Impact Made Easy: Addressing Pressing Needs and Promising Opportunities

Greater Des Moines (DSM) is a strong community, known for a thriving quality of life. Our nonprofit, or for impact sector as we like to call it, addresses the most pressing needs and promising opportunities of our region, further enhancing the community we call home. And thankfully, our community continues to be incredibly generous and supportive — truly embracing and living out the better together spirit.

More than 50 years ago, visionary and community-minded leaders came together, recognizing that to have a world-class community, we needed a strong foundation that would stand as a pillar to build sustainable support for organizations and community projects, challenge us to invest in collaborative, systemic change and serve as an expert resource for charitable giving. Thus, the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines was born.

Fifty-five years later, we are still committed to this mission — working to inspire greater giving, serving as a trusted steward of assets, leading as the local, expert charitable giving resource and partnering to catalyze transformational change, all while keeping equity and inclusion at the forefront of our work.

GIVEdsm: The Community Foundation’s Online Giving Platform

It has been our great privilege to hear the stories of donors and see the impact it makes on our area nonprofits. Through this spirit of being better together, we identified a need to further tie local nonprofits, and their funding needs, to community members passionate or inspired to give back. In 2018, the Community Foundation launched an online giving platform, GIVEdsm, to accomplish just that. Local nonprofits could submit their funding needs to GIVEdsm.org and community members could search and connect with charitable opportunities and offer support to causes they care about.

Since that time, GIVEdsm has become the go-to resource in our community, spreading joy in support of the nonprofit sector and continuing to improve quality of life for all. As we aim to provide a best-in-class experience, we are excited to unveil a new, enhanced GIVEdsm.

GIVEdsm is now streamlined with the Community Foundation website to realize efficiencies and enhance user experience. Current opportunities to give are color-coded to reflect:

• General support;
• Timely needs; and
• Capital campaigns

Current projects can also be sorted by areas of interest. Additionally, there are now three ways to give through GIVEdsm:

• If a donor has a Donor Advised Fund with the Community Foundation, they can login on the Community Foundation website to recommend grants directly to nonprofits.
• If a donor does not have a Donor Advised Fund with the Community Foundation and they want to save their information and giving history for future reference on GIVEdsm, they can create a GIVEdsm login.
• If a donor wants to give but doesn’t want to save their information for future reference, they can browse current opportunities and give as a guest.

Charitable nonprofit organizations with a project in DSM can create a profile in GIVEdsm, list their current needs and begin promoting their projects. The community can sort these opportunities by areas of interest, type of project or directly search for a specific nonprofit. GIVEdsm allows donors to connect directly to the organizations or projects they wish to support.

To illustrate how GIVEdsm works, imagine a local nonprofit that serves children needs financial donations so they can purchase school supplies to ensure the students they serve are prepared to start the school year. The organization can create a profile on GIVEdsm and submit their project. Individuals can learn about the opportunity to support the students and make a gift directly to the organization to ensure the young learners have what they need to succeed.

We created GIVEdsm to make giving simple — at any age or stage. Being a part of the community’s solutions and supporting local causes leaves a legacy of compassion and connection. By investing in the heart of the community, nurturing its growth and creating a brighter future for all, we can all be part of something bigger.

We would encourage you to start exploring your passions today by visiting GIVEdsm.org. The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines is a partner in helping you give where you live. We look forward to continuing our commitment to serve you, provide services that are uniquely yours and together, respond to the pressing challenges and promising opportunities today and tomorrow. Let’s continue to make Greater Des Moines greater, together.

Improving the Greater Des Moines (DSM) community through volunteering and community service is a priority for many. Thanks to community engagement opportunities and leadership connecting local businesses to causes that provide services to improve the region, DSM continues to be a place that provides support for those who live, work and play here.