Workplace giving federations, funds and others across the country are mobilizing support for an enterprising young nonprofit federation that had its 2005 community appeal wiped out by Hurricane Katrina.

$17,000 has been pledged to help Community Shares of Louisiana engage its member nonprofits and local employers in the rebuilding of workplace giving in Greater New Orleans.

Over the past several years, local nonprofit leaders have been working together to form a cooperative workplace fundraising campaign on behalf of organizations fighting poverty, discrimination, homelessness, environmental degradation and other critical problems facing people in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana.

Groups such as Equality Louisiana, Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, New Orleans AIDS Task Force, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade made a long-term commitment to building Community Shares in order to secure a new flow of unrestricted revenues and heighten awareness about their work.

In the fall of 2004, their hard work began to pay off. Community Shares of Louisiana (CSLA) raised nearly $40,000 from employees of the City of New Orleans, the University of New Orleans, and Tulane University. The National Alliance for Choice in Giving (NACG) recognized the success of this emerging fund by awarding CSLA its 2005 Progress Award.

Yet there will be no workplace giving campaigns in New Orleans this year. Local workplaces were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. In response, NACG's nationwide network has rallied around its sister fund, conducting a special appeal to raise the funds CSLA will need to regain its momentum and restore its position in local philanthropy.

"As the philanthropic sector returns to life in greater New Orleans, it is essential that the democratic values and diversity embraced by Community Shares of Louisiana be front and center," said NACG Executive Director Matt Howe. "Groups dedicated to social and environmental justice deserve a voice and broad visibility in upcoming community charitable campaigns."

Donated funds will be used to sustain Community Shares' work until local campaigns can begin again. This includes promoting member agencies' roles in the rebuilding efforts and highlighting the struggle to rebuild that these groups are facing. Many groups are establishing temporary offices in Baton Rouge and other cities until they can move back into the metropolitan area.

"Our member agencies have been calling for better protection of the Louisiana wetlands, and better treatment for the forgotten citizens of New Orleans for years," said CSL Executive Director Nora Wall. "Now we will ensure that respect for the environment, and respect for all people, will be integral parts of the rebuilding efforts in the city we love."

Leading contributors to the appeal are:
Community Shares of Wisconsin, Madison, WI      $2,900
Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee              $2,000
Fund for Community Progress, Providence, RI       $2,000
Montana Shares, Helena, MT                              $2,000
Women's Funding Alliance, Seattle                    $2,000
Earth Share, Washington, D.C.                          $1,000
Changemakers, San Francisco                           $2,000

"This is an extraordinary level of support from organizations whose own 2005 workplace campaigns may be affected by this year's hurricanes," noted NACG Executive Director Matt Howe. "It's a measure of the strength and cohesiveness of the nationwide network of federations and funds dedicated to choice and diversity in employee giving. Much more is needed but this is a great start."

Many individuals also have pledged. Most of the contributions will be received and allocated by NACG's Fund for Workplace Philanthropy, a pool of capital that directs strategic investments to community-based workplace giving projects nationwide.

Organizations and individuals that would like to support Community Shares of Louisiana's recovery efforts may give online or request a contribution form from the NACG Office by calling 207-761-1110.

About the National Alliance for Choice in Giving (NACG)
NACG is the nonprofit trade association for the new generation of workplace giving federations and funds providing an avenue for community development, environmental, advocacy, health, human service, international relief and other organizations to participate in annual workplace giving programs.

Over the past 18 years, NACG has provided a platform of support upon which dozens of federations and funds have grown their workplace campaigns several fold. In 1987, NACG's 18 member federations and funds raised approximately $2 million. Today NACG represents 54 federations and funds raising close to $100 million annually through workplace campaigns.

No other organization plays a comparable role to NACG on the national level. As an independent association (not a federation), NACG supports the field through specialized training, standards setting, dissemination of best practices and providing a national forum for collaboration, information sharing and strategy development.

For more information, please visit the following links:
National Workplace Giving Conference, Corpus Christi, TX, January 18-22, 2006
NACG Standards of Conduct for Workplace Giving Organizations
NACG 2004 Annual Report

Our Giving Community

Our Giving Community

Our Giving Community (OGC) is a community of local, state, and national workplace giving federations and funds that are working together to advance social justice, environmental protection, peace, human welfare and human rights. Our member federations and funds work with employers to create annual payroll giving campaigns that serve the diverse charitable interests of employees in an efficient and manageable way. From our headquarters in Portland, Maine, we provide an array of services to support our members and to assist private and public employers with the development of workplace charitable campaigns.

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