FROM THE EDITOR: Giving Is a Core Value that We Should All Agree on

Philanthropy should be a core value that brings communities together, especially now when the federal government is forcing localities to be more self-reliant.

By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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"Rappahannock River - Fredericksburg , Virginia" by Kaspar C is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The year ahead is not looking to be an easy one for the country. From changes to Medicaid funding and reduced federal funds for hunger programs, to major shifts in federal funding for housing programs and reductions to scientific research, 2026 is shaping up to be one in which localities will have to look at caring for their own in ways they haven’t in decades.

Here’s the good news. America has one of the most diverse nonprofit sectors in the world. There are more than 1.8 million nonprofits in the U.S., and some 58,000 in Virginia according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Further, we are a generous people. According to Giving USA, in 2024 total giving in the U.S. exceeded $592 Billion, with $392 Billion being contributed by individuals.

What drives all this generosity? There is no simple answer to this question. However, one doesn’t have to look far in our community to see the impact of generosity there — from the very small, to the very large.

Philanthropy at the Fence

Fredericksburg Presbyterian Church has found an innovative use for its historic wrought-iron fence. In an email to the Advance, the church said that it “uses its century-plus year-old wrought iron fencing for the Community Clothesline to provide socks, scarves, gloves and other winter necessities to anyone who might need the item.”

Photos provided by the Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg.

The motivation is certainly grounded in the church’s faith ethos, but it’s not limited to church members. The church noted that “those who pass by have made significant contributions. Indeed, this is a community effort as well as a church mission.”

Philanthropy at Scale

On Saturday, the Fredericksburg Food Bank held its fifth-annual turkey give-away, an event that requires an all-hands-on-deck commitment for the Food Bank’s staff, as well as the efforts of over 100 volunteers.

Grocery stores, individuals, small businesses and more pulled together to provide enough food for 51,000 meals. The reasons that brought them there were as diverse as the needs that brought people to the event for help.

For some, such work grows from a life-time commitment to serving in the community, for others it’s a part of the corporate ethos, while for others it’s their life’s work.

Scenes from the Fifth Annual Turkey Give-away on Saturday. Photos by Martin Davis.

Moreover, the Food bank leverages volunteers 365 days a year to help care for those in need. Again, why people volunteer their time or donate their money varies greatly. What matters in the cause.

Corporate giving is another major driver of giving in our community.

At last week’s Chamber of Commerce event, which convened to name the Laurie A Wideman award winners, a silent auction was held to benefit the nonprofit of the year, Loisann’s Hope House.

The motivations for the business people to attend the event and give? Likely as varied as the people who attend.

The Motivations for Giving Are Legion

At a time when few things bring people together, charitable giving should be something that everyone can agree is for the common good.

For that reason, it was concerning that at last week’s Planning Commission meeting in Fredericksburg, a few individuals used a debate over the Commission’s vote to recommend or not recommend the Gateway Data Center Project to City Council — the Planning Commission voted not to recommend the project — to criticize a $1 million gift to Friends of the Rappahannock from Amazon and Stack Infrastructure (Stack Infrastructure is a corporate donor to the Advance).

“These tech industries,” wrote one commentor, “do not have the city and its people’s best interest in mind when they come in and wave money around to environmental organizations like Friends of the Rappahannock.”

While data centers are a contested issue in this community, it’s important that we remain careful about both who we cast as outsiders, and the charges we level against individuals’ and groups’ motivations for philanthropic giving.

There are a wide range of motivations for giving.

One reason individuals in the United States give as generously as we do — 60% of all philanthropic giving in the country is by individuals — is that the U.S. tax code has been explicitly structured to encourage people to be generous supporters of their communities.

That individuals receive tax write-offs for their gifts does not negate the gift’s impact, nor necessarily call into question any individual’s motivation — that, after all, is something only the individual truly knows.

It is no different with corporate donations.

Do Amazon and Stack receive tax benefits for their charitable gifts? Certainly. It’s also not unlikely that they hope this helps citizens view them as good corporate citizens.

The exact same thing can be said of the grocery stores who gave so generously on Saturday at the Food Bank event, however. Should we question their motivations? No. The stores and its employees are part of this community, too, and as such have a stake in ensuring that people have enough to eat.

Amazon and Stack are part of our community and have a stake in the health of the river and water supplies in general. What would raise eyebrows would be if these companies did not want to support the work of the organization that has done more than any other to protect and strengthen the Rappahannock for future generations.

Further, consider how the funds are being used.

In 2025, the Friends of the Rappahannock was one of many environmental organizations across the country negatively affected by cuts in government spending. Executive Director Daria Christian of FOR told the Advance at the event announcing the gift that the funds will allow the organization to “stabilize our pillar programs,” one of which suffered a significant setback when federal government cuts took away $85,000 from the NOAA Bay-Watershed Education Training program.

Other practical plans for the money, as the Advance reported, include completing the refurbishing on FOR’s building along Fall Hill Avenue, where some 8,000 school children and adults come each year to learn about the river, its environment, and its importance for the region. And buying a much-needed new truck.

Bill Micks, who is lovingly called FOR’s “Godfather” did the best job of putting the Amazon and Stack gift in context.

“I never dreamed FOR would become all this,” he told the Advance. But he’s not surprised, either. “It’s about protecting the river,” he continued. When people volunteer and educate and celebrate this treasure, “good things happen.”

We Are in This Together

With changes in the way the federal government interacts with and supports local communities, it’s vital that in 2026 we appreciate the totality of our community.

Fueling suspicion of philanthropic giving — be it major corporations investing in Friends of the Rappahannock, grocery stores giving donating food to the Food Bank, or any of the thousands of ways people give to our community every day — will only divide us at a time we can least afford to be divided.

It is going to take all of us pulling in the same direction to keep this community strong. For today, and for the generations to come.

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