1. Thinking Outside the (Gift) Box
“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” ―Maya Angelou
“For it is in giving that we receive.” ―St. Francis of Assisi
Looking towards the holidays, many businesses and individuals start to think about which nonprofits they want to support. Although our donors are generous all year long, we know this is a time of year when sharing with others is celebrated as part of the holiday tradition for many people.
Increasingly we have seen our donors finding creative ways to give to Ciudad Nueva — sometimes to invite others to give with them, or to make their dollars go farther, or with the goal of fostering a culture of giving in their family or organization. Some of these unique ideas have even developed into new traditions. We want to share with you some of the interesting and unique ways they have partnered with us, as well as highlight some giving opportunities that we have coming up within our organization.
We hope that you will find much joy this holiday season, including the joy that comes from giving and sharing with those around you!
2. Host a Christmas party
Instead of the usual white elephant exchange, host a family or corporate Christmas party where all the gifts are given to charity! Items can be donated to the annual Ciudad Nueva Family Christmas Store, which provides an opportunity for parents to shop for their children at deeply discounted rates. You can read more about our annual Christmas store here.
With a slightly different creative giving inspiration, one of our supporters turned their corporate team building event into a service event earlier this year. Here is what they had to say:
“In March of this year, DATAMARK turned a corporate meeting into a major community-service event as employees worked together to assemble 25 new bicycles for Ciudad Nueva. DATAMARK’s goal was to find ways to incorporate team building with giving back to the community. Our employees were divided into teams where they were tasked with various challenges that enabled them to gain the tools they needed to build the bikes. The end result was beyond our expectations as we finished our meeting by loading up a truck with new bicycles that were going to be used in Ciudad Nueva’s Launch Pad program, which teaches children financial literacy, budgeting, and banking.” – Michelle Hayes, Administrative Support Manager
3. Participate in a funding drive to make your dollars go farther
You can make your contributions count even more — maybe even double! — by participating in a pledge drive or fundraising event. Here are a few upcoming opportunities and creative ways to give to Ciudad Nueva:
- El Paso Giving Day is coming up on November 15th. This is a one-day online event to encourage citizens to support our local nonprofits. Cash prizes are given to the participating organizations for most donations and other benchmarks, with a total prize of $15,000 given to the overall winner. What a fun way to build excitement and compete for more support for your favorite organization! This is the second year of El Paso Giving Day, and Ciudad Nueva is excited to participate again in an event that raises funds as well as awareness about the work we do.
- You can also support our Family Resource Center through a matching grant program, funded by the Matthew 25 Initiative. This funding campaign supports the work of organizations living and working among the most marginalized, underserved groups in their communities. When we reach $15,000 in donations, the initiative will match that amount! We were approved for this grant on June 29th, and we are excited about the resources this will generate for the Family Resource Center which include supporting the food co-op, community connectors program and immigration legal aid clinic.
- Create your own event. You don’t have to participate in a big event to make your dollars go farther. Plan a toy drive, a jog-a-thon, or even a walk-the-dog event, where you invite family and friends to donate along with you as you work toward a goal. This is an excellent way to get children excited and involved with giving! It doesn’t need a fancy website or sign-up sheet. Simply invite others to donate as you accomplish your goal.
Give in honor of someone
Sometimes you just cannot think of that perfect gift for the family member who already has it all. Consider giving a gift in their name, bringing joy and warmth to many people through the gift you give in your loved one’s name. Pair this up with the first creative way to give from our list, and you could plan a whole Christmas party to honor your loved one while giving back to the community!
4. Become a monthly supporter, either in time or money
While this might not be a fancy, creative idea, it just might be the right time to consider partnering with Ciudad Nueva all year long. Take the time to consider with your family if this is the year to make a deeper investment in our community, supporting the work we are doing with youth and families in the Rio Grande Historic District.
Or maybe this is the time to consider investing time in one of our programs. There is always a place for willing volunteers to become part of our community! Contact us today and we will find a perfect place for you to get involved.
5. Shop with a purpose
The holiday shopping season is here! Did you know that you can support Ciudad Nueva while completing your Christmas shopping? There are over 150 online merchants who will donate a portion of the proceeds every time you shop with them, including Target and Amazon! Click here to find out more.
In addition, some of our local brick-and-mortar partners have hosted in-store sales and donated a portion of the proceeds to Ciudad Nueva. Helen of Troy hosted an outlet sale where 10% of the proceeds were reserved for us.
Coming up soon, Friday, November 17th from 7-10 PM, Novotex (1900 E Mills Ave) is hosting a warehouse fundraiser for Ciudad Nueva. There is a $5 entry fee and all sales are donation based. All money donated from their new, name brand merchandise and clothing with be given to us. Light snacks, holiday music and drinks will also be available.
Our community will be hosting a Craft Fair on Sunday, November 26th from 12-4pm at the Mustard Seed Cafe (1140 N St Vrain). Vendors from the Rio Grande Neighborhood will be selling artisan products including decor items, jewelry, homemade tamales, and more! Come support our neighborhood families and do some holiday shopping!
Mark these on your calendar!
We hope that you will participate in many of the giving opportunities coming up at Ciudad Nueva, and we are so grateful for all the ways that our donors and volunteers support us so faithfully. Mark these dates on your calendar. We hope to see you there!
- El Paso Giving Day – November 15th, online visit www.ciudadnueva.org
- Novotex Clothing Sale Fundraiser – Friday, November 17th, 7-10 PM
- Matthew 25 Initiative Matching Grant – Ongoing event until we reach $15,000 in donations and our grant is matched.
- Community Craft Fair – Sunday, November 26th, 12-4pm at the Mustard Seed Cafe
- Ciudad Nueva Christmas Store – We are accepting donations of new toys, household items, decor, kitchenware and beauty products between now and the beginning of December.
Do you have any other creative ways to give to Ciudad Nueva? We would love to hear from you! Call or email today if you would like to get involved.
