BY JO PRESSIMONE
PALS Advancement Manager
We are thrilled to be kicking off Summer 2022 in June! Thanks to our community, we are able to spend every summer celebrating the PALS magic in camps across the country with over 1,000 participants. PALS benefits from the generosity of donors across the country. Every dollar raised goes towards creating inclusive camp experiences for people with Down syndrome and their peers.
Did you know that many businesses and companies coordinate charitable giving and opportunities to support great organizations such as PALS? Check out the possibilities and let us know if your employer might be interested in meeting with the PALS staff team. Everyone can contribute to the PALS community in some form, whether it is by participating, volunteering, donating, or getting your workplace involved. We all need some of the unbridled joy and connection of PALS in our workplaces too!
Matching Gifts
Many companies encourage their employees to make individual contributions to nonprofits like PALS and will match that gift from their own funds. This is a great way to double, or even triple your gift’s impact. You can reach out to your company’s finance or social responsibility team department to find out if they match gifts. Sometimes there is a form that you need to fill out and send with your gift, and PALS’ development team will finalize the paperwork on our end. Let us know if you are making a gift that is eligible for a match by emailing Jo at jo@palsprograms.org!
Corporate Responsibility
A lot of corporations devote a percentage of their operating budget to supporting nonprofit organizations, on both the local and national level. Employees can often make recommendations on how those funds should be distributed! If you know who your company’s Corporate Responsibility officer is, you can connect them with PALS. It might also be known as “corporate philanthropy,” “corporate giving,” or “corporate social responsibility.” This is a great way to bring more awareness about PALS to your organization and invite your whole company into our mission of belonging!
Corporate Grant Making
Some companies manage their corporate giving through a foundation. These foundations will identify areas of funding, topics that align with their corporate values (for example, the Starbucks foundation supports coffee growers in developing countries). In order to access corporate grants, PALS needs to submit an application. If you, as an employee, are able to recommend PALS for a grant, that will reflect positively on our application. Let us know if your company has anything like this and we would love to apply with your support!
Corporate giving is just one of the many ways to be involved with the PALS community. This brings the PALS mission to life as we can continue to create programs across the country for participants. We are so grateful for your support and contributions as we inspire a world of belonging. If you have an idea or question regarding corporate giving, reach out to jo@palsprograms.org. We’d be thrilled to chat with you!