Some days are full of surprises. This surprise turned out to be amazing – and it’s given us a lot to think about.
We discovered by way of our monthly statement from Edward Jones that someone very generously donated 10 Google shares to RAVEN. Naturally we tried to find out who made the magnanimous gesture only to be told that the donor had deliberately withheld their information. Despite our best efforts, the donation must be anonymously accepted with our gratitude recorded here in this blog.
An entrepreneurial friend pointed out that the person went to a lot of trouble to remain anonymous. This at first raised concerns because we honour our donors plus like to offer tax receipts (since RAVEN has charitable status). But again, it was suggested that donors with a lot of disposable income do not all crave that type of attention. In fact, it may deter giving! That was something we had never considered. But it must be the same for lottery winners who suddenly find themselves besieged by every would-be inventor with a plan. People with untold wealth and a penchant for doing good could end up on every non-profit list on the globe if not careful. Paparazzi stake-outs of A-listers would seem tame compared to the onslaught. We get it.
So it is with thanks that we write this – in the hopes that the person who chose our work stops by now and then to read these blogs. We very much appreciate your show of faith and promise to use the funds for the programs we support in our ongoing mission to raise legal defence funds to assist First Nations who enforce their rights and title to protect their traditional territories. And while RAVEN doesn’t make it a practice to hold stock – as most of our work requires funds yesterday – we are super grateful for the thoughtful choice of holdings transferred.
Our representative at Edward Jones (who waives all his fees for us as another gesture of support) is Ali Nozari. If this type of donation appeals to you, he’s the man to contact.
