The generosity of Delawareans

Delaware has a chance to fight a national trend. From 6 pm on March 3 to 6 pm on March 4, we can show that we still have each other’s backs, and we are ready to contribute enthusiastically to Delaware’s community organizations.

DoMore24Delaware – the state’s one-day on-line charitable giving extravaganza – is almost here. 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 over $2 million from over 11,000 donors.

And here’s how we can buck the trend.

DoMore24Delaware 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, and the eagerness we have to help our neighbors. In many ways, that has remained true, as we have all seen during Covid. But over the past twenty years, across America, 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. The number of supporters 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 and Girls Club, the Delaware Horticultural Society 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 perhaps more importantly, increase the number of Delawareans who participate.

The event is led by SpurImpact and the United Way of Delaware, and is supported by dozens of companies and foundations – from Capital One to Discover Bank to Barclays to CSC and more (yes, including DCF), many of whom 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 pm on March 3 to 6 pm on March 4, Delawareans can log into https://www.domore24delaware.org/ , select their preferred organizations, and make contributions. I’ll be doing it and I hope you join me.