Change Inside 2025

A behind-the-scenes look at how we’re advancing the local social and environmental justice movement

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Bold Action Brings More Member Nonprofits

At a time when nonprofits are under attack, bold action is required. That is why Community Shares of Wisconsin just took the bold action of increasing our membership significantly.

On November 19, the board of Community Shares of Wisconsin voted to add 16 new member nonprofits, bringing our total number of member nonprofits to 82. The new member nonprofits of Community Shares of Wisconsin are 350 Wisconsin, Access to Independence, Bikes for Kids Wisconsin, Black Men Coalition Foundation, Bridge Builders, Community Immigration Law Center (CILC), Healthy Climate Wisconsin, Kennedy Heights Community Center, Madison Worker Cooperatives (MadWorC), Maydm, Movin’ Out, Inc., Open Doors for Refugees, Root 2 Rise, Wisconsin EcoLatinos, Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project, and YWCA Madison.

These nonprofits join the other member nonprofits of Community Shares of Wisconsin in working on essential issues like civil liberties, sustainability, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, healthy food and farms, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Community Shares of Wisconsin’s power comes from our member nonprofits and our collective networks. Building that power and that network through additional member nonprofits increases the support all of our member nonprofits receive and ultimately the support they can provide to our community.

Hedi Rudd, the Membership Chair at Community Shares of Wisconsin, has been instrumental in expanding our membership and she had this to say about the process: “When deciding to add more nonprofits to our membership, we decided to open our arms as widely as we could to support as many local nonprofits as possible. Since 2018, when we last opened our membership, we have adapted our membership requirements to make membership more accessible to nonprofits that meet our values rather than focusing on external fundraising requirements. This has led Community Shares to become a more inclusive organization that is more effective at addressing today’s issues.”

As members of Community Shares of Wisconsin, nonprofits receive access to exclusive fundraising opportunities, capacity building, networking, and collaboration opportunities with like-minded organizations. They also receive training in marketing, operations, management, and member recruitment, to build fundraising capacity and expand their reach. All member nonprofits have a seat on the board of Community Shares of Wisconsin and a share in decision making for the organization.

Please join me in welcoming our new member nonprofits, who will become official members on January 1, 2026.

Cheri Dubiel
Executive Director
[email protected]
608-888-9586

Mark Saunders

Bequest from Mark Saunders

Mark E. Saunders, a longtime donor to Community Shares of Wisconsin, passed away in early 2025. He had served as a volunteer organizer for our golf outing 25 years ago and had continued his support ever since, even naming us as a beneficiary in his will.

Mark was a familiar face around Madison. Through the years, he played on softball and basketball teams, was an active member of running and cycling clubs, participated in weekly Scrabble games at various local venues, and volunteered his time wherever he saw need. He was also a major music lover—the go-to person for info on “who’s playing where” and who supported the local music festivals. Not surprisingly, his nickname was “Mayor of the East Side.”

Mark Saunders memorial bench in Yahara Place Park

One of Mark’s favorite music venues was the Harmony Bar on Atwood Avenue, where a celebration of life was held. Hundreds gathered to share memories and sing songs, and a fundraiser was held to honor him with a memorial bench at Yahara Place Park, near his longtime home.

Mark held deeply progressive views and saw Community Shares as a way to support many causes he cared about. We are so grateful to him for his gift.

If you would like to name Community Shares of Wisconsin as a beneficiary in your estate plans, please contact Cheri Dubiel, Executive Director, at [email protected].

“CHIP” reaches $5 million raised for CSW since 1978

“Would you like to CHIP?” For decades, Willy Street Co-op customers have been asked this simple question. Each customer who decides to “CHIP” has a small donation added to their purchase total and that donation goes directly to Community Shares of Wisconsin to support our member nonprofits.

In September 2025, the Community CHIP® program at Willy Street Co-op reached a total of $5 million raised for the member nonprofits of Community Shares of Wisconsin since 1978. “While this is an amazing milestone, it doesn’t surprise me at all,” says Anya Firszt, General Manager of Willy Street Co-op. “The Co-op’s Owners and customers are a very socially engaged and community-minded group of people, so I know that they want to help support the amazing work of these local nonprofits.”

Like no other time in recent history, our basic rights and freedoms are under attack. Donations through the Community CHIP program are an investment in nonprofits that are challenging systems and holding decision-makers accountable.

Community CHIP began in 1971, and is the original source of funding for Community Shares of Wisconsin (then known as the Madison Sustaining Fund). The program was nicknamed “The People’s Tax” because it allowed the community to directly support community organizations that were meeting needs not met by existing institutions.

More than 50 years later, with new challenges to our democracy emerging, the work of Community Shares’ member nonprofits is more urgent than ever. Candace Weber, founding member of Community Shares of Wisconsin, said “A lot of young people felt very powerless fifty years ago, and found that coming together helped us become more powerful. This is still true. If we come together as a group, a community, we can make meaningful change.” Weber adds “I feel most powerful when the money I give goes to organizations whose work I know. I have been, and remain, a firm believer that change happens from the ground up. Local change is going to be substantial and real. My contribution can mean change for my community and my neighbor.”

Willy Street Co-op has participated in the Community CHIP program since 1978 and has been the exclusive home of the Community CHIP program since 2008. Today, the program raises over $325,000 annually from thousands of generous Co-op shoppers. If you would like to donate at Willy Street Co-op, just say “yes” when the cashier asks if you want to “CHIP.” You can also “CHIP” when using self-checkout.

The Community CHIP program democratizes philanthropy by connecting with thousands of individual donors whose contributions add up to make a big difference in our community. Community Shares of Wisconsin thanks the Willy Street Co-op for their strong partnership and thanks the thousands of Co-op shoppers who have made their voice heard one “CHIP” at a time.

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