Whether you’re motivated by the spirit of Thanksgiving, the joy of giving during the holidays, a “Christmas in July”-inspired desire to be philanthropic, or just some random Tuesday urge to be benevolent, charity has no specific time of year. The Season of Giving can live in your heart year-round. If you believe in and embrace that concept, nonprofits that rely on the kindness of individuals just like you will be genuinely grateful to you for bucking the “year-end charity” trend.
In the case of Rainbow Village, families experiencing homelessness don’t do so according to any calendar. It’s a 365-day-a-year crisis, as proven by our consistently full capacity and waiting list for transitional housing and access to transformational programming. Like most for-profit businesses, our nonprofit has bills and salaries to pay, as well as obligations to the families we serve. Those bills come due every month, not just during the holiday season when charitable giving spikes. If you’re seeking ways to show kindness and compassion – regardless of the date on the calendar, Rainbow Village offers eight ways for you to embrace The Season of Giving year-round…
- Make an Online Donation – one of the easiest ways to make an impact on Rainbow Village is to make an online donation – either to our general fund or to our “Building Homes. Building Hope.” Capital Campaign, which is funding our expansion from 30 to 66 apartments – more than doubling our capacity. In addition to cash donations, we also gratefully accept the gift of stock and legacy gifts that are part of your own estate planning or honor a loved one.
- Become a Monthly Donor – Our residents need help 365 days a year to rebuild their lives after experiencing the trauma associated with homelessness. A recurring donation provides a steady, dependable source of income to transform lives – bringing Help, Hope, Housing, and Healing to families in need. It also allows Rainbow Village to improve long-range planning and decision-making while protecting our organization during times of uncertainty, ensuring we can continue to provide support no matter what.
- Donate Items from our Amazon Apartment Wish List – Many families arrive at Rainbow Village with nothing but the clothes on their backs. A donation of items needed to stock an apartment can help a family feel right at home! Once they graduate from our Aspire Program and prepare to journey beyond our campus to a home of their own, they often take many of those items with them. This need is particularly critical with our upcoming expansion.
- Donate Items from our Amazon Academy Wish List – Rainbow Village Academy provides academic enrichment, social skill development, and a safe haven for children from elementary to high school age. In addition to being in session after school Monday-Friday, the Academy serves the youth on our campus during digital learning days, school holidays, and summer break. To ensure that the learning experience is both impactful and fun for the students of Rainbow Village Academy, we often need donations of key STEM, art, and basic supplies to support both after-school enrichment and full-day programming.
- Volunteer at Rainbow Village – Kindness isn’t tied solely to finances when it comes to most nonprofits. In addition to our dedicated staff, it takes a “village” of volunteers to help us at events, prep apartments for incoming families, assist in our Academy, make and serve meals during family enrichment evenings, and so much more. Learn about becoming a volunteer at Rainbow Village: https://rainbowvillage.org/get-involved/volunteer/.
- Join Our Women’s Giving Circle – The Rainbow Village Women’s Giving Circle is a diverse, dynamic, and generous group of women engaged in an exciting venture of strategic philanthropy. It leverages individuals’ resources for greater impact by pooling members’ dollars and using them to award microgrants to Rainbow Village families. We meet quarterly and award our microgrants in December during a year-ending, heart-warming ceremony.
- Become an Ambassador – If the Rainbow Village mission really resonates with you, becoming an ambassador for our organization may be the ideal fit for your desire to give. You can advocate for our mission by following, liking, commenting, and sharing our social media posts, events, and campaigns with your network. You can engage with the public on our behalf by becoming an ambassador volunteer. And you can support our mission through DIY fundraising – challenging your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to take part in a donation drive, bake sale, car wash, etc., and donate the items collected or funds raised to Rainbow Village.
- Urge Your Company to Partner with Us – If you’re on the team of a small local business or a large corporation with an office in Metro Atlanta, there are a wide variety of ways your company can partner with us. Whether supporting a family engagement event – like our Trunk-or-Treat event, sponsoring one of our annual fundraisers – like our We Are Family Tailgate Benefit Gala, hosting a Serve Day on our campus, or holding a donation drive in your office, our organization cherishes every partner. It all begins with a tour of our campus and a deep dive into our mission. Schedule your company’s tour with our Community Engagement Director, Justin Cates, at jcates@rainbowvillage.org.
To learn more about Rainbow Village and our mission to bring Help, Hope, Housing, and Healing to families experiencing homelessness in Metro Atlanta, please visit www.RainbowVillage.org.