We all know that Austin is one of the greatest cities in the world, and the holidays are one of the most magical times of year! It can also be a stark reminder that while many of us are thriving here, there are too many of us struggling just to make ends meet. Too many are still making choices no one should ever have to make. Choices like: Should I buy groceries for the week or pay for my prescription? Should I pay my utility bill or buy my child a winter coat? After sharing a delicious meal on Thanksgiving and some quality family time, Giving Tuesday, December 3, is your chance to give back t ..read more

On October 28, classical radio station KMFA announced its goal of completing a $13.5 million campaign to fund its new headquarters, a brand new building at a growing development called The Hatchery, just east of I-35, and add to its permanent endowment fund. The $10 million facility is likely the first of its kind for a classical radio station in that it incorporates sound studios viewable to the public and a performance hall. Though initial plans were more modest and called for the nonprofit to take over an old warehouse, an anonymous gift of $3 million and the path of Austin’s othe ..read more

You know that feeling you get when the holidays are coming up? The one that makes you so grateful for all your blessings, that you want to share them with the world? Go with that feeling. Embrace it. Get out there and do some good for someone else, preferably with someone else. Right now, the world needs more of it and there’s never enough. So if you’re looking for great ways to let that holiday spirit move you, see below. But first, heed some advice from those of us who’ve been doing this a few years: It’s never too early to sign up. Please sign up as early as possible because these spo ..read more

Before we proceed with the annual list of nonprofits accepting gifts for the families they serve, I’d like to highlight one of the more rewarding “adopt a family” opportunities you’ll ever have: the Austin American-Statesman’s Season for Caring Campaign. For 21 years now, the Statesman has collaborated with local charities like iACT, Capital IDEA, HAAM, Wonders & Worries, Caritas of Austin, Any Baby Can, and more, to select and profile some of the neediest people in Austin. These are families who face an uncommon amount of bad luck combined with dire circumstances. What will strike yo ..read more

First of all, volunteering in a way that violates the shelter-in-place, social distancing rules is a very bad idea. Most volunteering work that would violate those rules has been shut down anyway. As is true in other disasters, please leave the front-line work to trained volunteers and highly skilled professionals. Second, one of the most powerful things you can do right now is give money and gift cards. Cash is easy to deploy, flexible, infinitely useful, and what nonprofits and the people they serve need most. Right now, nonprofits are having to lay-off and furlough employees, even those non ..read more

Walter Moreau, executive director at Foundation Communities in Austin, said he’s running mostly on adrenaline. As of Wednesday, 56 of the 140 client-families who recently escaped homelessness can’t pay their rent because of lost wages due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the nonprofit’s 21 food banks are serving double the number of families than before. “This whole experience is surreal,” Moreau said. “We had similar experiences after Hurricane Katrina, but you could sense an end to it.” Yet, even when Austinites are dealing with their own challenges facing the coronavirus and the shelter-in-pla ..read more

Nonprofits that provide in-person services that are a lifeline for their clients are struggling to find new ways to deliver those services during the coronavirus crisis, even as the nonprofits’ financial stability is at risk. At the same time, demand for their services is increasing as more people become unemployed, isolated, or ill.  Laura Sovine, executive director of Austin Recovery, a nonprofit addiction treatment center, spent the past week struggling to balance the needs of its clients with the need to keep operations running. “It’s a time of crisis,” said Sovine, “so we’re having t ..read more