It’s said that the United States is the most philanthropic country in the world. That means we give more to charity than other countries. In fact, according to Giving USA, Americans gave nearly $500 billion to charities in 2022. However, despite that huge dollar amount, 2022 was one of the rare years there was a decline in charitable giving. That means nonprofits that rely on donations are dealing with a double hit — a drop in donations and increased costs.
The greater Winona area is no different than the rest of the nation. Our nonprofits are working hard to deliver on their missions at a time when their expenses are up and charitable dollars are harder to come by. That is why the Winona Community Foundation plays a critical role in raising community grant dollars and endowment funds to create a permanent, dependable source of charitable dollars.
On Friday, June 23, the foundation held its third annual charity golf event at Bridges Golf Course. Twenty-two teams teed off to support the Foundation’s Community Grant Program, which directly benefits nonprofit organizations in the Winona area. The event raised more than $31,000 from its collective 38 sponsors. These dollars will have an immediate impact as part of the foundation’s fall grant awards.
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At the golf event, I was asked why the foundation raises money for granting. What I’ve learned in my role at the foundation is there is power in collective giving. The golf event demonstrates that while it may not be possible for one company or individual to donate the $5,000 a nonprofit needs to deliver a service, you can bring five $1,000 donors together to meet that need.
What I’ve also learned is sometimes a donor simply loves where they live and they want to see it thrive. The foundation’s community grant program fulfills that desire. In the past, grants have supported a wide range of initiatives in the Winona area. This year alone, the foundation made it possible for Winona Dive Rescue to replace dry suits that were more than 10 years old, Hometown Resources to purchase a commercial refrigerator/freezer to expand its food-shelf offerings and the Winona Recovery Center to support individuals recovering from alcohol and other drug addictions. And that is just three of the 10 organizations that received funding this spring.
In all, the foundation will grant out more than $100,000 in 2023. Yet there will be many great causes that we cannot fund. That’s why the Foundation is committed to igniting philanthropy in our community. If you want to learn where the needs are, how you can support those needs or how to set up a fund for the future, let me know. At the Winona Community Foundation, we love to connect people to the causes they care about most.
For more information about the Winona Community Foundation, please visit www.winonacf.org.
Stories For Good is a weekly column coordinated by the Winona Nonprofit Alliance, winonacf.org/nonprofitalliance.
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