Bumpy Road for Colorado CharitiesRecognizing Roles of Donors, Volunteers

To the Editor:

With disappointment, I have read the controversy and disagreement surrounding the recent changes in the activities of the Daniels Fund (“Rocky Times at Colorado Foundation,” February 5). Having missed the opportunity to work with Bill Daniels, I am looking forward to the promise of his vision for philanthropy in this region. I am hopeful that his vision and legacy will be translated into day-to-day operations that are supported and agreed upon by all constituents and stakeholders. Building community in this way is especially important now.

Nonprofit organizations in Colorado and other beneficiaries of the Daniels Fund still travel a bumpy road to secure leadership and resources for their missions.

Local communities require stability and fiscal strength of the nonprofits serving them. If our leaders and donors marshal and coordinate resources and partner with communities and organizations, probably more can be achieved than we can imagine.

So many of our emerging foundations and charitable organizations reinvent the wheel at their start.

In an ideal world, donors and organizations could follow a template to work at their best.

Molly Cannon Stevenson
Partner
Principals in Philanthropy
Greenwood Village, Colo.

To the Editor:

The Chronicle recently wrote about a survey of 1,000 Americans that showed more than half felt volunteering their time was more important than donating their money (“Americans Say Charities Need Volunteers More Than Money,” January 22). Twenty-two percent of those surveyed said donating their money is more important. Who says we need to make a distinction?

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of all contributions made to nonprofit organizations.

Last year at the Washington Opera, we raised $18.3 million — up from half that two years before — covering 55 percent of the company’s 2003 operating budget.

On the other hand, donated time deserves parity to donated money. In 2002, volunteers donated 13,677 hours to the Washington Opera — equivalent to a financial contribution of $219,596 — but with all the services volun-teers provide, their contributions truly are incalculable.

In many ways, the distinction between giving time and giving money is unhelpful and even specious.

It is not important whether people are donating their time or money to nonprofit organizations like the Washington Opera; what is important is that they have the vision and character to give of themselves. Without the hundreds of wonderful individuals who freely give of their time and money, performances would not go on at our organization or at nonprofits around the world.

Richard Russell
Director of Development
Washington Opera
Washington