Monterey, CA Charitable Giving Up 4.4% YTD, Says Blackbaud

View From A Nonprofit Serving Seniors In Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

I am happy to report that the booming stock market is causing people to open up their wallets and increase their charitable giving.  In particular, I want to thank our Platinum Sponsors Alliance Home Health and Family Caregiving for their generosity.  This allowed us to put on a great event at Bernardus Lodge which gave a huge jumpstart to Hands to Help Seniors.  According to the Blackbaud Index, which tracks domestic charitable giving, donations are up 4.4% for the first 10 months of 2013 compared to the tepid 1.4% increase that came in 2012.  "This has been a better year for the non-profit sector than it has been in a number of years," Chuck Longfield, Blackbaud's chief scientist said.  This is great news as it's been a tough slog for most non-profits getting through the recession.  One grant that we applied for came back with "refused" written on the envelope.  I researched the foundation and found that, sadly, they had invested all of their money with a crooked stockbroker and, a la Bernie Madoff, he had absconded with all of their funds.  This has happened more times than you would think.  I'm hopeful that we are beginning to put this terrible piece of history behind us and move forward.  Hopefully the job market will pick up as the stock market booms.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors