“So what are the volunteer opportunities for Oregon Culture?”  The smiling woman asked. She was one of hundreds of people who filled Pioneer Square in downtown Portland on Friday to attend the fifth annual The Standard Volunteer Expo.   “Cultural Trust volunteer opportunties are this!” I raised my arms indicating the banners and table where we had set up shop to show off Oregon Culture to potential volunteers.

By and large the Cultural Trust utilizes volunteers at tabling events statewide from the Salem Arts Fair to the Eugene Ballet opening night.  It is a wonderful opporutnity to share with our cultural nonprofit audiences and visitors that the Cultural Trust exists soley to provide funding for our state’s arts, heritage and humanities nonprofits.  And that all that funding comes from Oregonians just like them, who make voluntary contributions to the Cultural Trust every year, for which the state says thank you by giving that money right back, dollar for dollar, as a tax credit.  

I love the looks on people’s faces when they hear that.  “Really?!” a local financial advisor said, “That’s great. No wonder my friends have been trying to talk to me about the cultural tax credit.”  

“The only caveat,” I add, pausing for emphasis, “is that you also need to make a donation in the same amount to a cultural nonprofit. it’s a double investment that costs you less than what you spent.” I say, “You’re making a $200 [$100 to cultural nonprofit of your choice/$100 to the Cultural Trust] but it only costs you $40 once you’ve gotten deductions and of course, the generous tax credit.” 

In fact, many of the cultural nonprofits that benefit from cultural tax credit incentive to donate also benefit from the grant funding generated by donations to the Cultural Trust.  Several of them were at The Standard Volunteer Expo on Friday.  

The Trust table was directly across from NW Dance Project on of the 49 cultural nonprofits that received a Cultural Development Grant this year, and kitty-corner from the table was Oregon Humanities, one of the Cultural Trust statewide partners.  On my rounds I stopped by the Business for Culture and the Arts booth where I discovered Cultural Trust Board Chair, and director of public affairs at The Standard, Bob Speltz; he was hanging out with Keith Daly and Susan Myers. (pictured here)

Any of you reading this post, who visited our table at The Standard Volunteer Expo and want to find out more about volunteering for the Trust, please email cultural.trust@state.or.us and put Volunteer in the subject line. Share with us your name, email and phone number and we’ll get you on the list.  Our next big event is Wordstock where we will have a table and are seeking enthusiastic folk to man it. 

Read more about the biggest volunteer opportunity of the Cultural Trust – Cultural Coalitions – these are volunteers in every county and 6 of the federally regonized Tribes who work to bring Cultural Trust dollars to their communities.