Community Works (Boston)

Founded in 1982 in Boston, Community Works is a cooperative fundraising effort among community-based and social justice oriented organizations. Our goal is to develop a stable and growing source of support for our member organizations, primarily through our partnership with local businesses as part of their employee giving campaigns. We do this by: - Expanding traditional definitions of charitable activity to include advocacy and community organizing; - Increasing employee awareness of community resources; - Demonstrating alternative approaches to pressing issues; focuses attention on issues not previously addressed; - Fostering the empowerment of donors as they choose where they will direct their contributions. Membership in Community Works has grown to mean much more to our organizations than raising money. Community Works has provided an opportunity for member organizations to share resources among themselves and to collaborate on projects that benefit the broader community. Currently, 52 private, public, and nonprofit employers in the greater Boston area, with over 120,000 employees, permit payroll deduction contributions to Community Works, including the city, state, and federal government campaigns. Since 1982, we have raised over $5 million for our member organizations. Community Works' mission: To develop a stable and growing source of support for our social justice member organizations through participation in the workplace giving campaigns, and through individual sustained giving contributions. CW supports its members through networking, training, technical assistance, and pooled resources. We are a member-directed federation. Each of our member agencies holds a seat on the board, and together our members decide on our priorities, spending, etc. Community Works is Massachusetts’ only workplace federation with a focus on supporting social justice organizations.