Together we rise! Courage in the Age of COVID

GivingTuesday 2020 report reveals resilience amid adversity

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

The past 14 months have been scary. Our lives have been turned upside down, with everything we love and value endangered. But one thing never changed:  the willingness of communities, donors and volunteers to come together to meet our collective challenges.

Giving Tuesday just released their 2020 Impact Report, revealing a resilient philanthropic community. In a year that saw unemployment spike to a historic high, philanthropic giving in 2020 increased 5.2 percent. More than 20 million Americans lost their jobs, yet the number of individual supporters of nonprofits rose 1.3 percent. 

What does this say about us? About our priorities? We could have hidden in our homes with our stockpiled toilet paper and hand sanitizer, stuffed money in the mattress, and waited it all out -- but we didn’t. We came together to support those who need it most.

The nation is turning the corner but for vulnerable people there is still a long road ahead.  Southeastern Wisconsin nonprofits are helping communities get back on their feet in the “new normal.” Let’s all continue sharing the wealth with those who need it most. 

On Philanthropy appears monthly in the Milwaukee Business Journal for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter. This month’s column is contributed by Ellen Wilkinson.