Innovation for Donations

In mid August, I received an interesting phone call. The caller ID’d himself as a resident of a beach side hot spot who had ample parking in his driveway. I have to admit, at this point I could not possibly imagine what this had to do with Coastkeeper. Was he calling to report pollution on his driveway? An injured animal victim to vehicles? To complain about those pesky tourists blocking the roads in his beach community?

Then he said the magic words: “I want to give Coastkeeper money.” He read about Coastkeeper’s work in the community that morning and decided to take action and help us raise some funds. This particularly generous individual developed a clever business model – he would offer up his six parking spots in exchange for donations to San Diego Coastkeeper. How awesome is that?!

This is a great example of charitable giving. It also proves that donations don’t have to come directly out of your bank account. There are all kinds of creative ways to raise some dough for your favorite nonprofit, from collecting funds from your prime parking spots, to hosting a dinner party with a tip jar for donations. Not all of us have six parking spots to offer, but what are some other fun ways you can raise money for a good cause? Brainstorm, take action and help us carry out all the hard work we do for San Diego’s waterways!