Philanthropy Friday: Community Shares of Mid Ohio
Workplace giving is a simple way to increase your company’s visibility in and support of the local community. Community Shares collaboratively raises funds for their member agencies through participation in workplace giving campaigns. It was in 1992 that Community Shares was founded and 1993 when it received its 501(c)3 tax-exempt status and participated in its first workplace giving campaign.
For over 16 years, Community Shares of Mid Ohio has been assisting central Ohio non-profit organizations. Wanting to help spread more awareness for this local member organization I asked for an interview. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ryan Kovalaske, Community Relations Director where I learned so much about this organization.
M: What types of workplace giving campaigns does Community Shares of Mid Ohio participate in?
R: “We participate in numerous campaigns including The Ohio State University, Columbus State Community College, local school districts, as well as some private companies. Our goal is to increase the number of campaigns every year so that employees have increased options for paycheck contributions and our members can raise more donations.”
To see a full list of campaigns Community Shares of Mid Ohio participates in, click here.
M: Why was there a need for an alternative from United Way?
R: “United Way provides funding to only a small percentage of nonprofits in central Ohio and has not traditionally provided funding to environmental, animal welfare, or statewide charities. United Way has also focused on providing funding to direct service organizations and not nonprofits that include a social justice and social change component in their programming. We also have a very democratic structure in that all of our member agencies have a seat on our board of trustees.”
M: How many non-profit members are you assisting?
R: “We currently have 57 members. They are community-based, volunteer-led charities and agencies that address a wide range of social and environmental services and issues, and focus on long-term, prevention-oriented solutions that emphasize social change and justice.” Some members that Columbus Underground readers will be familiar with include COSI, Consider Biking, Friends of the Scioto River, Freegeek Columbus, Columbus Landmarks Foundation, Columbus Historical Society, and MAP Furniture Bank just to name a few.
To see a current list of their members, click here.
M: How can a non-profit become a Community Shares member?
R: “There is an application process, and our board votes in December on admitting new members.” To download an application and see the criteria for becoming a Community Shares member, click here.
M: How much money has Community Shares distributed to your member charities?
R: “We have distributed over $2.5million. We also provide our members an opportunity to network and meet other non-profits some of whom might be working on resolving the same issues. In addition, we offer trainings to our members to provide more tools and information to further their programs and services.”
M: I noticed an active conversation on Columbus Underground about Forced Giving, what are your thoughts on this?
R: “We can only speak on behalf of our policies and beliefs here at Community Shares. Our organization was founded on the concept of choice. Employees are offered to give or not give, that is their choice. We also believe that donors know where they want their money to go, so when a donor designates to a Community Shares member on the pledge form that is where their donation will go. Our members represent a wide-range of issues so chances are there is at least one organization an employee will be interested in supporting with their contribution.
The advantage for employees with the payroll contribution option is they can opt to give a larger gift since it will be broken down over the course of a year and be deducted from their paycheck. The advantage this creates for our members is that they are given a steady stream of revenue they can use to support their programs and initiatives that are making an impact on the community.
Our members rely on us because many do not have the staff or resources to focus on workplace giving. Also some larger workplace giving campaigns (Combined Federal Campaign, State of Ohio, etc) have restrictions and requirements that need to be met to participate. Community Shares helps our members meet these requirements as well as allowing our members to devote more of their money to programming and services instead of fundraising expenses.”
M: I see you use social media? Can you tell me what you are using and how you are using it?
R: “We currently have a presence on Facebook, Twitter and My Space. We’re mostly using social media as a way to promote the impact our members are having in the community, upcoming events for members, and announcements. We are really trying to bring awareness to our organizations as well as our wonderful 57 members.
We also use social media to encourage a dialogue with the community. So many social media tools allow for direct two-way communication and we would like to start encouraging our supporters or interested parties in using it. We would love to hear how one of members made a difference in your life or why you choose to support a particular organization.”
Follow Community Shares of Mid Ohio on Twitter at @ComShareCbus. Become a Facebook Fan here.
To reach their goals and assist local non-profit organizations, Community Shares of Mid Ohio needs the support of visionary community members - people who understand the importance of building the infrastructure behind, and capacity of, agencies working for social and economic justice, as well as addressing environmental concerns. There are many ways to become engaged with Community Shares of Mid Ohio, from making a donation and advocacy. Click here to see the various ways to engage.
For more information about Community Shares of Mid Ohio, visit CommunityShares.net.
For a behind the scenes story about Community Shares of Mid Ohio member of the year visit InKindConnection.com.
Philanthropy Friday is a feature article by Michele Savoldi that will highlight a Columbus area non-profit organization every other week.
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Related Tags: community shares • non profit • philanthropy • Philanthropy Friday
