Choose Effectiveness this Giving Season

Despite being one of the most philanthropic cities in the country, 1 in 5 Memphians are experiencing poverty—a number that has not materially changed in over 50 years.

What does this tell us? Our philanthropy, as a whole, has not been effective.

It’s time to try something new.

As the giving season approaches, there will be an abundance of opportunities to "invest" in Memphis nonprofits.

With so many options, it’s easy to simply give to organizations that we are most familiar with. While this relational philanthropy represents the tight-knit nature of our community, it also limits the impact of our giving. It’s time to exchange relational philanthropy with effective philanthropy.

Effective philanthropy means investing resources towards solutions that produce effective outcomes for our neighbors experiencing poverty. Philanthropy provides services that people would not be able to access otherwise. If this was our children or parents, we'd ensure they receive the most effective services. We need to take this same mindset with the services we provide through our philanthropy.

At Slingshot Memphis, we have developed a methodology to evaluate a nonprofit’s poverty-fighting effectiveness. This approach supplements good intentions with measurable impact. We no longer have to guess; we can know what works.

Fund What Works.

As you receive numerous nonprofit funding requests this season, Slingshot offers several resources to help you embrace effective philanthropy.

To learn about which nonprofits are effective in the areas you want to support, Slingshot’s website features in-depth reports about over 50 nonprofits in Memphis. These reports illustrate their current strengths and opportunities to enhance their poverty-fighting impact.

If you don’t have time to do the research yourself, Slingshot’s Accelerate Impact Fund provides a way to give based on nonprofits’ effectiveness. 100% of the funds are allocated to the nonprofits Slingshot studies, with significantly more resources invested in the most effective poverty-fighting nonprofits, so you know your philanthropy is making a difference. It will take all of us to make Memphis a better place for all Memphians. This giving season, let’s channel our generosity into impact. Together, we can make a lasting change.

Invest in Memphis—Fund What Works