Iowa Shares celebrates 25 years of working for change with a party at the Old Brick

Iowa Shares is celebrating a quarter century of helping Iowa nonprofits raise money with a 25th anniversary party at the Old Brick on Thursday. The Iowa City-based nonprofit conducts annual fundraising drives that benefit its 19 member nonprofits.

“We’re an umbrella organization and we do work-place fundraising on behalf of our members,” explained Gail Ardery, secretary of the Iowa Shares board of directors. “Our nonprofits focus on social justice, worker justice, the environment and animal rights.”

Member organizations include the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa, Equality Iowa and the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation.

“One of the things that makes us unique is that we have a board that directs the organization, and each member organization has a representative on the board,” Ardery said. “So, everyone has input about how Iowa Shares should grow and move forward.”

The focus is on making sure the money raised gets to its member organizations, according to Ardery. “Unlike some fundraising organizations, we don’t have a huge hierarchy of paid staff,” she said. Iowa Shares has only one employee. Everyone else works on a volunteer basis.

Ardery has volunteered with Iowa Shares for seven years. She represents Environmental Advocates, a Johnson County nonprofit, on the board.

The anniversary celebration at the Old Brick is free and open to the public. On its Facebook page, Iowa Shares describes it as an evening of “Iowa City-type entertainment, including Combined Efforts Dance Group, Iowa Oorja Bollywood Dancers, comedian Craig Jarvie and musician Tom Yates.”