Meeting Sponsor for July 18, 2011 - Ruth Blank

"How do we increase charitable giving in our region to ensure the health of community nonprofits into the future so they can continue to do their vital work?”

This question is at the heart of the Greater Sacramento Generosity Project’s mission to understand and nurture philanthropy in our region. The first step of the project has been to quantify giving in the region as compared to national standards, and to understand local motivations for giving – or not. This quantitative research effort, commissioned by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation and the Nonprofit Resource Center, revealed that Sacramento regional residents as a whole, are less likely to give and donate fewer dollars than the national average. The most striking negative variance in total giving was found among households with more than $200,000 in annual income as compared to their national counterparts.

If successful, the Generosity Project could provide a catalyst that will mark a historic expansion in the base of regional residents who clearly recognize charitable giving as fulfilling an essential and personal responsibility to their community’s well-being. Local economic challenges and severe cuts in government services have increased the level of need in our community, putting unprecedented pressure on local nonprofits to meet higher demand for their services, while support for their work remains below national averages. The Greater Sacramento Generosity Project’s research results and measurable goals provide a clear roadmap for what can be achieved over time with an improvement in the local culture of giving. Inspiration for this change will be sparked by the launch of a multi-year community outreach campaign starting this fall.