Strengthening Sioux Falls through local giving

More than once, I have sat across from a local business owner who has marveled at how the Sioux Falls community has supported them.

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for our clients and customers,” I hear them say. They talk about how other business leaders offered advice and made the professional connections we all need, no matter our industry.

That mindset — recognizing that everything depends on the customer — drives them to deliver an exceptional experience. But as you think about what it means to be a true community leader, I invite you to consider something more: philanthropy.

Philanthropy allows this community to thrive — providing services, creating art, building parks. It’s all because of generous people who care deeply about this place we call home.

People come to me at the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation and say, “Now is the time to give back to those who have given so much to us,” and I often tell them the same thing: Give now. Give locally.

This holiday season, I’m asking you to visit The Giving Depot, our online bulletin board highlighting local nonprofits, where you can give directly to more than 80 organizations.

Browse the listings and shop for a cause. What matters to you and your family? How can you build a culture of giving in your business? Maybe you and your employees want to select a project to support together.

From arts to animals, recreation to resilience, we hope you’ll find inspiration in The Giving Depot.

So many people need our help. Nonprofits are building playgrounds, providing medical care to those living on the street, serving meals to people in need and finding mentors for students.

There’s no shortage of opportunities to give back in Sioux Falls.

And philanthropy can be as simple as giving directly to a cause you care about.

Generosity isn’t limited to those who give through the Community Foundation. It’s for everyone. It’s for gifts big and small. It’s for anyone who knows what it’s like to need help — and what it means when help arrives.

We wouldn’t have a thriving local business economy without people who choose to hire local services and shop at local stores. And we won’t have a strong nonprofit sector unless we support them in a similar way.

It can be difficult to know where to start. I tell people to find an organization whose work means something to them. Maybe you care deeply about the arts. Or you think after-school care is important. Or maybe mental health is on your mind this winter.

Give them a call or volunteer, but learn who they are and what they do.

Just as knowing a business owner builds loyalty, the same is true for the people leading our nonprofits. When you understand what they’re trying to accomplish — and what stands in their way — you feel more invested in their success.

Your deep values guide your business strategy. Let them guide your philanthropy, too.

When we embrace a collective responsibility to help one another, it can truly be transformational. There’s nothing like sitting across the table from the leader of a local nonprofit and hearing them say, “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the support of this community.”

This year, be part of that conversation. Giving, together, for the common good, is for all of us.

Andy Patterson is the CEO of the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation. Founded in 1984, the Community Foundation has given more than $350 million in grants. Find causes you care about at sfacf.org/giving/depot.