Feel Good Friday - Greater New Orleans Foundation

The last few Feel Good Friday blogs have been focused on disaster and crisis relief around the world. That general theme continues today with the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

 

Earlier this week, Hurricane Ida caused massive destruction when it hit the Gulf Coast of the United States. Many organizations have stepped in to help with disaster response and restoration, including the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF).

 

What began in 1923 as the Community Chest of New Orleans, GNOF is a philanthropic institution with a mission to “drive positive impact through philanthropy, leadership, and action in the Greater New Orleans Region.” They do this by connecting “donors and fundholders with causes that they’re passionate about to affect transformational change.”

 

Initiatives being run by GNOF include: 

• Give NOLA Day, a one-day online giving event that raised $8,150,891 for 910 different organizations in 2021.
• Impact 100, a group of over 100 local women who each donate $1,100 then pool their dollars to make a single transformative grant to a different local nonprofit every year. 
• NOLA 360, a forum that brings together local and national experts, philanthropists, nonprofits, and community leaders to discuss challenges facing communities in the greater New Orleans area and ways to get involved in the solutions.

 

Other areas focus for GNOF include providing nonprofits with training to increase their leadership and effectiveness, environmental work related to water management and restoration of the Gulf Coast, and a Workforce Innovations Program in which GNOF “partners with employers to provide post-hire support to their incumbents in an effort to assist with those barriers employees face that may or may not be associated with their day to day work, but that impacts their ability to effectively do their job.” 

 

In 2020, over 300 organizations received leadership and effectiveness training, 126 employee clients were served in the workforce innovations program and over $70,000 was granted from the disaster response and restoration fund.

 

If you’d like to help the Greater New Orleans Foundation support the people of Louisiana and  provide recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Ida, the best way to do that is with a donation. You can also amplify their message by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @GNOFoundation and Instagram @gnofoundation.

If you’re looking for more organizations currently providing assistance in Louisiana, check out the Feel Good Friday blogs on World Central Kitchen and Project Hope.

Feel Good Friday - 1% for the Planet

Earth Day is on Sunday so Feel Good Friday is celebrating the environment and the work being done by 1% for the Planet.

Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Matthews, founder of Blue Ribbon Files, 1% for the Planet's mission is to "bring dollars and doers together to accelerate smart
environmental giving."

With only 3% of philanthropic giving in the US going to environmental causes, 1% for the Planet wants to "significantly increase the overall amount of global dollars going to help protect the planet with the smartest donations possible." This two-minute video provides a quick rundown.

Businesses who join commit to donating 1% of their annual profits to the nonprofit partners identified and vetted by 1% for the Planet. Individuals commit to donating 1% of their annual salaries. This global network of over 1200 businesses and hundreds of individual members has given more than $175 million dollars to environmental nonprofits to date!

Donations are given directly to organizations focused on the following areas: climate, food, land, pollution, water and wildlife. If you're curious to see who participates, you can see and search both the list of recommended nonprofits and member businesses.

In addition to providing guidance on giving, 1% for the Planet holds various campaigns and events throughout the year. During the month of April, the campaign is #360 for the planet. People are encouraged to film a 360 degree video in an inspiring location then post it on social media explaining why the planet is important to them. If you'd like to participate, directions, examples and recommended hashtags can be found here.

To maximize the impact of your philanthropy, you can become a member of 1% for the Planet. You can also show your support by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @1PercentFTP.

Feel Good Friday - Spark

Yesterday was International Women's Day and March is Women's History Month so Feel Good Friday is going to focus on organizations that support women and girls around the world! Today we start with a group that's all about "igniting global change" - Spark.

As explained on their website, "Spark is a philanthropic network of young professionals who invest to improve the lives of women around the world." Their mission is "to advance gender equality by engaging the next generation in accessible forms of philanthropy."

Established by seven women in 2004, Spark is now a network of over 11,000 men and women around the world. The people of Spark learn by doing. Members educate each other on issues impacting women and girls then research potential grantees. The next steps are crowdsourcing funds, pro bono professional services and connections for the identified organizations.

Grantees in the US include organizations with missions as varied as teaching tech skills to human trafficking survivors, providing low and no cost care to women during pregnancy and helping young people to use art to organize for human rights. On the global level they've supported a peer health exchange in Honduras, a youth alliance group in Cameroon and entrepreneurship training in Uganda.

Becoming a member of Spark can provide you with professional development and networking opportunities as well as voting rights on how funds are distributed. You can also support Spark with a donation and by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @sparksf. Sisterhood IS powerful!

Feel Good Friday - Napa Valley Community Foundation

Today's Feel Good Friday focus is the Napa Valley Community Foundation. Here's why.

The NVCF is a local organization providing support in response to the devastating fires in Northern California.

They've raised $1.2 million from over 3,400 donors for the Napa Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund, which was established in 2014 after the earthquake that took place in Napa. Last Friday, they distributed $565,000 in grants to 16 local non-profits and, while there is no more capacity to accept in-kind donations, they continue to accept an need gift cards to assist evacuees. You can drop off a pre-paid Visa, MasterCard or American Express gift cards in $25, $50 and $100 denominations at Cope Family Center at 707 Randolph Street in Napa and Up Valley Family Centers at 1440 Spring Street in St. Helena.

When not in disaster response mode, the Napa Valley Community Foundation connects donors with charitable projects. As they explain in the "what we do" section of their website, "We mobilize resources, inspire giving, build knowledge and provide leadership on vital community issues to improve the quality of life for all in Napa County. We are a public charity; a grantmaking foundation; a philanthropic advisor; and a staging ground for people, resources and ideas. Every day we link donors to projects that do good in our community."

They make over 200 site visits a year to local charities so they can identify gaps and opportunities and make recommendations to donors. Donors can join a Community Impact Fund to pool their resources, start their own fund or work on estate planning. Non-profits can follow this link to apply for a grant.

If you're able to help people affected by the fires and want to work with a local organization, please consider a monetary, or gift card, donation to the Napa Valley Community Fund. To keep up with the latest information on the disaster relief efforts, and year-round updates, like the NVCF Facebook page.