Text by Kitchie Ohh, Copyright 2023
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The Most Wonderful Time of Year
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For more than two decades, I have worked with nonprofit organizations. My involvement with and responsibility for fundraising increased with each passing year. The causes have varied but are all wonderful and worthy of support. Regardless of the mission, it holds true that the final quarter of the calendar year typically sees the highest volume of donations. It’s the holiday season, people are at their most generous. They want to do something good. Charity donations make excellent gifts for the difficult to shop for and the person who has everything. They also are a wonderful way to honor the memory of loved ones who are no longer here to share the holidays with. This is true year-round, of course. Nonprofit organizations need and appreciate the support, every day, every season.
People often get swept up in the spirit of generosity. Doing good feels good. Random acts of kindness, unasked for, unexpected, are beautiful. But, they can be misguided. Before getting defensive, please, let me explain.
When considering a gift for a loved one, or even a coworker or acquaintance for a Secret Santa exchange, you want to be sure the recipient will like their gift, find it useful, or at the absolute least, not think it an obligation or burden to accept. This should also be the case for a philanthropic contribution, be it cash, physical items, or your time and service. Whether it’s an individual recipient, or a charitable organization, all gifts will likely be met with appreciation, a thank you, and in the case of a charity, tax receipt. But what happens after that is what really matters.
Let’s say you are interested in supporting your local food bank. You heard, recently, that fresh food, like meat proteins, milk and vegetables are often the hardest items to get for people relying on food banks. So you go to your bulk store and pick up as much milk as you can get and rush it over to the local food pantry. They’re overjoyed at the idea, but panic sets in. They absolutely are unprepared to safely store your donation and their next distribution isn’t scheduled until two days from now. While you walk away feeling warm and fuzzy from the good deed, a skeleton crew of volunteers at the organization have to scramble to unload your ‘gift’ or find a way to ensure it remains safely refrigerated until their clients are able to pick it up. It is not unheard of for donated items that may otherwise go to waste or spoil to be quickly given to whoever can take it immediately…whether they are “in need” or not.
Perhaps you are going to support a cause with a financial contribution. Regardless of the number of zeros in the donation amount, the funds can only make the difference you’re hoping for if you allow them to be usable. If you make your contribution but limit it to an extremely specific thing the organization does, they are unable to use them until something comes up that fits your restriction. For example, you’re passionate about animals and choose to give to the animal shelter as a holiday gift for your dear friend. She’s got several dozen chickens, ducks, and geese so you ask that the shelter use these funds to care for injured birds in her honor. This is a lovely gesture, but the shelter rarely receives or cares for birds of any type, but their cat patients could really use some help. Your restriction can’t help them. Legally, restricted funds must be used for their intended purpose and cannot be moved to another purpose without express permission from the donor. They will sit in an account, doing nothing beneficial, until something fits.
Final example, you make a sell a beautiful product and want to offer your customers a free gift for every donation made to your chosen charity during the month of December. You don’t have a physical storefront, but an online shop. So on your website’s home page, you place the charity’s donation page link with the message of “choose one free gift with donation.” Your shop is extremely successful and your customers are very generous. However, in order for you to fulfill all the free gift shipments, the organization now has to track not only who made donations, but which gift they chose, and the shipping address and provide you with regular reports. Your customers are also now contacting the organization to ask question about the free gifts, if they can change their choice, and whether the shipment will be received before Christmas. This is adding stress on an already busy staff during the busiest time of year.
There is truth to all three of these examples, only minor details were changed. I don’t offer them to discourage supporting worthy causes in anyway at any time. I do, however, urge you to think about the recipient organization when considering a donation. Choose the cause that means something to you and trust that are responsible for doing the work can and will do the absolute best with your generosity. Most organizations will have a standard wish list for their biggest needs. Believe me when I say, someone at the organization will be more than happy to talk to you about those needs and how you can make the greatest impact.
One last thought, when considering a charitable donation during the holidays or at any other time of year. While it is essential that an organization be fiscally efficient and responsible, it is also essential that it pay its employees and engage in smart business practices including marketing, printing, and the usual physical space and utilities operating costs. A majority of all donations should go directly to the mission but to remain operable, and effectively work toward goals, covering overhead costs is essential, too. No organization can do their good work with zero budget, nor should they. Financial statements are publicly available. Look for them, and talk to someone at the organization if you’ve got questions. Websites like Charity Navigator and Guidestar are great starting points, but they rarely tell the whole story.
The holiday season is absolutely magical, you cannot convince me otherwise. But it’s up to us to make the magic. So, please, do consider supporting a great cause this season. It doesn’t have to be a large gift. There are more of us who can give a little and collectively do big things than there are those who can make giant contributions. But remember, whether it’s a gift given to an individual or to an organization, it’s not about you, it’s about the recipient.
Happiest of holidays to you, whichever ones you celebrate.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kitchie Ohh is a full-time professional fundraiser who has worked with a number of health and human services nonprofits in the Philadelphia area over the last 20 years. She found her passion for modeling after a pinup-style photoshoot in 2013. Since then, she has worked with many talented photographers, stylists, hair and makeup artists in a variety of styles. She has been featured in- and on the covers of – multiple print and digital publications. Over the years, she has branched out from pinup studio modeling to serve as a figure model for live sketching, walked a runway, and was part of two campaigns for Philadelphia designer K. Vaughn.
In addition to her philanthropy-focused career, she has volunteered with art, historical, and community organizations, and even the events team of a local brewery for a while, pre-pandemic.
You’re just as likely to find her whipping up something deliciously plant-based in her kitchen or knitting a sweater as you are to find her on a photography set. Her motto is “be both.” The model and the homemaker, sultry and sweet, serious and silly. All the things, all at once. To access additional articles by Kitchie Ohh, link here: https://tonyward.com/kitchie-ohh-the-most-wondeful-time-of-year/