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The Community Giving Tree
Leslie Levenson would cringe when she saw the many useful items placed on curbside during garbage collection days in Boxford, MA. There were cribs and baby swings and outgrown bikes and baby toys. She knew that there were families in near-by towns and cities that needed these items, but couldn’t afford the price tags. Then Leslie came up with an idea to connect the two. What if she and other volunteers could collect toys, baby supplies, school supplies and gently used coats and be able to find families that could use them. With this vision in mind and a $1,500 start-up grant from ECCF, the Community Giving Tree was launched in 2002. Working through annual community drives to collect items and social workers to distribute goods the organization now serves 3,000 needy families each year.
"The guidance and financial support received from ECCF has been vital to our growth and ability to impact the lives of families in need."
-Leslie Levenson
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After five years of growth and service the Community Giving Tree was ready to expand. Leslie came back to ECCF for advice on transitioning from an all volunteer organization to a paid staff with a Board of Directors and a fundraising program. ECCF helped them connect with local foundations that support valuable grassroots efforts like theirs. In 2009 they then turned to ECCF for a Discretionary Fund Grant to help them with a capacity building project. Leslie recognized that she needed to strengthen the ability of her organization to perform its work more effectively. Their $3,000 grant from ECCF supported Board and staff training and funded an on-line marketing tool and fundraising software. Combined, these items are helping the Community Giving Tree to improve governance and fundraising for the organization.
The Community Giving Tree is currently tackling a capital campaign to build a new facility. Their goal is to serve 5,000 families a year, but that can only happen with more space. ECCF’s Discretionary Grant, by helping to build their organizational capacity, will support this effort and provide the skills and tools to sustain their organization in years to come.
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