The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation is designating June 8 a “Day of Giving” for everyone who has benefitted from the wide range of industry research, programs and resources the Foundation provides. This is the fourth annual Day of Giving, which is intended to attract new donors and remind people of the lasting impact they and their companies make when they support the Foundation’s mission to propel the equipment finance industry forward. The Foundation hopes to surpass last year’s goals of attracting 50 new donors and raising $50,000 during its 24-hour marathon fundraiser. All giving levels are welcome.

As part of the Day of Giving campaign, the Foundation is highlighting popular and new resources it has released and programs it has conducted over the last year, which are made possible entirely through individual and corporate donations. Among the vast array are:  

• COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Survey, a quarterly survey of industry leaders designed to reflect longer-term effects of the pandemic’s impact on equipment finance companies going forward.
• Podcast spotlighting Foundation resources and programs, and interviews with researchers, Board of Trustees members, and more on hot topics including “Return to the Office.”
• Academic Programs designed to attract new and diverse talent that is the future of our industry. Among them are the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation Scholarship which awards up to three scholarships of $5,000 each annually to students interested in pursuing a career in the equipment finance industry. The Virtual Guest Lecture Program provides an online opportunity for industry participants to share their stories and introduce students to the equipment finance industry.
• Topical and economic research studies, including the Vertical Market Series which examines the conditions and outlook for road transportation, healthcare, construction, agriculture and logistics. All are available for free download at the online Research Library.

“This Day of Giving is a reminder of the Foundation’s contributions over the past year of the pandemic in providing resources that are unavailable anywhere else and are essential to the betterment of our businesses and our industry,” said Mike Romanowski, President, CoBank Farm Credit Leasing, Foundation Trustee and National Development Committee Chair. “Making a donation today is an opportunity to give back, and to make a lasting impact on the equipment finance industry from which we all benefit.”

To help meet its donation goals, the Foundation is asking people to post, share and retweet its Day of Giving messages on their social media channels (#ELFFGivingDay). In addition to sharing the Foundation’s social media messages, donors are encouraged to print or take a selfie with the “I Give Because” graphic available at https://www.leasefoundation.org/giving/online/, and share their own reasons why they support the Foundation.