News
Website to Simplify Charitable Giving in
Middle Tennessee
The Community Foundation to Oversee GivingMatters.com™;
Provide Greater Access to Nonprofit Information
Nashville, Tennessee, March 29, 2005 – The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and other regional nonprofit partners today launched GivingMatters.com, an online resource for potential donors that provides pertinent information about nonprofit organizations in Middle Tennessee.
GivingMatters.com, the first Internet site of its kind in Middle Tennessee, features profiles of area nonprofits that give donors greater access to information about charitable institutions. Profiles offer objective, regionally specific, detailed information about each organization’s management, governance and mission. The website assists donors interested in charitable giving or estate planning in finding an appropriate nonprofit recipient.
“The basis for successful philanthropy is to understand the needs in our community and access to that knowledge is the driving force behind GivingMatters.com,” said Nelson Andrews, a GivingMatters.com steering committee member. “I believe it will provide a giant step forward by enabling more donors to give in a smarter manner, as well as give nonprofits the ability to become much more accessible to the generosity in our community.”
Each nonprofit profile includes detailed financial, operational and programmatic information. The Foundation and nonprofits in the database will ensure the information is updated at least once a year. Though GivingMatters.com initially will feature 150 profiles, plans call for expanding the site to include 400 in the near future and eventually all 1,700 Middle Tennessee nonprofits.
“’Giving Matters’ has to potential to unite our Middle Tennessee community of donors and agencies through a common platform of useful, timely information,” said Joanne Pulles, executive director of the HCA Foundation.
Nonprofits currently profiled comprise agencies and programs within 40 Middle Tennessee counties with annual revenues greater than $25,000.
GivingMatters.com addresses a long-identified need among donors to have more information about community agencies and their services. Area philanthropic organizations that joined with The Community Foundation to launch GivingMatters.com are: The Ingram Charitable Fund, HCA, Aladdin Industries Foundation, Atticus Trust, Baptist Healing Trust, Bridgestone-Firestone Trust, Cal Turner Family Foundation, Caterpillar Financial, CBRL Group Foundation, Joe C. Davis Foundation, The Jane & Richard Eskind, The Ezell Foundation, The Frist Foundation, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Harnisch Family Foundation, The HCA Foundation, Ingram Charitable Fund, Maddox Foundation, The Memorial Foundation, Michelle & ClaytonMcWhorter, NewsChannel5 Network, the Louie M. and Betty M. Phillips Foundation, Publix Super Markets Charities and Joan and Ben Rechter.
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee oversees more than 500 charitable funds. In the past twelve years, The Community Foundation has distributed $225 million to community programs and institutions. Currently, The Community Foundation manages endowment, unrestricted and memorial funds totaling $335 million. It is located at 3833 Cleghorn Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37215. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or visit www.cfmt.org.
