Who likes being accosted in public for donations? There you are, looking for your spouse’s favorite chips, and wham, someone is in your face asking you to donate to. . . The list of likely good causes is long. They are all good causes. That’s not the point. Their request for money got between you and your foraging for food. In public.
Many people who have the means to make donations, small to large, dislike this sort of experience so much that they don’t donate to any local causes.
There’s an alternative—and anonymous—way to give through Pacific Community Foundation. Yes, the foundation knows who you are, what you donated, and to whom, but has a duty to keep your information confidential. Board and staff sign confidentiality agreements every year to reinforce this.
This way you can make donations and keep your privacy.
The next time you think about making a donation, and worry about the potential for loss of privacy, think about donating through Pacific Community Foundation instead, as an anonymous donor.
With any donation made to PCF, you can request anonymity.
We also have a fund for donations to go to any nonprofit, anywhere, called Partners in Philanthropy. Using this fund, and requesting anonymity, you can direct multiple donations to several organizations with one check or credit card charge.
On annual reporting: Foundations report income, donations, expenses, and grants every year to the IRS in a 990 report. Both donors and donations of five thousand dollars or more are listed in our annual report . However, only the IRS needs to know who made which donations for what amounts. You are protected on the reporting side as well: Only the IRS is given this information.
The next time you hear about a good cause, but worry about your privacy, think about Pacific Community Foundation and our anonymity option.