2021 has been a year of ‘more’. More need for food security and social inclusion in our community. More meals produced and distributed by the Roulant than ever before. More expenses associated with the increased activity.
But there is more room for impact, too. With the recent launch of our Winter Campaign, where we appeal to our community to help us reach our fundraising goal of $70,000, we thought we would share some simple tips and tricks so that you can make your engagement go the extra mile. Here are a few simple and effective ways you can double the impact of your seasonal giving, no matter how much you contribute.
1. Double Your Donation or Match Volunteer Hours Through Your Employer’s Charitable Matching Program
One of the easiest ways to double your giving is to find out if your employer has a Charitable Matching Program. Through such a program, your employer will match donations made by employees to non-profit organizations like Santropol Roulant, dollar-for-dollar and sometimes more! In some cases, employers even match volunteer hours with a donation. What could be better than seeing your $50 donation turn into $100, your $500 donation turn into $1000? It’s that simple!
- Contact your Human Resources department directly to see if they have a Matching Program for donations or volunteer hours.
- If you are an employer with a Matching Program, make sure to circulate the information to your employees to empower them to support causes that matter to them.
- No matching program? Encourage your company to start one, or to get in touch with Melanie to start a conversation around Corporate Engagement.
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2. Make a Gift of Securities
Investing pays off in so many ways. When you donate securities directly to a charity (as opposed to selling them and donating the proceeds), you don’t pay any capital gains tax. This in turn can allow you to donate more!
Easily donate securities through the CanadaHelps website in 3 steps. But hurry! The deadline to donate to be eligible for a 2021 tax receipt is Friday, December 17th.
- Fill out the online securities donation form. Upon completion, you will receive an email confirming all the details of your pledge.
- Complete the provided Letter of Direction form and send it to your financial advisor or investment firm. This authorizes the transfer of shares to CanadaHelps.
- Once shares are sold, CanadaHelps sends you a confirmation email with your charitable tax receipt and disburses the proceeds to Santropol Roulant.
3. The Simple, Automatic Way to Give
Avoid the mad dash of December giving, when you’ve got other holiday plans to think about! This year, why not sign up for a simple way of giving that allows you to make automatic donations, spread out over the course of a year, so that you can focus on your impact rather than your cash flow. All this, while helping ensure Santropol Roulant has a predictable source of funding for long-term organizational sustainability and stability. It’s win-win-win!
- Contact your employer’s Human Resources Department to see if they have a Charitable Payroll Giving Program, that will automatically deduct an amount of your choice on a schedule that works for you.
- Become a monthly donor directly with Santropol Roulant online or by contacting Melanie at melanie@santropolroulant.org
4. Reduce Your Footprint, Increase Your Impact
Is this the year that you plan to ask your friends and family not to buy you any gifts? Perhaps you’d like to reduce your carbon footprint, or maybe you have everything you need? Then why not take the opportunity to share with them your favourite cause, and if they really want to give a gift, ask them to make a donation on your behalf.
- Send this donation link to your family and friends and ask them to leave a special note with the donation
5. Sharing is Caring
When you share with your friends, family and personal network that you’ve given, it has the potential to set off a cascade of generosity. Here are a few ways you can go about it:
- Talk to your friends or family in person or on social media about what it means to you to support your community. Share why the Roulant is important to you, and maybe they will connect with that.
- Challenge your friends or family to give alongside you by starting a seasonal giving tradition where you pool together funds or commit to supporting your favourite charity together.
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However you choose to spread some cheer this holiday season, know that all of us at Santropol Roulant are extremely grateful to have you as part of this community. We appreciate each gesture of time, care and attention you make to help your community thrive. Thank you!
Melanie + the fundraising team