As I write this, Santa is making his list and checking it twice. He’s finding out who is naughty and who is nice.
While Santa has been making his list, we at the Community Foundation of Grundy County have been busy making our own.
The Community Foundation has reached out to non-profit organizations, as well as governmental bodies such as schools and libraries, to find out what is on their Christmas lists. We are simply calling this project the Wish List Project.
Organizations were asked to dream big, just a child would do when making his or her list to Santa — no wish is too big or too small!
The Wish List Project is serving several purposes. First, the project will assist local organizations in making their needs known to the community. Second, the Wish List will assist donors in making decisions in their giving. Lastly, it will assist the Community Foundation in our programming.
Any social service agency in Grundy County will tell you our county is very generous. However, many of the organizations in Grundy County don’t always have an opportunity to make their needs or wants known to the community. This is one of the reasons the Community Foundation has asked the local organizations to think about what the needs of their agency are; put those thoughts on paper; and share those ideas with us. In turn, we will share those ideas with the community.
In addition to expressing their wishes, organizations were also asked to describe their organization’s mission, services provided, what the organization is proud of, and what areas the organization can improve in. Many of the organizations have also listed volunteer opportunities for those who choose to give of their time.
Donors may often find it difficult to give money away, not because there isn’t need, but because donors are often unaware of where their donations can make the most impact. Also, donors may be unaware of some of our local organizations.
The Wish List will allow donors an opportunity to investigate many organizations at one time. It will also assist donors in making educated decisions on where to donate and by identifying which organizations fall in line with that donor’s passions.
Another reason the Community Foundation decided to put together this Wish List is to ensure our programming is in line with the true needs of the county. The Community Foundation prides itself on bridging people who care with causes that matter. However, if we don’t know the causes, we can’t connect the people with those causes.
So far we have gotten a great response from organizations on completing the Wish List questionnaire. The wishes they have reported are needed to continue improving the services provided to Grundy County residents. Some of the wishes are small and some are large, but all are achievable with the right resources.
The Wish List will be an ongoing project that will be updated as needed. The first edition of the Wish List is available now. Although we have reached out to many of the organizations in Grundy County, it’s possible we haven’t reached out to everyone. If you are a library, school, or 501c3 organization who has not completed the Wish List questionnaire and would like to be added, please contact Devan at (815) 941-0852.
December is a month when individuals are in the Christmas Spirit; therefore, they are very generous. It’s also the month when individuals are looking to give year-end donations. If you are one of those individuals and would like to obtain a copy of the Wish List, please contact the Community Foundation at (815) 941-0852.
We at the Community Foundation are here as a resource to both organizations and donors. We sincerely hope this Wish List will serve its purpose of connecting donors and organizations. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
