In Tennessee Williams' classic American play, A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche DuBoisexplains how she maneuvers in the world with a simple declaration, "I havealways depended on the kindness of strangers." As the director of a socialservice agency I, too, depend on the kindness of strangers, especially at thistime of year. Far from being immune from economic downturns, many nonprofitorganizations actually experience a double whammy during challenging economictimes: financial contributions decrease while demand for services increase. Corporatephilanthropy declines when profits dry up. The ability of private foundationsto give is contingent on the performance of their investment portfolios. Most individualsmust have jobs if they are going to donate money to their favorite causes. Withunemployment approaching nearly 10% nationwide, more and more people, andfamilies, urgently require the services of nonprofits that address the mostbasic of human needs like hunger and homelessness. For many social service agencies, the remaining weeks of2009 may be the most critical period of time in recent memory. For some of ourorganizations, December 31st marks not only the end of the calendaryear, but also the end of our fiscal year. A balanced budget at year-end couldallow us to continue to provide somewhat of a safety net for our vulnerableneighbors. A deficit could close the doors on some organizations doing muchneeded work. It all depends on the kindness of strangers who value living in acommunity where those who have the most, share some of their resources withthose who have the least. And, beginning in November, it gets even easier forkindly strangers to donate to nonprofits in Minnesota. GiveMN.org, the first internet site focused on supportingnonprofits in a single state, will launch on November 2 and will benefit bothdonors and nonprofits. This innovative, one-stop site provides prospectivedonors with information on nonprofit organizations that match theirphilanthropic interests. The site makes it easy to donate to eligiblenonprofits not only in Minnesota,but around the country. For nonprofits, GiveMN allows us to get our message out tomany more people than we ever could on our own. Electronic giving, always morecost-effective than traditional fundraising devices like direct mail, is aneven better value with GiveMN as 100% of the donation is returned to thedesignated nonprofit. In mid-November, "Give to the Max Day" will be introducedand GiveMN will match contributions made on that day. GiveMN is a new, important partner in Minnesotaphilanthropy. It can help ensure that nonprofit organizations receive thefunding we need to continue to provide critical services this year and into thefuture. With the help of GiveMN, the "kindness of strangers" will turn into the"generosity of donors."