Big Payback brings rewards from givingBig Payback brings rewards from giving

End Slavery Tennessee, last yearas top-earning small nonprofit organization in the Big Payback, aims to receive $40,000 to go toward a new safe house.(Photo: Submitted)

With the “bigger better” second annual The Big Payback just days away, my email inbox is full of requests for money, my home mailbox is jammed with charitable solicitations, and I am close to being overwhelmed by Payback pleadings.

So many good causes and never enough money to go around.

So what is the best way for us to decide which organizations and agencies to support with our hard-earned dollars?

I decided to ask some local foundations and a few generous individuals for suggestions on how to decide, and this was my takeaway:

a Follow your passions and support nonprofits that are doing successful work in areas in which you are interested, such as hunger, homelessness, animal programs, sexual abuse, domestic violence, etc. Plus, you can vote for their favorite nonprofit to help them win a $1,500 “Pop-Up” prize.

a And if you want information on the nonprofits you are considering, consult givingmatters.com, where you can find details on their missions, their boards and other due diligence facts.

a Pete Bird, president of the Frist Foundation, which is the largest private foundation in Middle Tennessee (It awarded $10 million in grants last year, the largest of which went to the Nashville Zoo and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts), said The Big Payback offers a “Big Opportunity” for engagement, as well as generosity.

“The Big Payback is all about encouraging the fun in giving a kind of like a big block party involving your favorite agencies. Thomas Health Foundation, and who for many years was the director of the Ingram Foundation, agreed that The Big Payback goes beyond fundraising and helps people in the community become connected with local nonprofits.

“In the big picture, any effort that gets more people excited about investing in the community is good,” she said, in reference to The Big Payback initiative, which last year raised nearly $1.5 million to support 525 nonprofits that provide services throughout Middle Tennessee.

This year, 755 nonprofits are participating, and there is close to a quarter-million dollars in bonuses and incentives to sweeten the pot during the 24-hour local Payback event.

Dolan said that for individuals who are trying to decide where to put their money, “I think it’s important to find the organizations that are working on a problem that you are passionate about. A leaderboard helps nonprofits and their supporters track their progress in real time!

In 2014 the event raised nearly $1.5 million to support 525 nonprofits providing services throughout Middle Tennessee.

As the name implies, the idea behind The Big Payback is two-fold: 1) to encourage people who can help to invest in the organizations that do help, and 2) to help our community understand that there will be a palpable, measurable, local return on investment from their support of this effort.

a The Community Foundation

Resource for giving

Take advantage of the Community Foundation’s GivingMatters.com site.