Delaware has a chance to fight a national trend. For 24 hours, we can show that we still have each other’s backs, and we are ready to contribute enthusiastically to Delaware’s community organizations.
Do More 24 — the state’s one-day online charitable-giving extravaganza — starts today. All of us can contribute, because all gifts matter, from $5 to thousands. Last year was the most successful year yet, when 412 nonprofits received donations of over $2 million from over 11,000 donors.
And here’s how we can buck the trend.
Do More 24 comes when the percent of Americans donating to any cause is taking a disturbing dip. One of America’s greatest strengths has always been our generosity and the eagerness we have to help our neighbors. In many ways, that has remained true, as we have all seen during COVID-19. But over the past 20 years, the share of Americans who donate to charity has been dropping. Today, most studies suggest that something in the neighborhood of 50% of Americans donate to charity, significantly below previous numbers.
When I talk with organization leaders, they often tell me that, while they are indeed generating important charitable revenue, the number of their supporters is on the decline. This number matters because our support of community organizations is an indication that we all believe in the institutions in our community and that we all believe our support matters.
Voting in elections shows that we believe in our form of democracy and that our vote matters; subscribing to newspapers indicates we value information about our communities and that knowing about our communities matters.
So, too, the financial and volunteer support we provide to community organizations shows that we believe in them and want our support to help make them stronger.
We need all of us to participate.
Whether those institutions are youth sports clubs or the Boys & Girls Clubs, the Delaware Center for Horticulture or the botanic gardens in Dagsboro, the Latin American Community Center or La Red, this state is filled with powerful community-minded organizations that merit your support.
Giving days occur across the country. Our giving day in Delaware has picked up dramatically and is becoming an important part of the infrastructure of support for community organizations. Let’s see if we can increase the dollars, and more importantly, increase the number of Delawareans who participate.
The event is led by Spur Impact and the United Way of Delaware, and is supported by dozens of companies and foundations — from Capital One to Discover Bank to the Corporation Service Co. and more (yes, including the Delaware Community Foundation). Many of them are contributing to match pools so that our gifts will be multiplied. We thank all of them for their participation and support.
So now’s the time. Let’s show each other again that we are all in this. From 6 p.m. today to 6 p.m. Friday, Delawareans can log into domore24delaware.org, select their preferred organizations and make contributions. I know I’ll be doing it, and I hope you join me.
Stuart Comstock-Gay is president and CEO of the Delaware Community Foundation, which contributes to the Do More 24 match pool.
