Cape Cod nonprofits hope for a fundraising boost on Giving Tuesday

Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks, but also a time, with the holidays approaching, for charitable giving.

In many cases, the recipients of that charitable giving are also the ones who give the most.

This year the Cape Organization for the Rights of the Disabled, or CORD, like many Cape Cod nonprofits, is celebrating “Giving Tuesday” on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

Many organizations celebrate Giving Tuesday to raise money for a wide variety of causes from supporting refugee children to fighting poverty to conserving the environment.

However, donations may come in several other forms such as donating materials, time and/or just becoming active in the community.

Giving Tuesday started in 2012

The day of philanthropy was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good, according to the Giving Tuesday website. "Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.”

CORD is a nonprofit organization that supports all kinds of people with all kinds of disabilities.

"We believe that people with disabilities should have equal access to jobs, restaurants, stores, and medical offices," Cathy Taylor, CORD director of services said in a statement. "We believe that children with disabilities should have the same educational and recreational opportunities as children without disabilities. We believe that people with disabilities are not less than anyone else and we work relentlessly to make this a reality."

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This is the second year CORD has celebrated Giving Tuesday with a concentrated effort, Taylor said.

CORD gets most of its financial support from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission but also receives some funding from the federal government.

In addition, various grants support some of CORD’s programs that are not necessarily covered by government funding, Taylor said.

The organization conducts a number of other fundraising events throughout the year.

“This year we had a mini-golf fundraiser," Taylor said. "It was such a great time. In past years we’ve had golf tournaments and trivia nights. We do an annual appeal each year.”

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In addition, CORD receives some funding through membership dues —$20 per year — from people who wish to support CORD’s mission of access for all. But Taylor emphasized people do not have to be members to qualify for services.

“For us at CORD, as a nonprofit, we hope people will donate to us because we do a lot of good things,” she said.

Last year, CORD received $2,065 in Giving Tuesday donations.

The total received of all donations in 2021 was $21,398, but with an operating budget of $1,263,276, donations are a relatively small, but helpful, part of CORD’s funding, officials said.

Taylor: Giving Tuesday is also about raising awareness

Beyond that, Taylor said Giving Tuesday is about more than just raising money; it is about raising awareness.

“It brings a spotlight to what we’re doing,” she said. “Donations are great but we want to get our message out.”

CORD has a number of programs designed to “decrease barriers for people with disabilities and to work with communities,” Taylor said.

Programs and services encompass every age group from birth to death, she said, and every income group, as well.

Although the number varies from time to time, approximately 400 people are served by direct one-to-one assistance and an additional 1,000 people are helped with information and referral services.

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It might be simply guiding people to the appropriate resources to obtain services, such as Social Security or health care services.

It might also be one-to-one training in job skills, social skills, writing and speaking skills to apply for jobs and educational services.

CORD helps older people who are trying to get into nursing homes or other elderly facilities and they help them get out of those types of facilities if they choose to do so.

Overall, CORD works with people with disabilities to determine what they want out of life and to help them achieve their goals whatever they may be.

“They choose goals and we give them options; we describe what options to pursue,” said Taylor.

One man wanted to leave a nursing home and live in a specific place, said Taylor. That’s not always possible, but CORD helped him do what he wanted to do.

CORD services are provided at no cost to clients

CORD works with various businesses in the community to obtain paid internships for its clients at no cost to the businesses. The nonprofit also pays for the internships.

“They’re on our payroll, they’re our employees,” Taylor said.

And many of the people who work for CORD as direct service one-to-one advisors and as administrators are people who have disabilities.

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By law, at least 50% of CORD’s employees must have disabilities, but Taylor said it has always been higher than that. It was reported in 2019 that 93% of CORD's employees had disabilities.

And what some find most impressive about CORD is that its services are provided free to all those who apply.

Donations can be made online at www.capecod.org or by sending a check to CORD, 756 Attucks Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601.

More information about Giving Tuesday can be obtained at www.givingtuesday.org

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod nonprofits hope for increased Giving Tuesday donations