Give a Little. Help a Lot.

Here, in “war-ravaged” Portland — a city burning to the ground, or so we’re told — all it takes is a walk out the front door to see what’s really going on in our neighborhoods. We are not some MAGA delusion. Rather, this is an amazing and wonderfully quirky place.

At the same time, we know we have plenty to do to get our metro area where we’d like it to be.

Enter the Portland area’s nonprofit community and one of its best friends and biggest boosters — Willamette Week’s Give!Guide. We’re here to clear the (sometimes tear-gassed and pepper-sprayed) air to present a different take on things.

What began in 2004 as a modest attempt to entice younger Portlanders into the year-end giving habit has grown into a significant changemaking campaign for our entire community. Give!Guide is a place where anyone can make a difference simply by finding something they love and giving a little. The nonprofits take it from there. Their programs go on to fight for our rights, give our neighbors a place to sleep or get clean, create some cool art, help kids, and a good deal more.

Through giveguide.org, we connect you to a curated (and WW-vetted) list of organizations doing incredible things you care about. While some participating orgs are new or niche, others are more established and have name recognition. The mix is fresh each year, but it’s always hyperlocal — with all participating nonprofits headquartered and active in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties. It’s easy to jump in, discover a nonprofit in an area of interest, give ’em a few bucks, and have fun along the way.

Over the years, Give!Guide has become the largest giving platform in Oregon — with more than $73 million raised for 557 nonprofits. This year, our sights are focused on raising $9 million for 277 nonprofits, which is just slightly more than last year’s record-breaking total. Everything is on giveguide.org, where you can give from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31.

What’s in it for you — beside the rewards of giving

On Big Give Days (there’s a baker’s dozen this year), every donor is entered to win a spectacular prize. Think shopping sprees, getaways, staycations, e-bikes, private flights into the Columbia Gorge, and more. On top of that, many nonprofits have special donor incentives to encourage your support in the form of matching gifts, swag, and other cool stuff. And if that weren’t enough, every donor gets some goodies from us to thank you for your kindness. See the prizes and other incentives being offered by Willamette Week on here.

If you’re 35 or younger, there’s even more fun in store. Some Big Give Days have exclusive prizes just for you with extra chances to win. And there’s the big 35 & Under Challenge with $10,000 in cash prizes that’ll be awarded to top nonprofits decided entirely by young donors (see here for details). Give!Guide also awarded Skidmore Prizes to four outstanding young nonprofit professionals (see their profiles here).

Big Thanks to Our Partners

Motivated by the good works of all these essential organizations are more than 700 local businesses and sponsors. Their partnerships go a long way to make Give!Guide a success by supporting the nonprofits. (See giveguide.org for a list of Give!Guide’s sponsors and business partners. These are some of the Portland area’s most wonderful companies.) Together with nearly 17,000 donors, we hope this year’s Give!Guide will help buoy a storm-battered lifeboat that, in turn, will keep our community sailing along.

Please join us over the next two months and stand up for your beliefs and values. Give early. Give often. Give what you can. Do it for you. Do it for Portland. Do it for the frogs.

And whatever you do, as we say in this space every year: When it comes to WW’s Give!Guide, let your credit or debit card roam free a time or two between now and midnight on New Year’s Eve. If we all pitch in a little, both you and Portland will be that much better for it.

Trust and Transparency

Each and every organization has been vetted through the IRS, Oregon Secretary of State, and Oregon Department of Justice. Funds are sequestered in a special Give!Guide account and reviewed each year by independent auditors.

Profiles of all the organizations are on giveguide.org along with their federal tax ID number, size by revenue (based on their most recently filed IRS Form 990), mission, descriptions of what they do, and why it matters. Plus any details about their partnerships or donor incentives like matching gifts or other goodies!

Thank YOU!

Richard H. Meeker - Founder

Toni Tringolo - Executive Director

Molly Rodrigano - Campaign Assistant