Small Town Charities
by Ashley High

While it takes some work to make a non-profit organization succeed in a small town, there are several advantages to establishing a charity in a smaller city.

 

The first benefit to having a small town charity is that the media is accessible. Unlike attempting to find headline space in the Washington Post, a media connection in a small town guarantees news coverage. By maintaining a steady stream of press releases, readers will become familiar with the charity’s goals and accomplishments.

 

The second benefit is that politicians are also more accessible. Connections with local government officials can lead to more publicity or even to a more serious consideration of the organization’s applications and grant requests. Non-profit employees who regularly attend town meetings will find opportunities to showcase their organization’s importance and to mingle with the people who want to make a difference in their town.

 

In smaller towns, people truly care – the third benefit of a small town charity. People are more friendly and willing to start a conversation that may lead to them becoming a major donor or a board member. Also, a charity can be sure to have a healthy pool of volunteers since these volunteers know they are making a measurable difference in their city. Finally, organizations will not have the urban “escape the city” rush on the weekends.

 

The fourth benefit is that business trends tend to move slower. Eventually, all the trends in the face-paced metropolitan areas will reach the smaller towns, but the small town organizations will have had time to analyze what the future holds and whether the latest fads actually worked. Also, if the charity keeps watch on the larger non-profit world and its latest trends, the charity can be one of the first organizations in their area to try new business methods and strategies.

 

The final benefit of a small town charity is the knowledge that the organization’s influence is no longer contained to their immediate area. With the Internet, charities are not bound by county lines. Through blogs, emails, and online interaction, anyone in the world can learn about the charity and donate to it.

 

Keeping these benefits in mind should encourage small town charities to realize they can be very successful despite their town’s population.

 

Information taken from: Holly Lillis. “Fundraising in a Small Town.” http://flip.onphilanthropy.com.

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