Other towns also rank high in writing checks to charities
By Christopher Rowland, Globe Staff, 12/1/2002
There was the $1,000 check, for example, from a drive-by donor. A Lincoln resident whose name did not appear on any Food Project mailing spontaneously sent a check to support the organization's program of enlisting suburban and city teenagers to work in its organic gardens. When the check arrived, Gray called the man to ask what prompted his generosity.
''I said, `How do you know us?' And he said, `I drive by your fields every day, and I see the young people, and I just think what you're doing is great.'''
This is the spirit of giving that has placed Lincoln atop a ''generosity index'' of communities compiled by the Dover-based Catalogue for Philanthropy, a Massachusetts organization dedicated to encouraging charitable giving.
Even in a down economy when charitable giving is reduced, the Food Project enjoys the largesse of a big-hearted town, where charitable checks are practically fluttering out of car windows, according to Gray. Of the 2,500 households on its donor list, about 82 percent from Massachusetts, approximately 400 of those are from Lincoln, she said.
''It's the most amazing thing,'' she said. ''We have people we have never met, never seen us, send checks of $1,000, $5,000. It's absolutely stunning.''
Lincoln is not alone in its generosity, according to the Catalogue for Philanthropy, which ranked Wayland and Wellesley in the top five and Sherborn, Dover, Weston, Needham, Newton, Southborough, and Natick in the top 50.
The index was compiled using 1997 federal tax return data on itemized charitable deductions. It took into account the number of residents who made charitable contributions, and the ratio of those contributions to gross income.
Massachusetts as a state lags in generous giving, ranking 44th nationally by the Catalogue for Philanthropy. But residents of Boston's wealthiest western suburbs do appear to be giving generously, said George McCully, the Catalogue for Philanthropy coordinator and a trustee at the Ellis L. Phillips Foundation, which supports its work.
Of course, he added, things could be better.
He said a key purpose of the rankings is to challenge towns to give more. For instance, he questioned whether Weston residents would be satisfied with their 22d-place ranking. According to the 1997 figures, the itemizers in Weston listed, on average, charitable contributions of $41,000, while their income was an impressive $933,349. The average income of charitable donors in Lincoln was $303,331.
''Why isn't Weston at the top? Well, they do not have one of the highest percentage of itemizers, and because there is such a huge difference between $41,000 and $930,000,'' he said. ''Weston, if it wanted to unseat Lincoln at the top of the list, wouldn't have to exert itself very much to do so.''
Communities in the Globe West circulation area that ranked in the bottom half of the generosity index were communities with far fewer wealthy residents, working-class towns like Maynard, Bellingham, Milford, Hudson, and Marlborough.
That is not to say residents of those towns are not generous. ''Even a lot of people who only have $5 in their purse will usually give us a couple of it, if we're holding a raffle or something,'' said Barbara Nunes, unit director for Hudson's Lincoln Court Clubhouse/Metro West Boys and Girls Club.
The weak economy and layoffs have had a significant impact on charitable giving this year, said the leaders of local charities, which makes things especially tough for the smallest organizations. At the Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, based in Newton, executive director Claire Kashuck said dues from 68 member congregations are steady, but donations from individuals have dropped off. The annual budget is only $110,000 a year, she said, which makes it difficult to scrimp.
''We noticed a significant decrease, especially among large donors, sometimes as much as 50 percent,'' she said. ''We're just trying to tighten our belts more, which, for a small nonprofit, is hard to do.''
Imaginative fund-raising efforts like Franklin's Santa Train appear to be working in the less-affluent communities. Franklin ranks 149th on the Generosity Index. But on Dec. 14, it will feel as though it ranks in the top 20. That is when Franklin Youth Services, the nonprofit that runs the town's community center, will hold its annual train ride - 10 train cars with 1,000 riders paying $6 each, and three train trips. That will gross $18,000 and involve a huge portion of the community, said Diane Neufville, chairwoman of the nonprofit's board of directors.
This story ran on page W1 of the Boston Globe on 12/1/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.