The Willamette Week Give!Guide is live and Cultural Trust donations are pouring in – 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. Our strategic plan calls for us to attract 2,000 new donors in 2016, a very ambitious goal. Every new donor increases what we are able to grant to the field, so the challenge is on!

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 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 $2.9 million to cultural nonprofits across the state – a 10 percent increase over 2015. If every cultural nonprofit makes Trust messaging a priority, that number will continue to grow exponentially.

Together we will make sure culture thrives, Oregon!