How a virtual bulletin board is helping connect donors with local causes

Megan Raposa -

This is a paid piece from the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation.

Simplified: A new virtual bulletin board is giving people an easy way to connect with local charities. Here's what you need to know about the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation's Giving Depot.

Why it matters

  • The foundation started The Giving Depot last fall with the goal of creating an easy way both for nonprofits to share their needs and for community members to connect with giving opportunities.
  • The Giving Depot is a central connecting point that's already helped dozens of nonprofits share their needs and connect with donors.
  • That's especially helpful to organizations like Buddies & Co., a new nonprofit cafe in Brandon with a mission to employ adults of all abilities. Board Member Krista Halseth said she's grateful for the community support they've received up to this point and excited about the potential with The Giving Depot.
"I think The Giving Depot really is showcasing or spotlighting our nonprofit to a wider network of people wanting to give," Halseth said. "I don't think we could've reached that on our own."

How does it work?

Nonprofits simply fill out a form on the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation website.

Here are the requirements:

  • Nonprofits must be a registered 501(c)(3) and serve the Sioux Falls area. The Giving Depot is not for projects that fit under the following categories:
    • political campaigns or direct lobbying efforts,
    • religious or sectarian purposes,
    • scholarships or funding for individuals.

At any given time, there are about 60 opportunities to give through The Giving Depot, Administrative Assistant Jamie Weyh said. The depot also adds about 20 new opportunities each month, and posts refresh frequently so there's always something new to find.

  • It's also worth noting that posts are available to anyone who meets requirements, and presence on the depot does not equal endorsement from the foundation.

People who want to donate can browse the depot here, and the depot will connect donors to the best methods to give.

"We want to be thought of as the place to go when you think of philanthropy," said Patrick Gale, vice president for community investment. "The Giving Depot creates an opportunity to participate in philanthropy at any level."

Tell me more about Buddies & Co.

Buddies & Co. opened earlier this month by a group of parents who were looking for employment opportunities for their adult children with disabilities.

  • The Brandon business sells coffee, smoothies, blended drinks, flavored lemonades, snacks, Flyboy Donuts and Family Treats ice cream.

All 19 employees are adults with disabilities, and each shift has supervisors who are volunteers from the five-member nonprofit board – which is made up of parents and special education teachers.

"We just want our employees to just feel valued and stay connected to the community they grew up in, and we’re really already seeing so much of that," Halseth said.

To learn more, visit the Buddies & Co. website or stop in at their location at 1309 E. Cedar St. in Brandon.