Greater Seattle Civic Health Index 2010
November 11, 2010
We live in a generous community. Last year, 60.3% of greater Seattle’s residents donated $25 or more in money, assets, or property—10% higher than the national average. Individual donations to the annual King County United Way campaign are among the highest in any American county. Philanthropy Northwest’s 2010 analysis of regional giving by foundations and corporations reveals that grant dollars to the Northwest increased 21% between 2006 and 2008, only slightly less than the 25% increase between 2004 and 2006. 1
Beyond the generosity of our citizens, our region also has transformed the practice of philanthropy. Founded in 1947, the Employees Community Fund of The Boeing Company is the world’s largest employee–owned and –operated giving program. It is the oldest of greater Seattle’s innovative “pooled” giving communities in which individuals make donations to a joint fund and work collaboratively to decide where the charitable donations will be made.
Washington Women’s Foundation (WWF) began in 1995 when 116 local women pooled their financial and intellectual resources to support and strengthen the community as well as provide inspiration and empowerment for other women. Today, nearly 500 WWF members work together to make annual grants totaling $1 million, half of which are large pooled grants agreed to by the entire membership.
In 1997, Social Venture Partners (SVP) was founded by Seattle technology entrepreneurs who recruited peers not only to contribute nancially to their community, but also to offer their time and expertise to nonprofit organizations in long–term partnership. Replicated as a model globally, SVP’s dual mission is to strengthen nonprofit organizations and nurture new generations of engaged and effective givers. Since its inception, SVP Seattle has provided more than 25,000 hours in volunteer consulting and granted more than $10 million to advance promising nonprots.
The Seattle Foundation has recently launched a new website, www.seattlefoundation.org, that actively engages philanthropists with the broad needs of the community and its network of nonprofit organizations. This kind of connectivity and transparency provides a commons to investigate strategic community investments.
These donor communities along with others like them, including Potlatch Fund, Pride Foundation, and a long list of community foundations, have spurred charitable giving in this region for years, establishing a culture of philanthropy that is democratic and accessible to people of all incomes. These organizations also serve as models of philanthropic innovation nationally and globally.
Similarly, the ethic of corporate citizenship and philanthropy is strong. Corporate grants in the region grew 18% from 2004 to 2008. Microsoft, which matches employee gifts up to $12,000, gave $23.3 million in matching gifts in 2008, the largest total of any Northwest company. In addition to grants, Northwest businesses make signicant contributions through employee matching gifts, in–kind donations and volunteer programs.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Support greater Seattle’s continuing role in transforming philanthropic practice through innovative strategies like pooled giving and venture philanthropy.
2. Support United Way campaigns and other community giving programs.
3. Recognize corporations in our region that are committing time, leadership, and money to support community activities.
4. Encourage all businesses in the region to establish social responsibility programs and to engage in corporate giving and employee matching programs.
5. Support volunteerism and advocacy as philanthropic strategies to move communities forward. This is especially critical within communities of color to ensure broad reach and representation.
6. Use The Seattle Foundation’s website as a portal to investigate community needs, organizations and giving.