I hope you are having a successful year-end giving season. Here’s wishing you and your nonprofit a happy holiday.
My fall has been busy behind-the-scenes. That is one reason why I am a tad late in sending out my holiday message this year. I have been working with a nonprofit on a diverse range of activities from polishing a major gift campaign case for support document and mailing it out with cover letters, to creating a Facebook contest to keep our online audience engaged, updating a database, updating GuideStar, tweaking our first Google Ad, and fine-tuning the new WordPress website I created for them. Monthly newsletters produced with the help of MailChimp keep the heart beating! The past three years, working for a fraction of my normal fee, I have created by hand the organizational infrastructure this worthy nonprofit lacked, aiming to strengthen the organization and attract major investments in a new community center and State of Texas historic site. Stay tuned!
On a personal note, each year I like to share the nonprofits to which I have donated myself, in the hope you will support them, too. This year’s list includes:
- Anera | Anera, which has no political or religious affiliation, works on the ground with partners in Palestine (West Bank and Gaza), Lebanon and Jordan. We mobilize resources for immediate emergency relief and for sustainable, long-term health, education, and economic development.
- Atlanta Grade School Friends | The mission of Atlanta Grade School Friends is to restore the historic Atlanta-Miller Grade School located on Miller Street in Atlanta, Texas, and convert it into a modern community center for the benefit of the entire community, East Texas and the State of Texas.
- Cedar Park Public Library Foundation | The new Cedar Park Public Library isn’t just a building—it’s the heart of our community. A place where neighbors connect, ideas spark, and opportunities grow … we ensure our Library has the resources to meet this soaring demand—so every visitor has access to books, technology, and transformative programs.
- Chive Charities | Chive Charities is dedicated to supporting underserved Veterans, first responders, and rare medical individuals and their families with life-changing grants.
- Keep Austin Fed | Keep Austin Fed is a champion for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. We serve our community through the redistribution of wholesome, nutritious food.
- KZYX | KZYX is Community Public Radio for all of Mendocino County and beyond.
- National Trust for Historic Preservation | For more than 75 years, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has led the movement to save America’s historic places. A privately funded nonprofit organization, we work to save America’s historic sites; tell the full American story; build stronger communities; and invest in preservation’s future.
- Preservation Texas | Preservation Texas empowers Texans to preserve their cultural heritage, and stewards significant buildings, collections, and cultural landscapes to ensure their permanent protection.
- Texas Physicians for Social Responsibility | Texas PSR’s strategy for achieving positive change is to provide a conduit for the medical community to educate and inform the public and lawmakers about potential threats to public health through education, analysis, and expert testimony on key issues such as climate change, food systems, toxics, and nuclear weapons.
- Texas Search and Rescue | TEXSAR is a nonprofit first responder organization headquartered in Austin, Texas. TEXSAR serves all citizens of the State of Texas and deploys at the request of law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency management agencies. TEXSAR provides specialized services such as ground search and rescue; flood and swiftwater rescue; K9 search, rescue, and recovery; disaster relief services; aerial search; and UAV support.
I only wish I could afford to give more! They have done an amazing job this year.
Back to the big picture, I know many in the nonprofit sector fret about the state of our nation’s economy and the constant upheaval we have witnessed this year. I was pleased to find RSM online, and it is my hope they will be interviewed by the media and nonprofit support organizations more often, to help ease and guide our sector. RSM is an assurance, tax and consulting firm. Carla Contreras notes in their July 2025 report,
“Despite current economic uncertainties, history shows that charitable giving remains resilient during downturns and does not always decline. Given positive trends in philanthropy outside of the macroeconomy, we expect a downturn in giving to be small and short-lived, with a solid recovery in 2026 and beyond. Nonprofits should persist in bold fundraising initiatives, sustain relationships with existing donors, and develop new strategies to diversify their revenue streams.”
We shall see! In the meantime, happy holidays and be safe and well.
Carolyn M. Appleton
Austin, Texas | December 7, 2025
Carolyn's Nonprofit Blog 
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