Bringing the Noise

FundRaising Success: Where do you get funding?
Ginger Thomson: The primary source of our funds has been foundations. We also have a small and very invested group of individual donors.

FS: What fundraising challenges does your constituency pose?
GT: In terms of targeting that group, they do not perceive themselves as having funds to give away. So while they’re spending a good deal of money on themselves, they don’t think of their money as money that’s disposable towards charitable organizations. And YouthNoise serves youth. It doesn’t serve hungry children or sick children specifically. We really serve young people who are an intermediary between the causes and issues that young people care about and themselves. So they might give a contribution to a relief effort, but they don’t see YouthNoise as the place they would necessarily give a contribution because we’re an infrastructure for them. They see us as a service, but not as a charity. I think that’s challenging.