THE GIVING STORE

A One-Stop Shop for Easy, Effective Philanthropy

The central Ohio region is filled with innovative, spirited, and deeply committed nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to elevating our community’s most promising opportunities and solving our most pressing challenges. With so many incredible organizations working together to build a brighter future for all, it can be difficult to know where to focus your charitable giving.

The Columbus Foundation developed The Giving Store as a one-stop shop for convenient, effective online charitable giving. A dynamic marketplace, visitors to The Giving Store can search by keyword or areas of interest, such as social services, housing, education, animal welfare, and arts and culture. The Giving Store makes it easy for you to find and give directly to area nonprofit organizations that serve the causes you care about. With more than 1,300 organizations included, it’s easy to find organizations that align with your philanthropic interests.

In addition to giving directly to nonprofit organizations, you can also support organizations by contributing to Better Together projects. Better Together, The Giving Store’s crowdfunding platform, elevates timely needs so that you can join with others to support projects that positively impact our community, starting at just $20.

Better Together projects are usually presented with a specific fundraising goal, and anyone can support projects using a credit card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, or a Donor Advised Fund at The Columbus Foundation. And with no credit card fees, 100 percent of your contribution goes directly to the nonprofit organization.

One uplifting example of a Better Together project was organized by Bridgeway Academy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring the potential and celebrating the ability of every child. Serving children with autism and developmental disabilities, Bridgeway Academy moved to a new facility in 2021, enabling them to better serve students with mobility challenges. After moving into the new facility, the Bridgeway Academy team soon recognized the need for playground equipment that was accessible to all students.

Working with The Columbus Foundation, Bridgeway Academy developed its Better Together project—Play Their Way—to raise funds to purchase an accessible swing for the playground. Thanks to the generosity of the community, Bridgeway Academy successfully raised the $8,500 needed to purchase the accessible swing through the Better Together project. The swing was installed by volunteers in the spring of 2022, and the response from students and families has been overwhelmingly positive.

"Our students access the swing nearly every day. Swinging with their peers encourages inclusivity and a sense of belonging,” said Erin Nealy, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director at Bridgeway Academy. “The response to our project truly was outstanding.”

The Columbus Foundation invites you to explore The Giving Store to support nonprofit organizations and Better Together projects that speak to your passions while being part of what makes our region great: our connected, caring community! To learn more, visit columbusfoundation.org/the-giving-store.