The Give Where You Live Campaign
Your donation to the Give Where You Live Campaign can help the great nonprofits working in your community to make ends meet.
Some organizations supported by the Cooperative Community Fund are longtime established community organizations, others are younger. Child care. Stopping violence against women. Healthier food. Preserving farmland. Protecting the environment. Affordable housing.
The Give Where You Live Campaign at your co-op can support these efforts and others in your community. Your donation makes it happen.
How Much of My Donation Supports Nonprofits?Through the Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation, each co-op is linked with many other co-ops in building their local Cooperative Community Fund. Each one increases its potential by uniting local actions, and reduces its costs by sharing resources nationally.
99% of all funds raised by the "Give Where you Live" Campaign go directly into our Cooperative Community Fund. Your local co-op donates 100% of the staff costs of the "Give Where You Live" campaign, joining many other groups and individuals who donate time, goods and services to build the Cooperative Community Fund.
No more than 1% goes to Cooperative Community Fund administration costs. 99% of what you give goes directly into the Fund. This is one of the lowest cost ratios in U.S. philanthropy. Your donation is tax deductible.
Anna and Frances Moore Lappe
With its publication of "Hope's Edge" --as with the publication 25 years ago of "Diet For A Small Planet"--we're showing people that the decisions we make as we purchase food for our families have vast implications beyond the dinner table-implications to the environment, the economy and to the overall health of the planet. I'd like encourage you to make another decision with broad implications--donate to your Cooperative Community Fund."
You can purchase "Hope's Edge" and other titles by clicking here
Invested for Good Returns
As Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation and local co-ops build the Cooperative Community Funds, we directly invest the principle in cooperative development by investing in credit unions, locally owned community banks that support cooperatives, the Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund, the National Cooperative Bank and other socially responsible funds. Every dollar we have works hard to achieve our aims. As a result, your Cooperative Community Fund program makes your dollars work in many ways for both cooperative development and community good.
Contact us
Cathy Murnighan, TPCF Executive Director @ cmurnighan@community.coop
Mailing Address
216 F. Street, PMB 1844
Davis, CA 95616
530-753-COOP (message machine)
F.A.Q.
- What is a Cooperative Community Fund?
- How many food co-ops presently participate in the CooperativeCommunity Fund program?
- How much have the Cooperative Community Funds donated tononprofits and other cooperatives at this time?
- What can members contribute to the Cooperative Community Fund?
- Who decides where the income earned by our Cooperative CommunityFund goes?
- Who decides where the income earned by our Cooperative CommunityFund goes?
- What is the advantage of food co-ops joining together to operate Cooperative Community Funds?
What is a Cooperative Community Fund?
A Cooperative Community Fund (CCF) is an endowment fund established for each participant co-op wherein the interest earned each year is donated by the sponsor co-op to nonprofits and cooperatives in their community. A CCF is sponsored by a local food co-op and administered within the Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation.
How many food co-ops presently participate in the CooperativeCommunity Fund program?
At the end of 2004, eleven food co-ops were sponsors. They are; North CoastCooperatives, Davis Food Co-op, Briarpatch Community Market, Co-opportunity, Isla Vista Food Co-op, Hanover Food Co-op, Weaver Street Market, Food Co-op Conspiracy,Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, People's Food Co-op and Quincy Natural Foods Coop. We anticipate six more food co-ops joining during 2005.
How much have the Cooperative Community Funds donated tononprofits and other cooperatives at this time?
Our sponsor co-ops have already donated $30,000 to nonprofits andcooperatives in their local communities. In 2005 another $12,000 in donations will be made possible and in 2006 annual donations will grow to $15,000. By 2008 the donationswill reach $100,000 in combined giving.
What can members contribute to the Cooperative Community Fund?
Members of food cooperatives earn on average slightly higher income than the median income in their communities. Members of food cooperatives are also likely to donatemore to local nonprofits than the average family in their communities. Our co-op members trust our cooperatives. Almost everything they buy from us they put in theirmouths. Why would they not trust us to do just as well with the spare change they put in their pockets. At an earlier stage I did a breakdown of the Davis population to arrive atwhat giving they might do. You can obtain the same numbers for your community. Use this formula: There are 7,000 households who are members of the Davis Food Co-op. Ahousehold in the DFC is similar to a household in Davis. The annual median household income in Yolo County (the county in which Davis is located) is $60,200. Therefore, the7,000 households who are members of the DFC earn annually $421,400,000. If on average households donate 3% of their gross income to charity then these DFC members are donating $14 million per year. Every food co-op
therefore has an opportunity to attract some of that $14 million to its Cooperative Community Fund. If your CCF onlyobtained 1% of the giving of your
members your CCF would receive $140,000 per year. Creating a program that would attract member giving allows you to approach a veryattractive
constituency - your thousands of members.
Who decides where the income earned by our Cooperative CommunityFund goes?
Your co-op decides and sends that advice to TPCF. We recommend that eachsponsor co-op appoint a committee from among the board, staff and members. That committee is entrusted with the task of deciding which nonprofits and co-ops to donateyour funds to. We also suggest that the committee also have a role in raising funds from within your community through fund raising activities. TPCF does encourage the sponsorco-op to focus its giving on the four categories listed below.
Who decides where the income earned by our Cooperative CommunityFund goes?
No. A Cooperative Community Fund is an addition to your existing communitygiving programs. It may mean over time that you reshape your existing programs so that you present a well defined consistency to your message about community giving. TheCooperative Community Fund program can help you be more purposeful and programmatic about your community giving. Many co-ops run successful programs at thecash register for specific community groups. Many of those programs have been in place for years and are a very important anticipated source of income for those nonprofitgroups. However, some programs can be modified to benefit the growth of the Cooperative Community Fund. For example, a number of co-ops have a program ofasking for donations at the cash register for a particular non profit each month. A CCF sponsor food co-op might arrange for its own CCF to be the beneficiary of three out ofthe twelve months. In the end you will be able to donate more funds to the groups you help by building the endowment of your CCF. Or perhaps you donate 10% of the amountraised each month to your CCF. There are lots of ways to build your CCF program. Without needing to eliminate all the existing programs you support.
What is the advantage of food co-ops joining together to operateCooperative Community Funds?
Acting together will always be more effective than operating separately. Each ofour co-ops brings talent to the table. That talent through the CCF partner funds means that we all share the benefit of practicing good fundraising ideas. As the good ideaspercolate they can be used by the other partner co-ops. As we grow there is also a sense of togetherness in developing opportunities. Some of this is slow to grow but over time itwill be sure to happen.