By Jared Lindell
Tis’ the season for giving. At year-end, with the holidays approaching, the spirit of giving always seems to be at its peak. With generosity abound this time of year, people generally look to do some good for those in need, and charitable giving is one way to do so. While the giving sprit is high, walking down the street to a local charity to make a donation can be challenging, with the cold air, falling snow, slushy sidewalks, and, sometimes, treacherous driving conditions. For those wishing to give, while avoiding these potential problems, the Community Foundation offers a way to give from the comfort of your home computer or any computer for that matter.
The Community Foundation began offering online giving in September 2006. Simply stated, online giving allows an individual to make a credit card donation to the Community Foundation by simply using a computer. Over the past year, CRCF has found that this giving option has become a convenient way for many donors to give, as it can be done at any time, at any amount, and at any place that has a computer and internet connection.
To be more specific, there are certain steps that need to be completed before making your gift online. An account needs to be created at the CRCF website and a login name and password established. However, once this is done, you will be able to search through all CRCF funds and choose where you would like your donation to go, whether related to education, arts, economic development, human services and so on.
The exact process of completing an online gift with CRCF would be as follows:
2) Click on the “Donate Now!” button on the menu at the left side of your screen.
Once here, you will have the opportunity to search for different types of funds by fund category or keywords (No matter what fund you might wish to donate to, all CRCF funds are available).
3) Once you find the fund you wish to give to, click on “Donate.”
At this point, you will be taken to a new screen where you can enter your gift dollar amount. You can also add additional instructions, such as if the gift is in honor of someone or memory of someone.
4) After you have entered your gift amount, click “Final Checkout.”
At the final checkout, you will be required to fill out some personal information (name, address, login information).
5) Once your personal information is complete, click “continue,” then type in your credit information and submit. That’s it! You made an online gift!
After submitting your credit card information, your gift is received by the Community Foundation immediately and acknowledgement letters are drafted and mailed. All of your account information is stored by the CRCF website; so the next time you make a gift, you simply need to enter your username and password, and you are ready to go.
As you consider year-end gifts or any gift to the Community Foundation, take a moment to explore the Foundation’s online giving option. It is there for your convenience and will hopefully keep you out of the cold when making gifts this holiday season. You can direct any questions you have about online giving to the CRCF staff at 661-3390. Remember: Tis’ the season for giving…online giving!