Philanthropy for the masses: Give!Guide engages community-minded donors

Photo by V. Kapoor

by Israel Bayer, Staff writer

The Give!Guide, created by the Willamette Week in 2004, started by raising $20,000 for a handful of local nonprofits. Nine years later, it helps raise more than $1.5 million dollars for more than 100 local organizations. The groups span the fields of animal services, the arts, community, education, environment health and wellness social action and youths.

The mission of the Give!Guide is to instill an annual giving habit in Portlanders under the age of 36. Equally important is the guide’s goal to raise as much money as possible for the nonprofits profiled online at wweek.com/giveguide.

Street Roots, which is among the nonprofits in the Give!Guide, sat down with Nick Johnson, the guide’s executive director, to talk about the project.

Israel Bayer: Tell us about the Give!Guide.

Nick Johnson: The goal of the Give!Guide is to create a platform to compel the Willamette Week’s readership to give back to the community and engage individuals in their civic duty.

It’s also meant to encourage people under 36 to give at a younger age. We know that if younger people give a donation, even if it’s only $10, they are more likely to give throughout their entire lifetime. 

Give to SR this week, get a shot at signed Trail Blazer ball

Street Rooters,

The Willamette Week Give!Guide is here. Street Roots wants to start supporters off right when giving a donation of $10 or more to the organization.

When you give to Street Roots through the Give!Guide from now until next Friday, Nov. 16  — you will be entered to win a signed Trail Blazers team basketball and two tickets.  Tickets are to see the Trail Blazers battle the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 18. (14th row from the court in section 116.)

Street Roots is proud business partners with Voodoo Doughnut, and Don and Chrissy Washburn this year and all donations up to $4,000 will be matched through the Give!Guide.

Your support, small or large, will help Street Roots remain strong! We sincerely appreciate all of your love!

Give! (We are under the community section!)

* Everyone gets great incentives when you give at the Willamette Week Give!Guide.The Give!Guide runs until Dec. 31st.

Support Street Roots through the Willamette Week Give!Guide!

Nov. 12, 2008

Street Roots has been selected by Willamette Week for inclusion in the 2008 Give!Guide. The fifth annual Give!Guide is a holiday season fund raiser that serves as a unique vehicle for generating donations for a collection of Portland area non-profit organizations.
With a donation this fall, you will:
– Provide a way for more than 200 homeless and low-income individuals to secure immediate and basic needs
– Offer a path to self-sufficiency, including skills development and resume building
– Foster self-respect and a sense of personal worth
– Expand opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and poverty to sell the newspaper in outlying areas of Portland

But Street Roots does more than help individuals. With your donation, Street Roots will commit to:
– Bring Portlanders alternative news you can’t find anywhere else
– Foster dialogue about important issues facing neighborhoods and communities throughout the region
– Advocate for change on issues that affect people experiencing homelessness and poverty
– Report on a broad range of issues, including civil liberties, immigration, the environment, economic development, the war on drugs and much more
– Deliver in-depth journalism and opinions from an international movement made up of more than 90 street newspapers worldwide

You can make contributions online to Street Roots via the Give!Guide Web site. Donations are accepted from today through midnight Dec. 31.

With each donation of $25 or more, friends of Street Roots receive some great incentives.
• If you donate between $25 and $99, you’ll receive an envelope containing the following: A couple of TriMet bus tickets, a coupon good for a loaf of Dave’s Killer Bread, a coffee drink of your choice from any Portland-area Peet’s, two scoops from Staccato Gelato, a Stash tea bag, and a coupon good for a discount at Trebol restaurant.

• If you donate between $100 and $399, you’ll receive all of the above plus: a coupon good for the cleaning of a shirt or blouse at Bee Cleaners, a coupon for three free yoga classes at Amrita Yoga, a couple more TriMet tickets, a Kiehls’ bounce-back card. In addition, the first 200 donors in this category will get free passes to Beavers games next spring, and the second 200 donors will get a free classic doughnut from Voodoo’s new location on NE Davis.

• If your donation is $400 to $999, you get home delivery of: a bottle of fine wine, a half pound of Peet’s coffee, a coupon good for a discount on Castor & Pollux organic dog food, a coupon for a free load of Dave’s Killer Bread, and a box of Stash tea. All of this will arrive in a reusable New Seasons bag.

• For donations of $1,000 or more, there’s a full pound of Peet’s coffee, a five-pound bag of Castor & Pollux organic dog food, a Go Fetch coupon book, a Dave’s Killer Bread free loaf coupon, and a nice bottle of sparkling wine.

But wait! There’s more! For donors under the age of 36, there’ll be a raffle for 10 pairs of Keen Footwear, a basket of Snook’s doggie treats, a check for $1,000, and a year’s ZipCar membership – including a free weekend with the ZipCar of your choice. (That includes a BMW, Prius, or Mini Cooper.)

To donate to Street Roots go to www.wweek.com/giveguide. All donations are tax deductible.

Donors who wish to avoid giving online may download and print out a copy of the Give!Guide donation form here and mail it to a local post office box address on the form.

Street Roots could use your help now more than ever! Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Street Roots