Testimonials

With more than $57 million raised for nonprofits since 2003, organizations and donors alike recognize the value of our work. Here's some of what they have to say:


"The Catalogue is a much needed force in DC-area charitable giving. It's impossible for anyone to know all of the smaller nonprofits who do important work in our region. The Catalogue goes about the job in the right way, assembling groups of volunteers to look at agencies and ask them the right questions. I admire the recommendations the Catalogue makes; thank goodness they are out there doing the work that needs to be done!"

Donald Graham, Chairman & CEO, Graham Holdings Company

"The Catalogue not only introduces to friends and supporters the work we do with vulnerable children and youth, but it gives us invaluable, instant credibility. In a very real sense, the Catalogue does for Beacon House what it might take us years to accomplish, if ever."

Gerry Kittner, Executive Director, Beacon House

"Our family believes that it's not enough to just live in a community, but you have to contribute to it and help those who are making it a place worth living in. It took us nearly ten years to discover even half the proven groups that I found in the Catalogue in just one afternoon! This wonderful resource makes it easy to know who we can support and who can inspire us to do more."

Leon Harris, Chief News Anchor, ABC7 Washington, DC

"We truly value – and love – the Catalogue for Philanthropy. We are in a major time of growth, focusing squarely on how we are going to end poverty for family after family. The Catalogue is a very big part of that growth, connecting us with individuals and companies, and helping us help many more families to rise out of poverty."

Mark Bergel, A Wider Circle

"We had lived in Washington, DC for more than 15 years but still thought of ourselves as Brooklyn/Tulsa transplants living in the nation's capital. Learning about and supporting Catalogue charities, and directly supporting the Catalogue for Philanthropy itself, has tied us more deeply to the place in which we live. Thank you to the Catalogue for helping us identify charities we really care about and making it so easy for us to learn about the needs of our community and how we, as a family, can help."

Michael Lainoff and Kathryn Kincaid, Catalogue Donors

"Our grantees have raised more than $1.5 million dollars through the Catalogue for Philanthropy, which has been a lifeline to many of the smaller organizations we support. In addition to the funds and connections it provides, the Catalogue's free workshops, on everything from development to social media, have been invaluable. We are proud to be supporters of the Catalogue."

Alison McWilliams, Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation

"Inclusion in the Catalogue for Philanthropy is like having a best friend, mentor and advocate all rolled into one. It is a constant morale booster to our hard-working staff, and dedicated board and volunteers, because we know the Catalogue sets the bar very high. Thank you for all the work you do to support the nonprofit network and raise awareness among donors."

Jean Guiffre, Top Banana Home Delivered Groceries

"The Catalogue has been invaluable to us! It has connected us to people who would otherwise never have been able to find out about our work. It has opened doors of support from donors who believe passionately in our mission, enabling us to reach youth with the life-changing power of books and writing. We have seen young men literally transform their lives ... and we couldn’t have done it without the Catalogue."

Tara Libert, Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop

"I first learned of Fairfax CASA through the Catalogue and I am constantly astounded by the extent to which my service as a volunteer has expanded my concept of family, sharpened my sense of service, and tied me closer to the community in which I have lived for thirtyfive years. It has given me, late in life, a newfound sense of personal fulfillment and a higher purpose. Becoming part of the CASA family is, quite simply, one of the best and most rewarding decisions I have ever made."

Steve Ward, Fairfax CASA Volunteer

"As native Washingtonians, we consider it both our privilege and responsibility to give back to our community. The Catalogue for Philanthropy provides the best way for us to do this, ensuring that our gifts support the many worthwhile, small nonprofits in the Washington, DC area."

Nancy Keener, Catalogue donor

"The Catalogue for Philanthropy has been a phenomenal resource for us. Some of our largest, most consistent donors have come to us through the Catalogue. In addition, it offers access to top quality workshops and other programs for non-profit organizations. It has been very instrumental in our success."

Jonathan B Williams, Reach for College!

"We value our place in the global community, but we always remember that we are citizens of our nation’s capital. Today the demand on our local, smaller nonprofits is greater than ever, and the Catalogue for Philanthropy has become our “go-to” source ... allowing us to join with others to make a bigger impact on the smaller organizations that care for our fellow citizens in the DC Metro area every day of the week."

Marian H Gelbwaks, Sidgmore Family Foundation

"Thank you again for your fine work...and for making the Washington DC community aware of the many important causes that impact those around us."

Joe Suarez, Booz Allen Hamilton

"The Marriott Foundation has proudly sponsored the Catalogue for the last six years and every year I am even more impressed by how much you accomplish! You really have created something wonderful and meaningful for our smaller non-profits. When I talk with other funders around the country they all say they wish they had a Catalogue for Philanthropy in their communities."

Anne Gunsteens, Executive Director, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation

"We're proud of our role as founder and developer of the Catalogue. We believe it will help bring to life the vision we all share--of a vibrant and thriving world here in our nation's capital."

Sidney Harman, President, Harman Family Foundation

"If you are looking to get involved with smaller nonprofits in the Washington, DC-area community, financially or through volunteer efforts, but don't know where to start, the Catalogue is a terrific resource. We're proud to be supporters."

Joseph T.N. Suarez, CFRE, Director of Community Relations, Booz Allen Hamilton

"For nearly 65 years we have invested in the best and brightest nonprofit leaders working to serve people in our region. Most are raising every dollar every year and operating without financial reserves. So it is essential that we shine a light on their work, especially now when many of the people they serve are in desperate straits. I’ve watched with deep admiration as the Catalogue has done this, and has expanded its work, offering much-needed assistance to its featured nonprofits. The Meyer Foundation is proud to have supported the Catalogue’s work from the very beginning."

Julie Rogers, Former President, Meyer Foundation

"Promotion in the Catalogue for Philanthropy has leveraged more than $400,000 to support our rigorous, after-school and summer programs for children in our nation's capital who are in the greatest need. The Catalogue’s multiplier effect is probably ten-fold: it catapults smaller organizations to new heights of visibility, and it leads, very directly, to new dollars. The staff’s entrepreneurial approach and boundless energy are advancing philanthropy in our nation’s capital at a time when we need it the most."

Lynsey Wood Jeffries, Higher Achievement Program

"Endorsement by the Catalogue for Philanthropy is so important for small non-profits: it is now short-hand for the idea that you are a well-run charity. Our Board of Directors uses the Catalogue’s “seal of approval” as a way to provide additional credibility in asking others to support our important work. Since we were first recognized by the Catalogue our individual giving has grown by more than 50%. "

Monica Lyman, Potomac Conservancy

"It gives me a feeling of comfort and confidence to know that a fabulous organization like the Catalogue is on my side, working to help my nonprofit and others like mine to strengthen what we do. Using the Catalogue to create greater name recognition has undoubtedly played a role in our amazing growth."

Jessica Young, Reach out and Read of Metro DC

"Many individual donors and foundations have told us that they use the Catalogue when making a decision to support us. And several of those donors have also introduced us to others. Our Catalogue donors are loyal and have significantly increased the size of their donations over the years. We were featured in 2004 and then again in 2008; we’ve received over $850,000 in donations or pledges. I’d call that success!"

Merry Cavanaugh, Washington Jesuit Academy

"Eight of our grandchildren read the Catalogue, some with help from their parents, and they made their own choices of organizations to support. I really believe that, with the help of the Catalogue and their parents, we have begun the process of inculcating in our grandchildren a sense of social responsibility and philanthropy. "

Jane Lang, Catalogue Donor

"By supporting the Catalogue, I hope we are helping to make our employees and others in the Washington area aware of the many small charities that support our community but don't have the budgets to build awareness of their good works on their own."

George Schindler, President, CGI Federal

"The donations we received allowed us to completely rebuild our historic barn and turn part of it into an art room. And since most of the construction projects we do are for other charities, I now check to see if they are listed in the Catalogue. If they are, I automatically tell them, “Yes: we will be glad to help you out by being your builder.”"

Richard Bienvenue, Our House

"Being featured in the Catalogue increased our credibility in the community and improved morale on our Board. It was a very tangible measure of our growing influence, and board members experienced a new sense of dedication to the cause. It also opened doors once closed to us; our means of entry was the Catalogue's seal of approval."

Joe Orozco, Mary House

"We have received close to $100,000 in Catalogue-linked giving, including an anonymous $75,000 gift in 2007! The donations that continue to come in help us to offer quality, affordable education to students. When donors see us in the Catalogue, they are reassured that we are a trusted, fiscally responsible organization with a strong history of providing quality services."

Kirsten Peterson, Academy of Hope

"In our communications with donors, we hear time and again that reading about us in the Catalogue helped solidify their decision to support our work because it offered them assurance that they were making a smart investment in the community. A majority of these donors have given in multiple years."

Ryan Smith, Child and Family Network Center

"The recognition that we received from the Catalogue proved to be priceless. We always felt we were one of Washington's best kept secrets; the Catalogue has let the secret out."

Jacqueline D Wilson, Black Student Fund