Bellingham nonprofit marks $1 million giving milestone

DAVE GALLAGHER of THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

A Bellingham nonprofit reached a significant milestone and also received a bit of unexpected help.

Giving Anonymously, which assists people in helping others without revealing their identity, recently passed the $1 million mark in gifts sent out.

The three-year-old organization will take a donation from someone who doesn’t want to be identified and send it to the recipient. Through the organization, the recipient can send a thank-you message to the donor.

Lionel Thompson, who founded the organization with his wife, Misha, said they’ve been sending out $30,000 to $50,000 a month in gifts to recipients across the country. Most gifts are in the $500 range and typically go toward issues more people are dealing with in today’s economy – such as helping someone pay the rent, medical expenses or other bills.

“We hope we’ve created a way people can give when they could not have otherwise,” Thompson said.

The Thompsons came up with the idea after experiencing generosity from their neighbors and friends following their move to Sudden Valley in 2002. Soon after they moved, a family health issue developed and those neighbors helped with money and food donations until they could get back on their feet.

While they knew those gifts were from the heart, there was the slight awkwardness about accepting help from people they knew. They believe Giving Anonymously can assist people who want to help someone else without that awkwardness.

The organization and the Thompsons recently received a bit of help themselves. Someone recently made an anonymous, unsolicited $1,000 donation to help cover the organization’s overhead costs. (The organization operates through volunteers and the Thompsons don’t take a salary for the work).

The Thompsons also received a similar donation from the donor.

While the gifts have helped keep things operating, Misha Thompson said it’s been hearing the stories of those being helped that really keep the organization going.

“The greatest thing we need to keep GA going is just for people to give anonymously to their friends and neighbors,” she said in an e-mail. “And we are so thankful to live in this beautiful community that has done just that.”

For details about the organization, visit givinganon.org.

Reach DAVE GALLAGHER at dave.gallagher@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2269. Visit his business blog online at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/business or get updates on Twitter at twitter.com/BhamHeraldBiz.

Annie wrote the following on her blog Living With CML (used with permission):

“A few months ago I started noticing this organization and did some reading up on them. What a wonderful idea! Click on the picture to go to their site and see for yourself, but I am going to tell you a little bit about them anyway.

“This is an idea that I seriously wish I had thought of first – one that makes me smile every time I think of them or see their name. What do they do? You know how sometimes you want to help someone out but you know that its going to mess with your friendship or relationship or just the ease you have with each other, if you try to give them some financial help? Well, this company will send that money to them and not let on that its you that sent it. Yes…….. Giving Anonymously! And when the person gets their gift, they are given a phone number to call where they can thank you (still anonymous) and let you know that they have received your gift.

“I have read their website and the news reports and all and they sound like an incredible group of people! In a world half crazy, I think this is one of the nicest things I have read about in a very long time..

“So – click on the picture above, go and read all about it and if you know anyone that can do with a lovely surprise – go for it! And then spread the word….. let others know how they can make a difference in a lovely way and make someone else smile a bit longer.”

Thank you Annie!!

We don’t always get to hear why people give through Giving Anonymously. There have been times, however, where recipients of gifts have told us what’s going on in their lives. The following quote is from a recipient named Brett Belcastro who suffered through personal tragedy and was helped through friends and strangers giving to them through Giving Anonymously.

“During the Atlanta-area flooding in September 2009, our family’s house was flooded with 4 feet of water. We were immediately displaced from our home with no idea when we would be able to return. We found a temporary home for our dog and cat but we (including our two-year-old son) had no idea where we would stay or what we would do. Thankfully, friends of ours let us stay at their home for a week and then another friend offered his house to us while he was out of town for a month. And right around then was when the amazingly generous donations from Giving Anonymously started pouring in!! Due to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and our brief appearances on the news, people from all over the country became aware of our situation and we started receiving donations – from friends to strangers. Without this help, there is no way we would have been able to return to our home 5 weeks after the flood and rebuild our lives so quickly. No words could ever express our infinite gratitude to all of these people. It is their generosity that gave us the strength and positivity to persevere. We can only hope to pay it forward to each and every person who reached out to us during our time of need.”

Photo of Atlanta Flood by PHIL SKINNER, pskinner@ajc.com

To date Giving Anonymously (GA) has sent out just under $860,000 in gifts to 1900 individuals and families. Most of these gifts went to recipients living in the USA but some were sent to countries in Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia.

As we’ve facilitated generosity for others, many have given generously to GA as well. GA has been funded solely by the donations given to GA while donors process gifts to their friends and family on our site. These donations have gone to pay for the credit card processing fees and other operational costs.*

In addition to these donations others have given to GA in other ways. Big Fresh Media has donated their time and expertise to develop and build out our website. The Muljat Group generously discounts our office space rent each month. A group of students drive 35 minutes from Blaine High School each Friday to clean our office building. Lettered Streets Coffee House gives us a free supply of coffee for our volunteers and provides a place for us to have meetings. As we have no paid staff, our volunteers give of their time and energy as often as they can to make phone calls and process gifts.

As the director of GA I want to say thank you to all of you. Thank you for giving generously to others around you in need and allowing GA to facilitate your kindness to others. Thank you to all of you who give to GA while processing gifts on our site. Your generosity has helped us stay open. Thank you to all of you who have given to GA in practical and tangible ways. Your friendship, time, skills and practical expressions of generosity have meant the world to us.

Thank you!

*We are in the process of putting all of our financials and tax returns on our website. They’ll be at the bottom of our homepage under a “Financial” link.

by Kari Young

When I found out that Giving Anonymously wanted me to call people and tell them they had anonymous gifts waiting for them, I felt like I’d won the lottery. I was giddy for weeks, and felt like Santa Claus every time I made a phone call.  Listening to recorded thank you messages and forwarding them to the gift-givers was even better – each one felt like a special gift that I was privileged to hear and be a part of.

As a stay at home mom, I spent the last four years immersed in diapers, giggling kiddos, twinkle twinkle little star and yes, even some whining & temper tantrums. (Make that LOTS of whining and temper tantrums.) Before having kids, I had worked extensively with non-profits, doing everything from volunteer management to fundraising to web marketing.  Getting the opportunity to volunteer and use all my old skills again felt incredible. (My brain still worked! I’d had my doubts….)

Giving Anonymously fascinates me.  With my background in fundraising, I have heard a lot about what compels people to be generous and give their time & finances.  Many times I was incredulous – Did you know that studies have shown people donate the most when they are sent a letter that is a) super long (one study had the best response from a FIFTEEN page letter!)  and b) mailed repeatedly -  at least 10 times.   All those super annoying gimmicks (sticky notes, red lettering, multiple P.S. notes at the end of the letter) are in fundraising letters because they work.  Fundraising has become this crazy science, full of research, statistics and is practically an industry – and it sort of depressed me.  People donate because my letter is four pages instead of two?  That seems like such a rotten reason to be generous.  What about a connection, passion even for the cause?

All this to say – the reasons people choose to give and be generous, is a topic I love to think about. I observe it in my own life as well. So many times I knew a friend needed financial help and I balked at the uncertainty of sneaking cash into their mail. Or there was a cause I felt passionate about, but didn’t do anything because it seemed to much work when I had a baby screaming on my lap. I almost didn’t even offer to help with Giving Anonymously because I didn’t think it would fit into our busy schedule. In the end, I was so excited about what they were doing, I couldn’t help but get involved, and I have loved every moment of it.

So how can we get people to give more generously? By sending them fifteen letters with lots of fake handwriting, six P.S. notes at the bottom and free address labels? How do you inspire people who are bombarded with sad stories of people needing help multiple times a day? We spend so much of our time isolated from others and I think that has affected our generosity as well.  We often rely on other people to care for those in need – organizations, the government, international aid and never come in contact with those we are trying to help.  It feels like no one needs us personally, they just want our money.  So we hand over check after check and wonder what really ended up happening with it.

I think relationship is the key to generosity. It immediately connects you to a cause, whether it is a sick friend raising funds for cancer or a homeless person who touched your life and inspired you to give to a soup kitchen. A trip to Kenya suddenly has you researching all the ways you could help in that area.  That is the part of giving that I love.  The excitement of feeling like you really can make a difference and understanding exactly what the money you donate is going to do.

That is why I love Giving Anonymously. I love how it demands a personal connection in your generosity. I love that it is a new way of giving, a new way of inspiring people to act on their impulses to help others. I am so excited to see it grow, catch on and hopefully become a cultural shift to give generously to those you meet in your everyday life.

Hello Everyone!  Let me introduce you to some of the amazing people who work at Giving Anonymously.

Lionel & Misha

This is Lionel, he’s our executive director and chief visionary.   He and his wife Misha, pictured with him, started Giving Anonymously in 2005.  Since those beginning years, Giving Anonymously has grown immensely and now they’re dedicated to it’s development full time.  They love hosting friends in their home and enjoying the northwest outdoors with their two children.

Jen

This is Jen.  If you’ve gotten a thank you message from the recipient of your gift, it’s because she processed and sent it to you.  She loves cooking, riding her motorcycle, and sailing in the San Juans with her husband and two teens.

Val

Say hello to Val.  For those of you who couldn’t believe that getting an anonymous gift in the mail, with no strings attached, was actually true, you probably asked Val a lot of questions when she called you to tell you a check was coming.  She understands how strange it can be, and enjoys telling people that the good news is indeed true.  She’s an avid Seahawks fan, even when they lose, loves to use everyday items in new ways to decorate, and enjoys golfing with her husband in her spare time.

Kari

And here’s Kari, our Volunteer Coordinator.  Kari is an avid gardener, a mother of two preschoolers, and is not-so secretly obsessed with absolutely everything to do with food.  On weekends you can often find her hunting down fresh seasonal ingredients and cooking something outrageous with them.  She enjoys rallying people to help Giving Anonymously in times when things get really busy.

Pete & Sarah

My name is Sarah, and this is my husband, Pete.  Pete works as our General Manager here at Giving Anonymously.  He’s a long-distance runner, creative photographer, and lived on a hospital ship in Africa for several months after university.  He’s a closet romantic and actually proposed to me in a rowboat in the middle of a field.  Doesn’t that make you smile?

I love frozen cherries, sunshine, and all things bright red.  I’m enjoying my new role at Giving Anonymously as Communications and PR Manager, and it makes my day to hear from you all.

In addition to those we have introduced here, we have a whole host of others who have given their time, talents, and resources to the work of Giving Anonymously.  We absolutely couldn’t do it without them!  And finally, we are also so grateful that an organization like Giving Anonymously can even exist.   Here’s to the amazing and gracious people who generously give to those around them and take no recognition for it, apart from the joy of making someone’s life a little easier.  Cheers to you.

by Lionel Thompson
I was in downtown Auckland, New Zealand, in the early 1990’s and I was thinking about what makes a five-star hotel different from the rest.  I’ve always been fascinated by them. My wife and I often will go to beautiful hotels around the world, just to go in and grab a drink, and we always end up coming back in our conversations to what makes a hotel, and how they serve, good or disastrous.

I realize that it’s the combined years of education and experience coming together to build and run a facility that serves.  Hotels, put simply, ultimately attract guests because of the greater investment they make to serve people.

With individuals, parents, business’, charities, churches, government and nations, what makes any one of them great, attractive and inviting is the extent to which they serve others.

About 15 year ago, during my undergrad years at school, a fellow student asked me to help him with his accounting.  With both of us being international students, we had seemingly connected over our time we had lived in Africa and our shared interest in government. One day this student invited me to go over accounting homework together.

As I tried to help him, strangely, he acted completely disinterested.  I couldn’t tell why until another well dressed guy came up to us while we were studying.  Together they proceeded to try to convince me to sign up for a multi-level marketing business. When I said no, from then on, this guy who I thought was becoming a friend, showed no interest in friendship with me again.  His motivation in approaching me with kindness was actually for personal profit which he guised as friendship.

Motivation paints us from the inside out. We are human beings that run deep and who care about motivation. We can tell when kindness, friendship and service is being offered not as a gift, but as a transaction.  Here’s what we believe: “The more convincing customer care can be at pretending it values you, the customer, rather than just your wallet, the more successful it will be.”

Imagine a place where people as individuals, and in their organizations, served each other from the heart with genuine care and love for others.  As our economy steps down deeper and scams and fraudsters are exposed, why not let it expose our own fraud and how we’ve turned kindness and care at all levels into economic transactions?

Giving Anonymously is an expression of this imagined place.  It’s a simple tool that protects people’s motivations surrounding giving and being given to. It exposes people to the incredible joy there is in giving without gaining anything in return.  For us at Giving Anonymously, we believe that we will only be as good as the values we personally espouse.