Jun 11, 2026 — Paula Linares: The Art & Strategy of Giving

Bulletin for June 11, 2026

Featured Speaker: Paula Linares

Constituent Services Specialist, El Paso County & Pro Bono Fundraising Advisor — The Art & Strategy of Giving

OPENING

The meeting opened with a prayer of thanksgiving for grace, love, and "celestial food," followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

"Everything for freedom. Find some way that works for you to serve God and country."

— Michael Fitzmaurice, United States Army Medal of Honor

CLUB BUSINESS

• 80th Anniversary Dinner: June 30 at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo at 6:00 PM. Currently 40 signed up; target is 48. The senior behavioral specialist for giraffes will speak, and members will have the opportunity to feed the giraffes.

• Sleep in Heavenly Peace Bed Build: Saturday, June 27. The club has only done this twice in 80 years — more hands welcome.

• Lower Arkansas Valley Visit: July 29 at 9:00 AM in Rocky Ford. Farm tours, produce purchases, farm-to-table lunch, and talks including one by Dr. Mike Bartolo (Carmel Land Conservancy). Water rights attorney Jack Oglewell was recalled from a past presentation — members suggested revisiting the topic.

• Rodeo Outing: July 16. Gates open at 4:00 PM; rodeo starts at 7:30 PM. Parking is tight — free shuttles run from Costilla (covered parking). Tickets approximately $40–$50. Events include mutton busters and the bull ride finale.

• Equine Therapy Offsite: Planned for August or September in Florence.

• Handball Futures: Running July 22–25 at Colorado Springs School. Opening ceremony and VIP reception July 22, followed by games daily and a Saturday championship. Envisioned as a festival akin to the original Olympic Sports Festival.

• Marlene's book Consensus Custody circulated for members — it recounts a court evaluator's experience and critiques family court and attorney incentives in contentious divorces. Getting rave reviews.

• Meeting etiquette reminder: Please avoid asking "Where is everyone?" in front of guest speakers — absences are often due to vacations or medical appointments.

KEYNOTE: PAULA LINARES — INTRODUCTION TO PHILANTHROPY

About Paula

Paula's career spans decades of institutional advancement: teaching Spanish and ESL in New York City schools, donor relations at New York Law School, frontline fundraising at Princeton University, and helping raise over $171 million to build a medical center in Plainsboro, NJ for Princeton Health Care System (now Penn Medicine Princeton Health). Since relocating to Colorado Springs in 2016, she has served as a constituent services specialist for El Paso County Government Affairs, supported the county's COVID-19 public health response, joined the Peak News Educational Foundation board, and provides pro bono fundraising guidance to local nonprofits.

What Is Philanthropy?

Paula opened with the Greek roots of the word: "love of humanity." Philanthropy, she argues, is not just writing checks — it is active, humane engagement with community needs. A pivotal moment for Paula came after she published a harsh op-ed about homelessness. Springs Rescue Mission CEO Jack Ritz invited her to see the work firsthand. The visit reframed her perspective entirely — she began seeing homeless individuals as neighbors on paths to recovery. That experience deepened her commitment to thoughtful, substantive giving.

Her formative influences trace to her Jamaican heritage. Her parents — both from modest backgrounds in Devon, Manchester Parish — modeled community sharing from the start. Her mother later worked for Miriam Rosenberg, a wealthy Upper East Side widow devoted to philanthropy, who brought Paula to events at the Bowery Mission, Goodwill, and arts institutions. That early exposure to joyful, hands-on giving shaped everything that followed.

The Power of Participation Giving

At Princeton, Paula learned the strategic leverage of modest, consistent gifts. The culture there celebrates donors at every level — from $1 to $1,000 — and tracks participation rates as proof of broad community buy-in. Annual fund dollars (often averaging $1,000) provide flexible, immediate funding for new initiatives that endowment income cannot touch.

She worked with first-generation alumni like Mellody Hobson, who began with $500–$1,000 annual gifts and later became pivotal in a major institutional transformation. A hospital example showed the same principle at scale: David and Patricia Atkinson gave $50–$100 annually for decades. After being personally asked — for the first time — about a larger commitment, they pledged $25 million.

Small Gifts Are Not "Drops in a Bucket"

Smaller nonprofits (roughly $1 million budgets) suffer sharper declines in individual giving than large institutions — a gap widened after the COVID-related spike in 2021 faded. December giving surges tend to flow to large, well-resourced organizations, leaving small groups with deep funding troughs. A local four-figure gift of $1,000 can cover food bank procurement, technology, or marketing for a new initiative — and critically, it validates community support to grant makers.

The 33% Rule

Nonprofits must demonstrate that at least one-third of their funding comes from the broader community — not just government or foundations — to maintain their nonprofit status. Individual gifts of $500–$1,000 directly contribute to meeting that requirement. Paula cited Travis Williams' 25-hour appeal for $25,000 that surpassed goal to $26,000 — driven in part by her own $1,000 gift during a live interview — as an example of how accessible collective action creates real outcomes.

Colorado Tax Incentives

Colorado offers meaningful state tax credits that can significantly reduce the net cost of a donation:

• Enterprise Zone credits: A $1,000 gift for a taxpayer in the 35% bracket with the 4.4% state tax rate can net a real cost of approximately $606 — versus the full $1,000 without the credit.

• Child Care Contribution Tax Credit: Applies to donations over $250 to qualifying child welfare organizations, including Springs Rescue Mission. Qualifying organizations are listed on Colorado's website.

Due Diligence

Paula recommends verifying any organization before giving using Charity Navigator or Charity Watch, reviewing the IRS Form 990, attending board meetings, and meeting staff directly to assess governance and vision. She positions $1,000 gifts as reasonable tests — a way to build trust before larger commitments.

The Bigger Picture

Government funding can foster oversized growth and inefficiency in nonprofits, and may inadvertently crowd out individual giving ("Why do you need my money if you're getting millions?"). As government funding contracts in some areas, community giving becomes the agile, flexible resource that lets organizations move quickly. Volunteering alone is not enough — organizations need tangible resources: equipment, books, materials. Time and treasure together make the strongest impact.

Paula uses Pikes Peak Club speakers as her personal philanthropic compass. Listening to the experts the club hosts — and attending club offsites — helps her identify the most pressing community needs and decide where to direct her giving.

Recommended reading: Newport in the Rockies (local philanthropic history) and Toxic Charity (how to give thoughtfully and avoid unintended harm).

CONCLUSION

Winston Churchill said: "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." After Paula's presentation, every member left better positioned to do both.

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