Community Shares of Colorado

We connect Coloradans to the charities and causes they care about most.

In 1986, 12 Colorado nonprofits joined together to change the way workplace giving operated. Originally called The Alternative Fund, our organization gave a home to nonprofits that did not fit the mold of existing workplace giving federations. Soon after, our founders chose the name "Community Shares of Colorado" and began offering more choice to employees for their charitable giving. These included nonprofits providing health and human services, animal welfare, advocacy, public access radio, along with arts groups and emerging nonprofits.

Community Shares' first workplace giving campaign raised $3,500 dollars. In the 2007-2008 Annual Charitable Giving Campaign, we raised over $1.5 million from over 160 workplaces for 112 Colorado nonprofits! Community Shares has raised over $14 million since its inception with an average of just under $1 per day.

We show on a yearly basis that incremental giving makes a monumental difference! Through the My Colorado Project we hope to continue to promote and encourage citizen-driven philanthropy and give a voice to all who wish to give. By taking the incremental giving model outside of the workplace we hope to inspire a new generation of philanthropists who are eager to create change and help their communities because giving is quintessentially American.

• Additional information about Community Shares of Colorado can be found at www.cshares.org.
• From our humble beginnings Community Shares grew into a national organization with statewide chapters. Find the national organization at: www.communitysharesusa.org.