Wood: A generosity of spirit

An employee of a Greeley assisted-living center posts in a Facebook group, seeking donations of blankets, hygiene items, games or other gifts for residents, many of whom have no family or expectations of holiday gifts. Members of the group immediately respond with offers to help.

A member of a Boulder Facebook group posts a request for ideas for donation of clothing items. Immediately, members provide a wealth of nonprofit organizations that would welcome such offerings.

An individual posts on Nextdoor seeking Christmas decorations and cards for a Vietnam veteran in the last stages of ALS. Members provide ideas and offers to help.

The spirit of giving is alive in Colorado.

That generosity can be seen year-round, with volunteers and donors helping with a myriad of charitable causes, and it is evident even on social media. Visit any number of community pages on Facebook or Nextdoor, from Greeley to Boulder, Longmont to Fort Collins, and you’ll see individuals expressing a particular need, posting items available for donation or providing valuable resources.

Such interactions are heartening, especially on social-media applications that all too often focus on the negative.

And that spirit of giving is particularly evident in early December each year, with the arrival of Colorado Gives Day.

This year’s event will take place Dec. 5, providing an easy, online opportunity for donors to select and donate to the nonprofit of their choice. The event is Colorado’s version of Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving that occurred Nov. 27.

Since its inception in 2010, Colorado Gives Day has raised more than $415 million, according to the organization’s website, www.coloradogives.org.

Certain donations can have an outsized impact. Through Dec. 5, when a new recurring monthly donation is made, the Colorado Gives Foundation will match the second donation up to $100 and up to $250,000 across all organizations.

Colorado Gives Day also conducts a Corporate Challenge to encourage workplace giving, with the first 100 companies to raise at least $1,000 receiving a $1,000 match from Delta Dental of Colorado.

Charitable giving has endured many challenges in recent years, with donations down during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as the needs were magnified.

Current economic conditions make a strong Colorado Gives Day even more critical than usual. While unemployment remains low, inflation has taken a toll, with some struggling to purchase adequate groceries, make rent or mortgage payments or pay for other expenses.

Those same pressures are felt by nonprofit organizations that serve those in need.

Programs such as Colorado Gives Day provide an easy method to make a difference, and it will be interesting to see whether 2023’s event generates the desired amount. (Some programs nationally have fallen behind prior-year giving.)

But most Coloradans are generous people, whether it’s through volunteering, donation on Colorado Gives Day or other fundraisers, or responding to cries for help on Facebook or Nextdoor.

Christopher Wood can be reached at 303-630-1942 or cwood@bizwest.com.

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