The Power of Collective Giving

Pulling together through shared funds turns one contribution into a larger force for good.

Sue Hennessy spent 35 years working in large healthcare systems, watching brilliant people struggle against structures too rigid to bend. The lesson she took with her was that if you want lasting change, you have to focus on the system, not just the symptoms. 

That idea now shapes how she and her husband, Marcus Wood, give. When the couple retired and began thinking seriously about philanthropy, they were drawn to the idea of pooled funds — where their dollars could combine with others and make a difference in a larger way. 

Clackamas Workforce Partnership

“We see it as issues in populations and communities that require larger scale philanthropy than we could do individually,” Sue says. “When you combine our smaller contributions with others, that’s where we could actually make some systemic change.” 

Like many donors, Sue and Marcus also support individual organizations. The appeal of collective giving is being able to tap into a broader grantmaking program that works on long term solutions to the issues they care about. 

What Is Collective Giving? 

Collective giving at Oregon Community Foundation works exactly as the name suggests: donors contribute to shared funds, and those contributions pool into a larger force for good. Rather than each donor researching and vetting individual nonprofits, OCF’s experienced program officers direct the collective resources where they can do the most good — drawing on deep community knowledge and years of relationships statewide across Oregon. 

18 Funds, One Oregon 

Oregon Community Foundation manages 18 Collective Giving Funds spanning nearly every dimension of community well-being. Donors can direct gifts toward disaster readiness and response, housing stability and ending homelessness, arts and culture recovery, and environmental stewardship through funds focused on climate change, healthy habitats and Oregon’s lands and people. 

In the area of economic vitality, funds support child care access and entrepreneurship, particularly for historically underserved business owners. Education funds address the full arc of learning — from early childhood and K-12 student success to scholarships for college students facing the steepest financial barriers. Other funds center on Black Student Success, Oregon’s Latino Partnership Program and immigrants and refugees facing uncertain legal and economic terrain. 

Spotlight: The Stronger Together Fund 

Among OCF’s collective giving funds, the Stronger Together Fund represents the broadest and most accessible entry point. It directly supports OCF’s Community Grants program — a nearly 30-year engine for nonprofit support that reaches all 36 Oregon counties. 

LIFEboat Services

Twice a year, Oregon-based nonprofits can apply for project-specific grants or flexible operating support ranging from $5,000 to $40,000.  

The results show up in communities across the state. In Astoria, a grant helped LIFEboat Services expand from overnight shelter to daytime navigation services for housing and health. In Sisters, Treehouse Therapies renovated its pediatric therapy clinic to serve children regardless of their ability to pay. In Grants Pass, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rogue Valley renovated a kitchen to provide healthy meals for kids, more than 76 percent of whom come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. 

“Community Grants is our ‘open door’ for the creative ideas and ‘what ifs’ that come from our nonprofit partners,” said Kim Koenig, Director of Community Programs at OCF. “We’re grateful to our donors who help support these community leaders as they work to improve the lives of all Oregonians.” 

A Return for What We’ve Been Given 

For Sue and Marcus, the “why” behind their giving is both personal and plainspoken. Sue grew up in a large family of modest means in Montana. Marcus served in the Peace Corps in Libya in the 1960s. Both built careers that gave them more than they expected, and both arrived at the same quiet conclusion. 

“It’s a return for what we’ve been given,” Sue said. “We have everything we need. And then some. So why not?” 

Marcus says the couple gives to causes and concerns they hope will make change. That hope, multiplied by thousands of other donors across Oregon, is what collective giving makes possible. 

Pull together with others across Oregon.  

By giving through a collective giving fund at Oregon Community Foundation, you join thousands of donors turning shared hope into action.