Affordable housing for people with I/DD is in low supply. Learn what ALSO is doing to make a difference.
Affordable housing for people with I/DD is in low supply. Learn what ALSO is doing to make a difference.
Every season of giving, donors seek ways to maximize the impact of their charitable contributions. Whether you’re already a supporter of ALSO, our nonprofit, or considering making a donation, we want to share five effective strategies to ensure your contributions go further and make a significant difference.
By following these recommendations, you can make your giving more strategic and purposeful, supporting the causes you care about most.
Consider providing general support to ALSO rather than designating your gifts for a specific purpose. Choosing to make unrestricted gifts in any form provides flexibility and trust, enabling nonprofits to allocate funds where needed most, respond to evolving circumstances, and achieve broader and more substantial impacts, strengthening long-term sustainability and program services.
How it Works: A single gift contribution is a one-time monetary donation to ALSO. You choose the amount you want to give and pay online or arrange for payment with ALSO at a certain date.
Why It’s Valuable: Single-gift contributions provide immediate financial support to our programs. These donations can be used for various needs, including operational expenses, program development, and responding to unexpected emergencies.
How it Works: Recurring donors commit to making regular, ongoing contributions, whether that’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly. You can set that up directly on our donation page in only a few clicks.
Why it’s Valuable: Recurring donations provide ALSO with predictable and sustainable funding. This stability allows ALSO to plan more effectively, invest in long-term projects, and maintain a consistent level of services. We hope through recurring giving, we can develop a stronger connection with each other and witness the cumulative impact of your continuous support.
How it Works: Starting a peer-to-peer fundraiser on Facebook involves creating a fundraising campaign that can be shared with friends and family on the social media platform. You can set a fundraising goal, share ALSO stories, and, most importantly, ALSO’s services and impact on people with disabilities.
Why it’s Valuable: Peer-to-peer fundraisers leverage your social network to raise funds for ALSO. They can be highly effective because they tap into your personal connections, making the fundraising effort more relatable and engaging. It extends ALSO’s reach to new donors and promotes a sense of community involvement.
Learn how to set-up a Facebook fundraiser.
If you are deeply committed to our cause, consider making a multi-year commitment to support us. Letting us know about your long-term support plans allows us to better plan and allocate your donations effectively.
When making a multi-year donation commitment, first determine how your values align with ALSO’s mission and programs and assess your financial capacity. Connect with ALSO’s Stewardship Team at stewardship@alsoweb.org to discuss your commitment’s duration, formality, and expectations, formalize the commitment in writing, and establish a payment schedule. Consider tax implications and stay engaged with ALSO.
Talk to the ALSO Stewardship team about exploring opportunities for public recognition and periodically review and celebrate milestones with us to ensure your long-term support effectively contributes to your goals and ALSO’s mission.
Employer matching funds work when you contribute to a nonprofit, and your employer, as part of corporate social responsibility efforts, commits to matching your charitable donations, often at a 1 to 1 ratio, 2 to 1 ratio, or up to a specific dollar amount. This process effectively multiplies the impact of your contribution and encourages increased giving while benefiting both ALSO and you through tax deductions.
They amplify the impact of your contribution by doubling or even tripling the donation’s effect, motivate more people to give, leverage corporate resources to provide substantial financial support, grants you the flexibility to support your chosen causes, enable both the original and matched contributions to be eligible for tax deductions, empower you to make a more significant impact without straining finances, and participate in charitable giving events, such as Giving Tuesday, to maximize your contributions and engage in philanthropic initiatives more effectively.
First, reach out to your employer and inquire about matching donations and their process to enroll. Connect with the ALSO team on how your employer matches funds. Some companies use a third-party distribution or they may simply write a check to ALSO.
Non-cash donations, also known as in-kind donations, refer to contributions made to a nonprofit organization that do not involve the transfer of cash. Instead, these are tangible items, assets, or services provided to support the nonprofit’s mission. Non-cash donations can take various forms, including physical items such as clothing, food, medical supplies, or equipment, as well as assets like stocks, real estate, or vehicles. Additionally, they can include the donation of professional services, such as legal or accounting assistance, or volunteer time and expertise.
Non-cash donations are a valuable way for donors to support nonprofits, often providing essential resources to help these organizations achieve their goals and make a positive impact in their communities. These donations are typically tax-deductible, and their value is determined based on fair market value and compliance with relevant tax regulations.
ALSO Wishlist https://www.myregistry.com/organization/also-portland-or/3048459/giftlist
Donate items to the Children’s Homes https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1J8P2QYYKFNFQ
Volunteer – https://alsoweb.org/volunteer/
You can make your money work harder for good with smart and simple financial strategies. In fact, you may find that you can increase your giving by 20 percent or more—without feeling it in your bank account. Try setting funds aside for giving so it’s a part of your budget, or make use of smart giving strategies such as:
When you gift stocks and other securities directly to ALSO you make an outsized impact without taking money directly out of your bank account. Plus, neither you nor ALSO will be taxed on the gains for appreciated assets you donate. Donating appreciated stocks or mutual fund shares is a simple way to make a lasting contribution to ALSO! Benefits can include income tax savings and capital gains tax savings, along with promoting the full inclusion of people with disabilities.
A donor-advised fund (DAF) offers a flexible way to contribute to ALSO while receiving an immediate tax deduction, even if the distribution to our organization is delayed. With DAFs like those from Fidelity, you can establish an account with an initial contribution, starting at just $5,000, encompassing various assets. The tax-deductible contribution allows you to submit grant requests to multiple charities in different tax years, enhancing flexibility.
For example, a gift appreciated stock worth $25,000 in 2018 can optimize tax deductions by dispersing funds to charities in the subsequent year. However, DAF values may fluctuate, making professional financial advice advisable to navigate this strategy effectively
QCD are distributions from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) made directly to ALSO without having the distribution counted as taxable income. QDCs, also known as IRA Charitable Rollovers, are the savviest way for individuals age 70½ or older to use their IRAs to maximize their charitable impact.
With the new tax laws, it’s important to maximize deductions. If you’re close to the standard deduction threshold, consider doubling or tripling your charitable contributions in a single tax year to itemize deductions.
It’s easy to feel like giving is something you’ll get to later—or to feel as though you don’t know enough about an issue or have enough money or time to make a difference. That’s why the best thing you can do is to take the first step—right now. Choose your giving type and send that donation. Donate to the Wishlist and directly support people with disabilities. Share an ALSO post on social media. Don’t delay—take action.
By implementing these strategies, you can make a more significant impact with your charitable giving. Your support is invaluable in helping us continue our mission, and we appreciate your dedication to making the world a better place. If you have any questions or need assistance with any of these strategies, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we can create positive change and bring about a brighter future. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to our cause.
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