2009-2010 Campaign Kickoff!

When you hold a dollar bill in your hand, do you see a million dollar difference? Last year, with an average gift of $1 dollar a day, Community Shares received nearly $1.5 million in workplace giving pledges. A paycheck contribution gift of $1 a day - $5 each week - adds up to a $260 donation to the charities and causes you care about most. At Community Shares, we know the value of your hard-earned dollars and provide you with the financial clarity you deserve. Not only do we know many of our donors make real sacrifices to invest in our community, we also know how efficiently our member agencies' use those dollars to deliver services. When we say "every dollar makes a difference" it's more than a campaign slogan - it's the Community Shares promise. The majority of our workplace giving campaigns kick off in October and we are counting on you to be a part of our giving community and invest in the welfare of our friends and neighbors when they need us most. When we hold a dollar bill in our hands, we see a million dollar difference. Share our vision and support Community Shares of Colorado this fall. In Partnership, Alyssa Kopf CEO, Community Shares

Our goal this fall is to raise $1.5 million for our member nonprofits through incremental giving campaigns at Colorado workplaces and through online giving drives. We know we can't do this alone and we are asking you to become an active part of our giving community. The next three boxes are our call to action to you: Believe in $1 a Day, Becoming a Giving Ambassador, and Make a Million Dollar Difference.

Believe in $1 a Day

+ To start the Community Giving Campaign this year we want you to hold a $1 bill in your hand. We're serious - reach into your pocket, find a dollar bill, and ask yourself if you believe that $1 a day can make a million dollar difference. + Our average gift at Community Shares really is $1 a day. It's not a slogan or abstract, fancy math - it's what really happens each year. Your dollar, my dollar, his dollar, her dollar - it all adds up and together we come together to invest more than $1.5 million in Colorado nonprofits. + If you look at our end results - the $1.5 million we raise annually for nonprofit organizations or the $15 million we've raised for Colorado - you can lose perspective of how we get there. + At Community Shares, we never forget that we get there $1 at a time, one person at a time. We see each of you and the difference you make. Your dollar counts at Community Shares. + To kick off the 2009 campaign, hold a dollar bill in your hand and start believing in the power of incremental giving!

Become a Giving Ambassador + The actions of a few often inspire many! Giving is contagious and the greatest good you can contribute to your cause is showing your enthusiasm for it! + If giving means a lot to you, spread that message! We can help! + This year we are recruiting a karma army of Giving Ambassadors. As a Giving Ambassador you can help by: Hanging a Community Shares '$1 a Day' poster on a wall in your workspace Wearing a Community Shares $1 a Day' button on your shirt, coat, or bag Talking to one new person about your favorite cause Starting a giving campaign at your workplace + Sign up to be a Giving Ambassador today and we'll send you a packet to promote giving this fall.

Make A Million Dollar Difference + One of our absolute favorite stories comes from last year's Community Giving Campaign. It perfectly illustrates the power of incremental giving. + Our nonprofit member agencies run workplace giving campaigns just like so many companies in Colorado. During the 2008-2009 campaign 185 nonprofit employees chose to participate. Their total gift at the end of the campaign was a little over $45,000! + While the number seems shockingly high, it actually averages out to $1 a day - $5 a week - $260 a year. + An avalanche begins with a single snowflake + Everyone can give if they are just asked. The #1 reason people say they didn't give to charity is not because they couldn't afford to give - it's because no one asked them. + Start a giving campaign at your workplace. No company is too small and $1 a day makes a difference. + Our member agencies prove that we can all be a part of achieving our goal of $1.5 million in giving. + Share our vision and help us make a million dollar difference this fall!

August 2009 e-Community

Dear Friends,

Before coming to Community Shares of Colorado, I worked in the Family Reunification Program for the Denver Department of Human Service. The City of Denver runs a tremendous giving campaign annually called the Denver Employees' Combined Campaign. At a staff meeting, I was introduced to the campaign succinctly, "This is the employee giving campaign. You don't have to do it." With that call to action, it became just one more pile of papers I could file away.

Later that afternoon my coworker Vicki took a few seconds to be a giving ambassador. She said to me, "Can I tell you a little bit more about the giving campaign? I think it's a great program. I can give as little as $5 a paycheck and it adds up to make a big difference. I choose to give to Denver Dumb Friends League because that's where I adopted my dog but you can give to any charity you want. Take a few minutes to look and see if you would like to give." Those five sentences - no guilt or pressure involved - changed my outlook on the campaign and I picked up a pen and made a donation.

This year, we are making a special effort to partner with more Giving Ambassadors like Vicki. Sign up to be an ambassador and be a special part of our 2009 Giving Campaign. While the person you talk to may not become the CEO of a workplace giving fund (the job is taken, thank you!), you may inspire a new donor. Be a Giving Ambassador and help us spread the word that every dollar makes a difference at Community Shares of Colorado.


Alyssa Kopf
CEO, Community Shares

PS If you thought the story was too good to be true, notice Vicki chose a nonprofit that isn't a Community Shares member agency. If Vicki had given to The Gathering Place, that story would be on a bronze plaque on my door!

Become a Community Shares Giving Ambassador!

+ Over the next 4 months Community Shares will reach over 200,000 employees through out Colorado to ask them to come together to ensure those most in need in our community are given access to hot meals and warm beds; the lives of domestic and wild animals are protected and improved; a louder voice is given to social justice causes and the arts; and our natural resources are preserved for future generations. We call this initiative the annual Community Giving Campaign.

+ The campaign is an effort to reach a mass of people, but is at its core, all about the impact that each of us can individually have on our neighbor, our environment, our community. $1 a day.

+ Giving is contagious. The enthusiasm of one person can have a profound impact on others. During this year's 2009-10 giving campaign we hope you'll:

+ make a personal commitment to be a part of the solution,
+ ask others in your personal network to give,
+ share your favorite cause or nonprofit with your team,
+ forward nonprofit newsletters, and

+ More specifically, we hope you'll become a Community Shares Giving Ambassador.

+ It's easy, it's fun, and all you have to do is talk about what matters to you. Send us an email. We'll send you a 2009-10 Ambassador Toolkit (along with some fun free stuff) so that you can encourage others with expertise and style! You'll also receive exclusive e-newsletters which will leave you feeling well-versed and engaged, as well as invitations to visit some of our innovative nonprofits and see their changemaking power at work!

+ Click Here to become a Giving Ambassador for Community Shares. Send this email to our Community Giving Manager, Erin Atwell, along with your Name, Company, and contact information.

+ Talking to just one of your friends about your favorite cause, nonprofit, or this great state is all you need to do. Whether you do it once, twice, or more is up to you, but the ripple in the pond moves further and faster than you can imagine.

The extraordinary results of many are often preceded by
the outstanding efforts of a few.

Be the Spark,

Jason Manke
Communications Manager
Contact me here



Erin Atwell
Community Giving Manager
Contact me here