The Season of Giving Is Over, but Should It Really Be?
Why it’s just as important to donate year-round and how Mission Edge can help you contribute to a sustainable giving practice
From Giving Tuesday to Thanksgiving to the holiday season, there is a feeling around us to give back to our loved ones and community.
Not only that – many companies' budgets are closing out at the end of the year and they’re given the freedom to donate additional unused funds.
While pairing a donation with the holiday season may be a logical action, it may not be the best practice to continue year after year. Here, we’ll discuss why that is.
Why is it so important for donors to change their end-of-year donation practices and provide a consistent stream of donations?
Nonprofits often have to rely on the hope that they will raise enough funding through the Season of Giving instead of knowing that they will be supported throughout every month of the year.
Just like in business, sharp and disjointed streams of income make for an inconsistent business model. Reliable income encourages planning, stability, and progress to make a nonprofit's mission and dreams executable.
No one wants to trust a for-profit organization that seems to be unstable. So why do we contribute to nonprofits in that very same way?
You may ask, aren’t all donations good donations? Isn’t that just extra money going into the nonprofit's budget that they can add to their new and future project?
Absolutely! By no means are we discouraging giving. But what about when those donations don’t come? Or they come a month late?
When nonprofits have to be at the whim of the donors’ payment timelines, there becomes an imbalanced relationship between the two.
Donors, of course, almost always have good intentions. But there is a better way to navigate this relationship. By ensuring that donations are consistent and reliable, nonprofits can then put their energy into executing their programs and projects to support our community. And at the end of the day, isn’t that why we give in the first place?
Relationships and Trust-Based Philanthropy
Here at Mission Edge, we are all about supporting sustainable and trust-based philanthropy. That means finding what’s best for both the nonprofit and corporate organizations through year-round philanthropic programs.
How do we do this?
1 — We are creative
From just an idea to revamping a whole program, Mission Edge helps innovate and support corporate philanthropic endeavors. From there we find and match organizations with one another and continue to build on our already established relationships with the many nonprofits we serve and are connected with. We ensure that projects, donations, and partnerships are mutually beneficial and supportive.
2 — We facilitate the planning and communication
Communication is key! We maintain consistent streams of communication through our team of CSR professionals, pairing our team to your needs. Whether that’s giving back on your establishment day or giving to a cause that is near and dear to your organization, we will coordinate everything so your organization can focus on your Mission.
3 — We support the impact
With one of Mission Edge’s values being “Never Settle”, we are continuously growing and improving within our business. We will provide you with impact reports on how your contributions made a difference and continue to modify our programs and projects so that next year's project is even more impactful.
Our CSR Programming Can Help you Contribute more Meaningfully
Mission Edge’s Corporate Social Responsibility programming can help you contribute to a sustainable annual giving process that benefits your company and the nonprofit you’d like to support.
We can also help you:
Involve your employees with corporate giving programs.
Incorporate a social justice lens into your giving programs to establish your company as an ally for social and racial equity.
Coordinate volunteering opportunities for your employees and/or interns that are self-led, team-oriented, and efficiently managed.
