The Challenge
The COVID pandemic continues to bring unique challenges for charitable giving:
- Unprecedented and increased needs in diverse sectors of the community
- Local charitable nonprofits are overwhelmed by need an must operate with less resources and staffing
- Small-scale philanthropists and donors may not feel they can meaningfully help the greater humanitarian needs while they deal with their own challenges
- Larger-scale donors are being requested to step in and shoulder burden without the support of the smaller donors
- Parents are feeling challenged raising their children and adolescents to be moral, caring, and responsible, and giving them positive messages in these stressful times
- Young adults are looking for a universal, trendy cause they can support in a meaningful way
- Community solidarity has broken down among recent racial and political tensions
Our Solution – The Luzerne Foundation ARK Charity Project
- The ARK charity box is a low-cost, reusable, universal, trendy and cute medium that serves as a constant reminder to give charity daily
- The ARK project (ARK) highlights the power of collective giving
- ARK lets the donor choose the cause. 100% of the donor’s gift goes to the cause of choice
- There is no expectation of the amount to give. Every donor, and any amount makes a difference
- The ARK program (ARK) highlights the power of collective giving
- ARK combines education of values with consistent action
- Charitable giving is facilitated through The Luzerne Foundation, a trusted, independent, and unbiased oversight organization that has worked extensively with local charities
- ARK facilitates donations specifically towards 501c3 charities providing for local humanitarian needs, allowing the donor to see the effect of the charity being given and become involved with the cause
- ARK inspires larger gifts as larger-scale donors see many more in the community get involved
- ARK generates a community-wide feeling of kindness, unity, and good values with measurable, sustainable impact
A Visionary County-Wide Charity Project
Schools:
- Students are introduced to the concept of philanthropy, the nonprofit work in our region, and the power of each student becoming a “giver” for life
- Each school selects a local nonprofit organization to be the recipient of their kindness and motivates classroom discussions and projects about the chosen cause and kindness in general
- Children bring their ARK charity box home, and give daily in any amount
- The school organizes a “giving day” to collect donations
- Donations are processed through The Luzerne Foundation to the chosen cause
College and University Campuses
- ARKs are distributed to student residences before they arrive for the new session
- Students organize assemblies and learn about local nonprofit causes
- Students choose a local project or nonprofit cause and give daily and challenge themselves to hit a fundraising goal
- Students organize a “giving day party” to collect their charity, which is processed through The Luzerne Foundation to the chosen cause
Businesses and Industries
- ARKs are distributed to staff/employees along with information about local nonprofit causes
- Staff/Employees choose a cause for their charity donations and give daily
- Staff/Employees organize collection days in coordination with the Luzerne Foundation, which processes their charity to the cause
- The chosen nonprofit can make a presentation to donors on the effect of their charity
The ARK Charity Project of Luzerne County – In the News:
Wyoming Area Catholic ARK Essay Winners
For more information on the ARK Charity Project, or to run the ARK Charity Project at your school or business, please email: info@unitetheworld.org