MORE THAN EVER Your Gifts Can Make a Di erence for Local Nonprofi ts

WORDS : COURTNEY LARSON, Communications and Marketing Director, FM Area Foundation

When the FM Area Foundation began collecting entries for the 2020 Caring Catalog, the words “now more than ever” kept showing up. These are words you have most likely heard or even said yourself in the past nine months. It has been a challenging year for everyone and that includes local nonprofits. Needs have increased, and organizations have shifted services, adjusting to limited staff and finding innovative ways to fundraise in place of in-person events. In a survey sent to nonprofits earlier this year, 65% said they had to cancel a significant fundraising event and 67% of charities expected an increased demand for services. .

With the holiday season here, now is the perfect time to give back and support the organizations providing needed services to people in the Fargo-Moorhead area. One way you can do that is by giving to a cause you care about, and the FM Area Foundation Caring Catalog makes it easy to do just that.

The Caring Catalog, created by the FM Area Foundation in 2018, helps make giving meaningful and effective. It connects community members to many local charities through just one link. This year, the Caring Catalog is available November 24 through December 14 and features 97 local nonprofits. It is online, and there is also a printed version of the catalog, which can be found at 11 Hornbacher’s and Cash Wise locations starting the week of Thanksgiving.

Each participating organization is fundraising for a special project or program and can request up to $10,000. Gifts of all sizes are welcomed and appreciated. In the online listing, once an organization reaches their goal, their request will show “fully funded.”

“The Caring Catalog is designed like a crowdfunding platform. Think GoFundMe, but for charity. It’s a great way for many people to give what they can to help reach a larger goal,” says Lexi Oestreich, program director at the FM Area Foundation.

THERE WILL BE a variety of fun giving incentives this year. And thanks to generous sponsors, Funday Mondays are returning, along with GivingTuesday matching dollars, and some fun new giveaways like Caring Cash and more!

You can browse the Caring Catalog from the comfort and safety of your home and make your holiday shopping more meaningful by learning about nonprofit organizations in the areas of basic human needs; the arts; education and youth; community building; and health, wellness and senior services. All Caring Catalog nonprofits serve either Cass County, North Dakota, or Clay County, Minnesota, so when you give, you know your dollars will go to work right here in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Requests range from Family HealthCare’s denture program, which provides access to dentures for patients who cannot afford them; to 4 Luv of Dog Rescue’s work in providing emergency medical needs for animals in their care; to helping Fraser, Ltd. keep their doors open overnight this winter to provide a safe and warm place for youth in crisis; and many, many more.

To fully fund every Caring Catalog project, our community would need to collectively give $816,150 between November 24 and December 14. Gifts made through the Caring Catalog are tax-deductible. Credit card fees are covered by the FM Area Foundation and there is no fee for nonprofits to participate, so 100% of your donation goes to the charities you choose to support.

The FM Area Foundation’s mission is to promote philanthropy to create stronger communities. For sixty years, the Foundation has been helping people give back, and more than $54 million has been awarded in grants to nonprofits and scholarships to students. This is possible because of charitable funds that have been established at the FM Area Foundation since 1960 by families, individuals and businesses wanting to make a lasting impact and support a variety of charitable causes in the Fargo-Moorhead area and beyond.

“As the community foundation, we provide services, such as endowment and legacy giving, tax credits, scholarships and donor advised funds. The Caring Catalog is just one more way we hope to encourage the spirit of giving in the communities we serve,” says Oestreich.

As we head into the final weeks of 2020, please remember nonprofits do need your support — now more than ever.

Visit areafoundation.org/caringcatalog to give back to the place you love November 24 through December 14. [ aw ]

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