logo
    • Magazine
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice
    • Collections
    • Glossary
  • Climate Justice
  • Health Justice
  • Leadership
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Subscribe
  • Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Complimentary Webinars
    • Premium On-Demand Webinars
  • Membership
  • Submissions

An Anonymous Donation Comes with A Riddle

Ruth McCambridge
October 10, 2014
Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print

Message
Elnur Elnur/ Shutterstock.com

October 9, 2014; HometownLife

Some institutions know how to create their own good karma.

The branch of the Community Choice Credit Union (with the tag line, “Let’s get together”) in Redford, Michigan says it received an envelope last week with ten $100 bills and a handwritten riddle:

“Know the clue

Know the who

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Anonymous 1679”

An accompanying note said that the money was to be used to fix the sign on the credit union or toward the charity of the credit union’s choice.

Abbey Bierlein, CCCU’s foundation coordinator, said that at first they felt that they should respect the donor’s wish to remain anonymous, but then they decided that the riddle gave them permission to figure it out. So they are busy doing that.

But there is no mystery as to where the donation will go, which is to the credit union’s scholarship fund. (The sign repair had already been budgeted.)

The credit union has a tradition of encouraging community philanthropy. Its most recent is a “random acts of kindness” campaign in August where employees were given up to $200 to perform random acts of kindness and then leave a little card that said, “Community Choice Paying it Forward.”—Ruth McCambridge

Share
Tweet
Share
Email
Print
About the author
Ruth McCambridge

Ruth is Editor Emerita of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.

More about: GivingIndividual GivingNonprofit NewsPhilanthropy

Become a member

Support independent journalism and knowledge creation for civil society. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly.

Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. NPQ is the leading journal in the nonprofit sector written by social change experts. Gain access to our exclusive library of online courses led by thought leaders and educators providing contextualized information to help nonprofit practitioners make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations.

Join Today
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

summer_sidebar_subscribe
You might also like
Public Dollars for Public Good
Carmen Rojas
Child Care Is a National Emergency
Elizabeth Barajas-Román and Shannon Rudisill
Can We Build the Movement Journalism Infrastructure That We Need?
John Duda
Healing the Frontlines of Racial, Climate, and Gender Injustice
Daelin Brown
Where Does the Money Go in Environmental Grantmaking?
Carly Nairn
Behind the Numbers: Giving USA Panel Sheds Light on Longer Term Trends
Steve Dubb

NPQ Webinars

September 21st, 2:00 PM ET

Remaking the Economy

Movement Economies

Register Now
Oct 5th and 6th, 2:00 PM ET

Mastering QuickBooks 2023

Advanced QuickBooks for Nonprofits for Online Users

Register Now
You might also like
Abstract painting titled, “No More Hiding” by Yuet Lam-Tsang. The piece features delicate and balanced strokes of white, light green, orange, and gray.
Public Dollars for Public Good
Carmen Rojas
An empty swing at a playground. A child plays on a spring rider in the background.
Child Care Is a National Emergency
Elizabeth Barajas-Román and Shannon Rudisill
An illustrated hand holding a fountain pen in a fist. In the background, there are clouds against a blue sky.
Can We Build the Movement Journalism Infrastructure That We...
John Duda

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

Summer 2023 issue

Independent & in your mailbox.

Subscribe today and get a full year of NPQ for just $59.

subscribe
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Funders
  • Magazine Art

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.