It's giving season! A crucial time of year for nonprofit organizations, including the Urban Ecology Center.

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It's giving season! A crucial time of year for nonprofit organizations, including the Urban Ecology Center.

Written by Michelle Milford

Tuesday, 12 December 2023

It's giving season! A crucial time of year for nonprofit organizations, including the Urban Ecology Center.

“Giving Season” refers to the last two months of the year, when charitable giving is at its peak.

According to a “Charitable Giving Statistics” report published by the National Philanthropic Trust, the majority of charitable giving in the U.S. is provided by individuals. In 2022, individual Americans gave $319.04 billion, which represented 64% of the total giving that year.

Among individuals, those who make $10 million-plus per year give the highest percentage of their income: 9.3%. The second-highest donors are those who make less than $50,000. Americans who fall into this group donate 8.4% of their income on average.

At the Urban Ecology Center, 80% of our budgeted revenue comes from contributed sources (i.e. donations). Half of that is given by individual donors, just like you! “Giving Season” is a crucial time for us, too! More than 45% of our entire budget is contributed in the last two months of the year. We rely on those dollars to sustain our programs, people, and parks through the next year.

Phenology RP 20130307 Else Prairie

The "Else Ankel" Prairie area of Riverside Park.

There are many ways to give this giving season!

Monetary gifts - Online gifts can be given here. If you are looking to streamline your giving, consider setting up a recurring gift!

Workplace giving - Ask your employer about their matching gift program. They might double your donation!

Social Sharing - Follow us on your favorite social media platforms:

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

20200204 162325 HDR Then, give our posts a like, comment, and share! Consider creating a Facebook fundraiser, too.

Practice Our Mission - Our mission is to connect people in cities to nature and each other. Visit one of our parks to reconnect with nature and say hello to another nature lover while you are out there!

Donor Advised Funds - Giving through a Donor Advised Fund maximizes your impact on the UEC and provides a tax benefit to you.

Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) - If you are over age 70.5, you can transfer a gift directly from your IRA. This counts towards your required minimum distributions without being considered taxable income (win-win!).

Planned Giving - Gifts of the future come in many forms - bequests, stocks, insurance, real estate, trusts, and more.

Gifts of Time - Volunteer at the UEC! We have opportunities for every skill level and interest. Participate in a wildlife survey, remove invasive species, and/or help out at an event.

Target Circle - We are a nonprofit partner of Target Circle. And there’s still time to vote for us! Place votes for us in the Target app. The deadline is Dec. 31.

THANK YOU for considering the Urban Ecology Center this giving season. We are grateful for every form of support. YOU are a gift.

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Michelle Milford

Michelle is UEC's Development Communications Manager. With a degree in Zoology and Environmental Studies, she began her career as a zookeeper. An American badger remains her favorite animal - having raised one from a cub. After making some difficult professional decisions, Michelle ended up in the nonprofit sector where she’s happily stayed for 8+ years. Having started in January 2022, she still feels incredibly lucky to be part of the UEC team - a team who, like her, cares deeply about the environment and those, both human and not, that depend on it. When she’s not at the UEC, you can find her exploring the outdoors with her husband, two young children and their deaf English setter.