Donor Story
Captain Nick Would Like These Giving Statistics
We like to picture real people when we see important statistics like those in Giving USA 2017: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2016.
Reading this new report makes us think of the late Alfred Nicholson, a Hampton Roads Community Foundation donor. The reason? Captain Nick, as he was nicknamed, would be happy to know individuals gave more than $11 billion nationally in 2016 to help animals and the environment. The 7.2% increase in this category had the biggest one-year increase among the 10 charitable categories tracked in the report. It is published annually by The Giving Institute, Giving USA Foundation, and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Captain Nick, a marine surveyor, served on the boards of area animal shelters and owned the Canine Country Club in Virginia Beach. After he died in 1997 at age 93, his bequest created a field-of-interest fund at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation for the humane care and treatment of animals. Since 2000, the Alfred L. Nicholson Fund has provided more than $3.8 million in grants to the Norfolk SPCA, Virginia Beach SPCA and Chesapeake Humane Society.
The annual philanthropy study reports a total of $390 billion donated in 2016 -- up 2.7% from 2015. Click here to see a summary of the report. The largest share donated -- nearly $282 billion -- came from individuals like Captain Nick who had a passion for something he cared deeply about in many ways.
If you are interested in supporting a cause, please contact Kay Stine or call (757) 622-7951 to see how we can help.
