It's Giving Tuesday ... Mainers rank among the most generous in the U.S.
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This year's Mainebiz Giving Guide includes detailed reports on the work of approximately 40 Maine nonprofits. A link to the digital edition of the Giving Guide is included within the story below.
Today is Giving Tuesday and dozens of Maine nonprofits are making their appeal for donations. With one-third of all annual giving taking place in December, those appeals represent a make-or-break opportunity for nonprofits to maximize their impact on Maine’s quality of life.
“With quality of life increasingly important for people choosing where to live and work, businesses can quickly understand the important role Maine nonprofits play in building a strong and sustainable economy,” Jennifer Hutchins, executive director of Maine Association of Nonprofits, wrote in her introduction to this year’s Mainebiz Giving Guide. “A thriving nonprofit sector, working as a valued partner with business and government, is integral to the state’s future prosperity.”
To help guide you evaluate how you might choose to help one or more of those Maine nonprofits, here’s a link to the digital edition of this year’s Mainebiz Giving Guide, with detailed reports on the work of approximately 40 nonprofits.
Highlighting the importance of Giving Tuesday, the personal finance website WalletHub released its report on 2018’s Most Charitable States. The report ranks Maine as the nation’s 14th most charitable state. WalletHub notes the United States ranks No. 4 in the 2018 World Giving Index.
The report also includes WalletHub’s “charity calculator” to help donors decide whether to give time or money for maximum philanthropic impact.
WalletHub compared the 50 states based on 18 key indicators of charitable behavior, ranging from volunteerism rates to the share of income donated to charitable causes.
Here’s how Maine ranked in key generosity metrics, as reported by WalletHub (1=most charitable; 25=average):
- 5th — Charities per capita
- 19th — Percentage of population who donated time
- 29th — Percentage of population collecting or distributing food
- 8th — Volunteer rate
- 15th — Volunteer hours per capita.
For the full report, go online here.
In addition to partnering with businesses and local governments to strengthen Maine’s economy, Hutchins reports that nonprofits also account for 17.5% of the state’s total payroll.
“Maine’s unique challenge is that 75% of our nonprofits have annual budgets under $100,000 and 89% have budgets under $500,000. Many need professional support to function effectively and efficiently.”
That’s where her organization steps in, Hutchins stated, by providing support services and advocacy to help those nonprofits operate as efficiently as possible.
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