Every so often I feel compelled to throw out a few ideas on how you might want to get involved, and this is especially true during the Pandemic Holidays of 2020. This month I am going to highlight a few things you might not know about, which can make a big difference. These include Santa Fund, Annual Giving, Volunteering, and some great opportunities to do good and have a great adventure at the same time!

Let’s start with Santa Fund. For decades the Nashua Telegraph has run the Santa Fund. This program raises thousands of dollars every year to help support low income families in our community with the purchase of holiday gifts. Sometimes people ask me why this is so important, and my answer is generally the same. It’s important because there’s a lot of stigma and negative psychological impact of being a child who is poor, and even more so when you don’t receive anything for the holidays. And parents being parents, will do whatever they can to make sure their kids are happy. Sometimes that includes even doing things like foregoing credit card payments or rent or utility payments. Of course, if you do that, then even worse things will happen, and it can become a downward spiral. A small investment in the Santa Fund can go a long way to help the three agencies supported by this fund in their annual holiday programs. Funds generated support the Salvation Army of Greater Nashua, the Front Door Agency, and Milford SHARE Outreach. Each of these programs, along with United Way, also accept gifts of toys and other items. Also, important to remember, are the teenagers who often go forgotten. While it might be more fun to shop for Barbies and Thomas The Tank, the need is often greater to donate something like a Target gift card so a teenager can choose something great for themselves. And if you are creative about it, you can also purchase gift cards or items which will support our local retailers during these trying COVID times. Of course, the best donation is cash, because it gives our partners the ability to tailor their programs to the needs, and this can be done very easily by either sending a check to United Way (put Santa Fund on the memo line) or securely on line at http://www.tinyurl.com/santafund2020.

Lastly, on the Santa Fund, I wanted to mention that this year for the first time we have put together an online auction to support the fund. We have great deals on numerous fantastic items donated by local individuals and merchants. What better feeling can there be than to purchase a gift for somebody you love while at the same time supporting a local child or family? The auction is currently running through Tuesday, December 1st, so as they say, “bid early and bid often!” The link for the Santa Fund 2020 Auction can be found right on our home page at www.UnitedWayNashua.org

Annual Giving is a critical element of fundraising for every nonprofit in our community. Most fundraising dollars come in during the holidays. Whether you donate to United Way, or any other nonprofit, it’s important to listen not just to the emotional appeal, but also check out the nonprofit itself. The easiest way to do that is to go to Charity Navigator or GuideStar, which are the two nonprofit rating agencies. You can look up any nonprofit and see how fiscally responsible, accountable, and transparent they are. Unfortunately, in recent years, some nonprofits have done some bad things, and this has cast a shadow on the rest of us. Also, keep in mind that many nonprofits might have a national organization, but are in fact locally focused and independently run. This is the case for Girls Incorporated, Boys and Girls Club, Salvation Army, United Way, and others. So, even if you might have had a bad experience with the local affiliate in another place, or with the national organization itself, that might not apply to the local affiliate. Of course, if you have any further questions about the organization, how it’s run, and its mission, you should be able to just pick up the phone and ask to speak with the Executive Director. I can guarantee you that all the local nonprofit heads would be glad to tell you about what they do, how they are making a difference, and how you can trust that your donations will be well stewarded.

Here’s a “PRO TIP” for annual giving this year related to COVID which you might not know – a provision in the CARES Act makes it possible to deduct up to $300 for those of us (which is actually most of us) who don’t itemize their tax deductions! Check with your accountant on this, but I have found that almost nobody knows about this great opportunity to gain a tax deduction on your 2020 return this coming springtime.

OK, so let’s talk about volunteering! Volunteers are the lifeblood of most nonprofits. For those with limited budgets (which is virtually all of them), volunteers are a big part of how work gets done. The question is how do you find out what the volunteer opportunities are? The good news is that we have been partnering with the Nashua Telegraph for several years on a project which is a website called www.volunteergreaternashua.org On this site, all local nonprofits have the opportunity to present a profile of themselves and then post their volunteer needs. And you can even sign up right there! Reading to kids? Yes, it’s there. Packing food bags? Yes, it’s there. Helping with office work? Yes, it’s there. Being a volunteer driver? Yes, it’s there. As I said, just go to the site and check it out. There are currently over 100 agencies registered with dozens of opportunities. Let me also just take a moment to thank the Telegraph and St. Joseph Hospital for supporting this initiative, which is really making a difference in our community!

OK, let’s talk about adventure. After the holidays are over, perhaps you will be looking for a way to burn off some calories? Why not join us at our 3rd Annual Blizzard Blast Obstacle Course Race? This year’s event will be held in Mine Falls Park on January 30th. That is the weekend after the Patriots would normally win the AFC Division and before they would win the Super Bowl (alas, probably not this year). The race is about 5 kilometers, with 25+ obstacles, professional timing, and an awesome after party at Boston Billiards Club and Casino. If you’ve ever wanted to do an event like a Tough Mudder, join us for this great event in the snow! This year’s event will of course feature many COVID precautions to ensure that runners and volunteers are safe before, during, and after the event. You can sign up today at http://www.tinyurl.com/blizzard2021 Last year we had over 450 racers with over 20 sponsors! We’d love to have you, too.

Hopefully, this is enough food for thought for you for this holiday season. I think we would all agree that 2020 has been a tough year and that giving thanks is an important way to wrap it up. We would also agree that we look forward to 2021 being better, and for that I would like to thank you for LIVING UNITED.

Mike Apfelberg is president of United Way of Greater Nashua.

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