in the GivelGuide?
N J.: Ultimately, because it’s our city, it’s
your city. The nonprofits working
throughout Portland are creating a better
Portland. We have so many great groups
working on a range of different issues that
make up the Portland experience.
On a personal level, your readers
probably have a peer, friend or a family
member who works at a nonprofit. If that’s
the case, you know that maybe your friend
doesn’t always have the time or the ability
to hang out or do things that many folks just
take for granted because they are so
dedicated to a specific cause. You can make
a real statement to that friend by making a
donation to the nonprofit they are working
for. It says that I admire and respect the
fact that you are so dedicated to the work
P H O T O BY V . K A P O O R
you do. I would encourage people to realize
that by giving a small donation to your
friend or family member’s nonprofit, you are
saying I care. We all only have so much
money and a small donation means a lot.
I.B.: The platform is also set up in a way
that makes it fu n to give. I go on the website
planning to give to two groups and ending up
giving to five.
N.J.: Absolutely. We’ve worked hard to
make it easy and fun for people to give. You
don’t have to be super rich to give money to
your favorite groups. It can be as little as
$10.
When we combine forces and have more
than 100 nonprofits all working together to
help make the city a better place, it sends a
very strong message.
It’s our goal to open doorways to
different groups of people and donors. We
don’t look at it as competition for nonprofits,
but instead as a collaborative effort towards
helping the city. We are helping introduce
people to different groups in new ways. The
average donor at the Give’Guide is giving to
three nonprofits.
The concept is unique because more and
more people are becoming used to this kind
of crowdsourcing and online giving. You see
it in the political world and with groups like
Kickstarter. Using the right technology and
social media, we can think about inspiring
people and communicating in new ways.
I.B.: What’s also interesting is that you’re
featuring a wide range of organizations in
different stages of their own maturity.
N.J.: A lot of larger nonprofits in the
guide have visibility citywide. At the same
time, there are a lot of smaller nonprofits in
the guide that are doing great work and
don’t have the same kind of marketing
platform or donor development. It really
helps the smaller groups cut their teeth and
develop a more robust development plan
and connection with the community. It’s
great to see the small and the large groups
all working together towards a collective
good.
I.B.: Part o f the GivelGuide is recognizing
young leaders through the Skidmore Prize.
Can you talk a bit more about this?
N.J.: We believe we should recognize
younger people who work at nonprofits who
may be turning down opportunities to work
in the private sector and are making a
personal sacrifice for a greater cause.
Each year, we recognize four people with
an award and a $4,000 cash prize for being
great leaders in the community. We need
good leaders and we need individuals to stay
in the nonprofit sector.
I.B.: Anything else you would like to add?
N J.: Please look at the nonprofits in the
Give’Guide. They are all doing amazing
work. Almost all of you have $10 to give to
one or more of these groups, and I highly
recommend you do so.
THE MAGIC IS IN THE HOLEI
2 2 SW 3RD
& BURNSIDE
■ z ' A
1 \ Ui Jw ’
1501 NE DAVIS
SUPPORTING STREET
ROOTS SINCE 2 0 0 3
Many thanks to all o f our volunteers who contribute their
time and energy toward Street Roots! Inquire about
volunteering at www.streetroots.org/volunteer.