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One day equals 24 hours; 1,440 minutes; 86,400 seconds. For a multi-impact organization, one day often means millions.
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A multi-impact organization is one that serves as a connector to work with donors and nonprofits. They are led by people with knowledge of the local charity landscape, which in turn allows them to use their resources to create a strong charitable impact in a city. In 1887, community leaders in Denver created a way to collect funds for 10 local charities that became the impetus of a multi-impact organization known as the United Way. It succeeded, and grew, and the United Way today has 17 offices in Nebraska.
Although this organization has been around for more than 130 years, they have seen their organization evolve from benefiting “10 area health and welfare agencies” to benefitting hundreds of nonprofits. The United Way often holds drives through workplaces that allow employees to give to a charity of their choice. These donations are often matched by an employer, so a person giving $1 to an animal relief organization in effect gives $2. The idea of multi-impact organizations has grown in recent years. “There is a call among the public to make philanthropy to be more democratized,” says Marjorie Maas of SHARE Omaha. “Different places are doing that differently. The Landscape Project [with OCP] uses data to
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SEPTEMBER 2019
Marjorie Maas of SHARE Omaha