October 2008 e-Community

Dear Friends,

Each fall, we ask Coloradans to support the charities and causes they care about most. At Community Shares, we encourage each donor to choose which nonprofit organizations will receive funding. Over 98% of our workplace donations are designated to individual nonprofit organizations.

The staff of Community Shares participates in a workplace giving campaign each year. (As a testament to incremental giving, since 2000 our small staff has contributed over $15,000 to member charities!). When I choose which nonprofits to support, I consider myself a "community shareholder" making an investment toward achieving my vision of a better Colorado. If I align my giving with an organization that reflects my values, has a business model I believe in, and a mission statement that truly drives decision-making, I have confidence my community investment will pay dividends.

I've been working on a draft of a Personal Philanthropy Plan in conjunction with development of our online giving site, mycoloradoproject.org. It includes worksheets to help you identify your top values, select your most important issues, and draft a personal mission statement. We've included the draft for download and I'd love to hear your feedback on our blog, The Shares Holder. I'd especially like to hear if developing a personal mission statement helps you target your giving this fall.

Thank you for investing in Community Shares! Please feel free to give me a call or send me an email if you'd like to discuss how to target your giving.

Best,



Alyssa Kopf
CEO, Community Shares