DC Nonprofit Capital Cause Redfines Philanthropy, Part 1 ? Write ...

How many times do you use the word ?philanthropy? in your daily life? Unless you are in the nonprofit field, probably not very many. Perhaps you donate $5 or $10 to a friend who is participating in a charity run, or you occasionally support your church?s scholarship fund. Maybe you give to the local school supply drive every fall. But does that make you a philanthropist?

The folks behind the Washington, D.C., based nonprofit Capital Cause would say it does.

Founded in 2009 by five women who met while volunteering during the presidential election of 2008, Capital Cause is on a mission to engage young professionals, ages 21-35, in charitable giving. The organization?s founders?Kezia Williams, Camille Smith, Britney Whaley, Daya Washington and Letitia Tajuba?believe that Capital Cause represents a new movement in philanthropy: making charitable giving accessible by leveraging small donations for a larger, collective impact.

The concept goes like this:

Young professionals can give monetary donations to the organization?s ?Capital Bank? for as little as $1. They can also contribute between 1 and 10 yearly volunteer hours. Those funds and volunteer hours are then combined and granted on a bi-monthly basis to nonprofit organizations that apply for support (either monetary or volunteer). With a one-time donation of $30, Capital Cause supporters gain membership status, which allows them to vote on the nonprofits who receive grants from Capital Cause. (See Capital Cause?s video explanation below). The group also hosts fundraising events, providing the proceeds to a designated cause.

Engaging people in philanthropy through collective giving is an idea whose time has come. Aggregated giving models?micro-lending, crowd fundraising and micro-philanthropy?are becoming more and more popular as people, especially as Millennials, seek ways to become involved in solving social problems despite having limited financial resources to make large donations.

?We?re not Bill Gates,? says Smith, who serves as the Vice Chair of Capital Cause. ?We don?t have a lot to give?ten dollars is a lot for someone fresh out of college. [But] you don?t have to attend a $100-plate dinner to have an impact or to be involved,? Smith says.

Inspired by 2008

The spirit of collective giving captivated the founders of Capital Cause?during President Obama?s 2008 election campaign, which took online fundraising to unprecedented levels by engaging donors who were able to give at smaller price points. ?One of the things that I was taught in 2008,? says Williams, chair of Capital Cause, ?was that it only takes a little bit?a little bit of money, a little bit of time?in order to make a difference.?

Williams, who volunteered as the events director of Young and Powerful for Obama as well as a fundraiser for Generation Obama, organized several campaign fundraising events with, what she describes as, ?low-dollar? admission levels. This made participation open to a large crowd of supporters. One such fundraiser, a poetry reading held at the popular Washington, D.C., restaurant Jin, drove home the power of engaging donors who could give small amounts. Williams remembers ?packing out? Jin with Obama supporters and feeling the enthusiasm of those in attendance. Ultimately, the event raised $15,000 for the campaign. ?Everyone was so happy that they could say ?I only paid $10, and yet?through this organization, I made a $15,000 impact. People were really inspired by the concept of collective giving,? Williams says.

After the presidential inauguration, the five founders of Capital Cause, each of whom had volunteered during the 2008 election cycle, decided to capitalize on the enthusiasm that they had felt while volunteering and continue their efforts to promote collective giving. A? first meeting in the fall of 2009 led to 10 months of research and planning. ?The five of us were very serious about this not being something that we did for a few months and then just lost interest,? Williams comments. ?We started the organization to feel like a family,? Smith adds. ?We were open about letting people into the vision and making them feel like they also had a stake and a voice in the organization,? Smith continues. This emphasis on collaboration, open dialogue and a willingness to learn from each other is, in part, what the founders attribute to their successes thus far. In just two years, Capital Cause has grown to include an 11-member board of directors and has become the host of many sold-out fundraising events. And Capital Cause recently granted its first $1,000 micro-grant to Capital Partners for Education for its college prep program.

As Williams reflects, ?We?ve progressed to a point where people see us as an emerging philanthropic leader, and they want to get involved.?

***

Check back on Friday, as we continue this story with Part 2. We will explore the giving inspiration of the Capital Cause founders and learn more about why they think the time is right for new philanthropists to emerge.

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Source: http://writeforthecause.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/dc-nonprofit-capital-cause-redfines-philanthropy-part-1/

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