The Willamette Week Give!Guide is now live and plans are heating up for OregoniansGive, a statewide celebration of #GivingTuesday on Dec. 1. Welcome to the giving season!

This is prime fundraising time for all of Oregon’s cultural nonprofits. It’s also prime time to encourage all cultural donors to double their donation for free with a matching gift to the Cultural Trust. The Trust depends on its network of cultural champions – you – to help spread the word to donors. Free collateral is available for mailings or personal distribution.

There also are tools (link to infographic) to help communicate how the Trust works. Cultural nonprofits are urged to add a “PS” to donor thank you letters (contact us for suggested wording). Trust leadership also will speak, as schedules allow, at board meetings or cultural gatherings.

This year, the Trust granted $2.6 million to cultural nonprofits across the state – a 30 percent increase over 2014. If every cultural nonprofit makes Trust messaging a priority, that number will continue to grow exponentially.