Winner of the $50 Target Gift Card

Thanks to all of you who signed up to become GivingCity Austin subscribers at the Vivir Unidos event. We’ve finally picked a winner:
Robert Andrada
Robert, please email me at monica@givingcityaustin.com with your mailing address and we’ll send you the $50 Target Gift Card!
Thanks! And please tell a friend about GivingCity Austin.
Monica

“Happiness Is” not found in a solid-surface countertop

It’s hard to write a thoughtful reaction to a film that left me so emotional. And I wasn’t the only one. There were quite a few beefy guys walking out of the theater with puffy, watery eyes last night, too.
But “Happiness Is” by Austin’s Andrew Shapter will do that to you. It’s not that it’s a [...]

Teaching philanthropy in (all) Austin schools

You could almost stop worrying about the future of Austin philanthropy thanks to Linda Brucker and the team that created A Legacy of Giving.
Since 2007, the program has exposed almost 6,000 students in the Austin, Eanes, and Round Rock school districts, plus a couple of private schools, to the concept of philanthropy. The program is [...]

More nonprofits, please.

I am learning every day. I used to think Austin had too many nonprofits. Now I think we need to encourage, support, and even nurture more.
A nonprofit is an opportunity for people to donate, volunteer, engage, and we need more of these opportunities, not fewer. Each nonprofit has something different to offer, just as every [...]

A smart, easy way to double your donation

This is genius.
We’re obviously fans of GiveRealty’s business model; the real estate broker donates 25 percent of its commission to the charity of the seller/buyer’s choice, in their name. But using the new website RecognizeGood- also born and raised in Austin – GiveRealty was able to double that donation.
A recent home sale through GiveRealty resulted [...]

Donors, it’s not always easy to give your money away

Our mission for GivingCity (when we can finally get back to it after all this ridiculous for-pay work) is to make it easier for donors and volunteers to connect with the best-fit opportunity for them. We want to help you navigate the nonprofit world.
But folks, I mean this in the nicest way when I say [...]

JULY 31-AUG 1: World’s First Nonprofit Film Fest -in Austin!

Have you ever been moved by a public service announcement? Have you watched a video on YouTube that inspired you to reach out to the community and do something?
We’ve all seen those little videos on YouTube, another website, or even television, and usually we’re alone in front of the screen. But there’s something powerful about [...]

Watch out for those mystery bins in parking lots around Austin

Goodwill Industries of Central Texas is one of the largest Goodwill’s in the world, and there’s a reason for that, says Gerald Davis, president of Austin’s Goodwill. “Austin donors are some of the most generous in the country.”
But recent donations to Goodwill are down 11 percent. Unfortunately, this drop hits at a time when demand [...]

I don’t write the press releases, I just skim them

I don’t read them, for the most part. Here’s why:
They are structured and written as if I have all the time in the world to read them.
They are an email attachment I don’t want to open.
They include quotes that are obviously made up.
And some of them don’t actually pertain to any real news at all. [...]

What it takes to have nonprofit collaboration in Austin

A successful collaboration or merger can seem like a miracle. As the former associate director of Community Action Network and a nonprofit consultant, Sam Woollard, a GivingCity contributor, has participated and lead the formation of a number of collaborations around  Central Texas.
“Collaborations and mergers are all about the timing,” she says. “Even if there’s a [...]