"I believe in contributing to Community Shares of Minnesota because they support organizations that I care deeply about and I can participate once a year and ensure that my contributions are spread out over the year. Community Shares makes it easy for me and my colleagues by coming to our workplace and providing us the opportunity to play a larger role in our communities. Thanks Community Shares of Minnesota."

"I give because Community Shares supports organizations that are looking at the root causes of social and economic inequalities. Its member groups are rooted in local communities, and they understand first-hand the issues affecting their constituents. Community Shares makes it easy to get my money where it is vitally needed."

"I give to Community Shares of Minnesota for several reasons:  First, I believe the collective strength of Community Shares of Minnesota's progressive member organizations creates a viable, long term, and stable coalition that effectively enacts systemic change that benefits all in our society.

Second, Community Shares supports many small nonprofits that are mainly volunteer driven and thus cannot support sustained and sophisticated fundraising efforts on their own. Yet they do valuable work in society and need to be sustained. Community Shares offers a way for individuals to keep these nonprofits viable by bundling many small donations together into a significant source of fundraising for these folks.

Third, I value the "community" that Community Shares has created among our member organizations. We support our member organizations so they can do their best work by debating issues and best practices with the goal to better serve the public good. These conversations help our members think innovatively, discover resources and visualize better ways of delivering their services. So while Community Shares is primarily a fundraising organization, we are a resource for our member organizations and a convener of these groups to strengthen their ability to meet their mission.

Fourth, I feel we have a moral obligation to make the world a better place. We've all been given gifts and many of us have the capacity to give back to the community through our time, treasure and talents. My involvement with Community Shares of Minnesota is a very satisfying way I live my personal philosophy. I am inspired to work harder, think more deeply, and become more engaged by being around others who offer a path that is successfully making a positive difference in the world.

Finally, I am always challenged as an at-large member of the Board of Directors. Every month I learn about the new things that folks are doing in our community - activities I otherwise would not be aware of. Knowledge is power and I feel powerful knowing about the significant work done by ordinary and great people in our community. They inspire me to do better in my work and I in turn try to find new ways and friends to support them."

"I was first exposed to YouthCARE when I was 4 years old, even before the organization formalized its current name. I had an older brother who was involved in Camp Sunrise, one of YouthCARE’s programs, in the late 1980’s and I remember visiting him on family visitor’s day. At the time, he worked at the residential summer camp as a Junior Counselor. This earliest memory of YouthCARE is vivid but it wasn’t until many years later as a youth participant, staff member, and volunteer that I would learn of its tremendous impact on my life. I grew up in the McDonough Homes, a low-income housing project where I had my second exposure to YouthCARE. As a sophomore in high school, I applied for a position in the Young Women’s Mentoring Program, another program of YouthCARE. I was fascinated that such a wonderful job opportunity was available on-site (McDonough Homes) for a young teenage Hmong woman. I experienced my first job interview and did well enough to land my first real job. My year-long employment as a youth mentor allowed me to unlock and develop my skills and talents. Most importantly, it allowed me to see myself in leadership roles and it garnered me with the confidence to pursue challenges even if they were intimidating and seemingly impossible. My interest in YouthCARE only grew as I got involved in the Camp Sunrise program as a college student. I worked there several summers in various roles as a Head Counselor, Junior Counselor Crew Leader, and eventually as Assistant Director. There, I grew to love the outdoors, environmental education, and learning to live with people from diverse backgrounds. Most of my best friends today are fellow Camp Sunrise staff members; we bonded by living, learning, and playing together in a communal multicultural environment. I shudder to think that had I not met them through the Camp Sunrise experience, my pool of friends would be more homogenous and I would be less enriched today. I continued to volunteer with YouthCARE even after college and now I am a board member. I keep YouthCARE close because I continue to witness its positive impact on young people. In fact, I’m proud that my niece Michelle is an active youth participant in two YouthCARE programs. I’ve seen her grow from a timid pre-teen to a confident young woman and her development mirrors my own transformation."