A day set aside for giving, not buying

Nov. 23—Black Friday is known for its hectic early morning rush of snatching deals, and Small Business Saturday aims to keep dollars in communities by encouraging shoppers to browse local shops.

Cyber Monday turns everyone to their computer for the best online deals.

But there's another day, coming up soon, that encourages a different type of gift.

Nov. 29 is Giving Tuesday, a movement started in 2012 to inspire people "to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity," as described at givingtuesday.org.

Some organizations plan special fundraisers on this day — for instance, Crossroads Carnegie Art Center in Baker City has a Giving Tuesday fundraising link posted on Facebook.

"Giving Tuesday allows us to reach a much wider audience about our mission and programming," said Ginger Savage, executive director of Crossroads. "It is just so important that when you have shopped Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday to remember Giving Tuesday where you give back to those organizations in your community that we know need help. This is a critical piece of Crossroads' budget each year."

She said checks are welcome too, in case donors don't want to do an online transaction.

Crossroads' Giving Tuesday campaign continues through Dec. 31.

A tax credit

In addition to encouraging people to support a favorite nonprofit on Giving Tuesday, the state of Oregon provides a cultural tax credit for those who also donate to the Oregon Cultural Trust.

A tax credit can reduce the amount of tax you owe or increase a tax refund.

By contrast, a deduction can reduce the amount of your income before you calculate the tax you owe.

The cultural tax credit works like this:

—Donate to one or more cultural organizations that are registered with the Oregon Cultural Trust (find a list, by county, at https://culturaltrust.org/get-involved/find-a-cultural-nonprofit/).

—Donate the same amount to the Oregon Cultural Trust (you can combine donation amounts made to several nonprofits).

—Report your donation to the Trust on your state tax form to get 100% back (up to $500 for individuals or $1,000 for couples filing jointly).

"Every penny you give to us, you get that back on your state taxes," said Brian Rogers, executive director of the Oregon Cultural Trust.

What does the trust fund?

These cultural donations are earmarked for very specific uses.

First, a percentage goes to the Trust's five partners: Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Heritage Commission, State Historic Preservation Office and the Oregon Historical Society.

Then, each of Oregon's 36 counties and nine tribes receives money, which in turn is distributed in local communities for 400 to 500 awards across Oregon.

"Their reach is pretty tremendous," Rogers said.

Locally, the Baker County Cultural Coalition awards grants up to $500 through an application process. Application deadlines are Dec. 15 and May 15. For details, go to https://www.bakercounty.org/cultural_plan/grants.html.

Pandemic problems

Rogers said, judging by reported data, cultural nonprofits lost 70% to 75% of revenue when the pandemic put a stop to performances, concerts, classes and more.

"The bottom fell out," he said.

However, contributions during that time increased by about 11%.

"People recognized the value cultural experiences have in their lives," he said.

He said donations to the Trust also increased — in 2021, a total of 11,000 contributions equaled $5.7 million. The average donation was $450.

"It's a lot of small donations that add up to a big impact," he said.

The Trust also distributed $26 million in federal funds through the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) to help both nonprofit and for-profit cultural venues rebound from the pandemic.

"It's slowly building back up," he said.

He said the pandemic did have a silver lining — with many meetings going to a virtual platform, OCT was able to attend board meetings across the state to talk about the Trust.

He said they attended 160 meetings in 2020.

The license plate

Funds raised through the tax credit program can only directly support culture and arts in Oregon.

Marketing and promoting the Trust — including the tax credit — is funded through sales of a special license plate.

A new design, 18 months in the making, was released Oct. 1, 2021 — coinciding with the Trust's 20th anniversary.

The plate is a colorful depiction of the vast landscape of Oregon — mountains, rivers, coastline.

And, embedded within the design, are 127 symbols representing aspects of Oregon culture.

"The goal was lofty — we wanted a single piece of artwork that represented all of Oregon culture," said Carrie Kikel, communications manager for the Oregon Cultural Trust and Oregon Arts Commission.

To begin the process, a group drafted a creative brief to explain the project. Then, 33 people across the state nominated artists and designers.

This garnered interest from 36 people who were asked to share a resume and work samples.

Then, a jury of statewide representatives reviewed the submissions and narrowed the list. The remaining artists and designers were asked to create a preliminary concept, and paid a $250 honorarium.

An expanded jury reviewed the concepts and scored each based on how well it related to the creative brief.

Liza Burns of Eugene was chosen as the artist for the project, titled Celebrate Oregon!

Then planning began for the final design, which included Burns meeting with experts through the Governor's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

"How do you make sure you're including symbols to make sure every Oregonian feels like part of the art?" Kikel said.

The symbols are incorporated into the design, but an interactive map online makes it easy to see them all, in black and white. And, if you hover over a number, a box pops up explaining the symbol and how it relates to Oregon.

Find the map at https://culturaltrust.org/celebrateoregon/license-plate-narrative/.

Kikel worked with many people to develop the narratives.

"To make sure it's as true as possible to that symbol's connection to Oregon," she said. "More than 100 people worked together to fulfill this dream."

She learned a lot about Oregon during the research — for instance, Oregon has the oldest magic society west of the Mississippi River, and Rogue Creamery's Rogue River Blue was named the best cheese in the world at the 2019 World Cheese Awards in Italy.

Here's a sample of what else you'll find on the plate:

—Ramona Quimby, beloved book character created by Oregon author Beverly Cleary.

—A wagon wheel to celebrate the Oregon Trail.

—A glass of beer to honor the craft beer industry.

—Paintbrush to honor artists.

—A hat to recognize George Fletcher, a Black man who competed in the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up.

Celebrate Oregon!

Kikel said license plate sales have quadrupled since the new design debuted.

In addition to the plate, Burns created murals that are on display at four airports: Eugene, Medford, Portland and Redmond.

"The artwork serves as a wonderful introduction to Oregon," Kikel said. "The whole concept is to celebrate our art, culture and humanities. It is so much more than a license plate."

For more information, visit culturaltrust.org/celebrateoregon/.