A local news anchor in Denver has been quietly demonstrating a powerful lesson for years. Each week, he spotlights a Colorado nonprofit and asks viewers to consider a $5 donation—and typically matches the first 50 gifts of $5 personally.
Not $500.
Not a major gift.
Just $5.
And every week, it works.
What began in June 2020 as a simple, repeatable ask has grown into a sustained movement that has raised more than $15 million for Colorado nonprofits.1
The lesson isn’t about money. It’s about behavior.
When giving feels accessible, people participate.
When it’s repeatable, generosity becomes a habit.
And when it’s easy, it scales.
In wealth management, charitable conversations—and many advisory conversations—often come much later: after assets accumulate, after tax strategies arise, after the “big” dollars appear.
Generosity doesn’t start with big dollars. It starts with small decisions.
Sometimes it begins with a moment of gratitude.
Sometimes with a child wanting to support a cause they care about.
Sometimes with a QR code and a $5 choice.
When giving is easy to say yes to, people want to invite others in. Younger donors already behave this way.
Giving doesn’t grow because the dollars get bigger.
It grows because participation repeats.
One person steps forward, names a cause and makes it easy for others to join.
That same dynamic now exists within modern donor-advised fund platforms. A donor can highlight a cause, make the first contribution and invite others to participate—transforming a personal act of generosity into a shared moment.
A donor-advised fund doesn’t have to mark the end of a charitable journey. It can be the structure that helps small, early acts of generosity to last long enough to become habits.
If $5 can start a habit, the real question for advisors isn’t
whether it matters—it’s who helps steward it next.
Important Disclosures & Definitions
1 Clark, K. (n.d.). Word of Thanks Fund. 9NEWS.
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