Posts about Donations

I serve on CSG's advisory board and contribute (much more than $12.45) every year because CSG plays a vital role in shaping our regional transportation and land use policy. They produce thorough reports, action alerts, walking tours, testimony at hearings across the region, and much much more, all with a tiny staff of only 4½.

CSG's advocacy makes a big difference in policy debates in jurisdictions across the region. The information they create helps blogs and traditional reporters understand growth and transportation issues far more deeply than they otherwise would.

$12.45 isn't a lot for any one person, but if all of us chip in (or more if you can afford it), it'll add up and make a huge difference. Please donate $12.45 today!

CSG is the leading regional organization working for more walkable and livable communities, and the world class transit, bike, and street network investments we need to support them. They focus in particular on the areas where development decisions will most affect the shape of our region, such as Prince George's and Loudoun counties.

In Prince George's, their tireless advocacy made Transit-Oriented Development into a buzzword of the 2010 council campaign and contributed to the strong stance of County Executive Rushern Baker to prioritize growth around the county's neglected Metro stations.

In Fairfax, they've mobilized county officials to maintain strong support for making Tysons Corner into a real walkable, mixed-use, and transit-oriented center, finishing the Silver Line, and turning attention to the very important Route 1 corridor in the southern part of the county.

They've fought against destructive state actions in Virginia to borrow heavily from the future to build more traffic-inducing megahighways from the Outer Beltway to Charlottesville, to weaken road connectivity standards, or to jump into poorly-designed HOT lane contracts that would slow down existing commuter buses and trigger big penalties if many people carpool.

Plus, they organize many great tours of changing communities and forums about important growth issues, and much more.

Thanks to all of you, your comments on this site, and your emails and calls to elected officials, we've shifted the debate over development and transportation in many DC communities. But we can't succeed on our own. We also need great organizations like the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

Let's help our region and our own communities by helping CSG today.

In Virginia, they work with leaders in areas like southern Fairfax and eastern Loudoun to design their growing communities to be less car-dependent and thus less reliant on costly and inefficient infrastructure, creating the kinds of walkable towns that have allowed neighboring areas like Arlington to enjoy strong growth without adding traffic.

CSG also has fought for Metro funding, runs great walking tours, and much more. To keep all this going, they're looking for 100 people to pledge just $5 per month (about the price of a round trip on Metro) for a year. I'll match the first 20 people who do. Can you be one of them?

When Shane Farthing became head of WABA, he promised to reach out beyond their traditional constituency, and now WABA is launching a formal program to reach out to residents of Ward 8.

This part of the city has few good bicycle facilities, meaning few people bike, but some do and WABA wants to help them to become better ambassadors for cycling in their communities. They're trying to raise $45,000 to fund this program, and I hope we can help.

Please give $40 or $75—or less if you're on a tighter budget, more if you can—to get WABA's effort going. I'll match up to $1,000 for donations that come from GGW.

Can you help get CSG and WABA to their goals? These two are a few of the best ways to encourage greater communities and mobility for all of Greater Washington.

A movement is most effective when blogs, traditional nonprofits, and elected officials work together to promote ideas in concert. The Coalition for Smarter Growth is working every day to turn what we believe in and discuss here on the blog into reality.

They're a small organization (4 full-time staff) and need our support, especially in this tough economic time, to continue doing their great work and to do even more. Plus, for the month of December, other donors will match every dollar you give to CSG.

Human services: Help those most in need this year with basic food, shelter, and more. This is especially important now with a bad economy, widespread unemployment, and governments cutting back on vital services. Direct service groups like Bread for the City and So Others Might Eat provide food, clothing, medical care, legal counseling, job training and more to the most needy.

The Capital Area Food Bank provides most of the food that the direct service organizations distribute. And DC Central Kitchen turns unused food from area businesses into meals for the needy, and trains unemployed people for culinary careers.

N Street Village helps homeless women find housing, get medical and mental health care, and job training; their center on 14th Street replaced an ugly parking lot and has become an anchor for more growth on its part of 14th Street. Charlie's Place helps homeless people with food, clothing and job training. AMEN gives emergency financial assistance to Arlington residents in crisis.

Advocacy membership organizations: Many nonprofit advocacy groups are structured as membership organizations. Being a member supports their work and sometimes comes with a few extra bonuses as well. Consider joining the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, and Maryland's Action Committee for Transit. The DC Sierra Club provided much of the driving force behind streetcars. And of course, if you think DC residents should have voting rights like all other Americans, join DC Vote.

Environmental groups: Sprawl constantly threatens our natural resources and, by extension, the quality of our drinking water, recreational opportunities, and more. Some of the many local groups working are the DC, Virginia, and Maryland Sierra Clubs, the Anacostia Watershed Society, Friends of Rock Creek's Environment, Anacostia Riverkeeper, Potomac Riverkeeper, and more. Casey Trees plants and nurtures street trees to help all neighborhoods develop a healthy tree canopy.

Education and mentoring: There are so many worthy education nonprofits it's not possible to do them justice here, but here are just a few to start with: For Love of Children connects underprivileged children with one on one volunteer tutors; they're looking for more volunteers as well as funding. College and Career Connections works in Ward 7 to encourage youth to stay motivated in school and go to college, which are key to success in the modern world. And Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area has made a difference in so many children's lives.

Food security and urban farming: People struggling with hunger and homelessness aren't the only ones who need help with food. All children need healthy meals which are often difficult for poor families to afford. Urban farms and nutrition programs seek to make more fresh food available to poor neighborhoods.

Consider supporting the DC Farm to School Network, which gets healthy, local, and sustainable food to DC schoolchildren; Common Good City Farm, an urban farm and education center growing food for low-income residents; The Farm at Walker Jones is building a farm in the H Street area for kids to learn about food and to provide it to them and needy neighbors.

Your local aging in place "village": A number of neighborhoods have "village" associations which help senior citizens remain in their homes by providing assistance with illnesses and disabilities, small home maintenance tasks, and connections to community activities. A diversity of ages is healthy and important for every neighborhood.

There are villages in Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, Kalorama, Palisades, Chevy Chase, and more. Also, Iona Senior Center not only provides services for the elderly but helped fund the Connecticut Avenue Pedestrian Action program to make upper Connecticut safer.

Others in the Catalogue for Philanthropy: This annual publication showcases valuable, small, effective nonprofits in the DC metropolitan area around sustainability, education, human services and more. It's a great way to find out about organizations worth supporting that you might not otherwise know about.

What other local and regional organizations do you support?