A day to give, to receive, and to reflect

How do you define “nonprofit?” It’s something of a Rorschach test. Your response might reflect personal or political interests. It might reveal a love of dogs, or music, or dance. It could mean something deeper. Thoughts of nonprofits that serve our neediest neighbors can measure that most precious of human characteristics — empathy.

Defining empathy is like defining “human.” There are too many different brands of people to contain the word in a definition.

Giving Day — Thursday, Feb. 27 — opens a window to a 24-hour view of area nonprofits as a collective. Yes, they compete during the online (www.fcgives.org) fundraising marathon against one another for prizes, but they also unite for one day to form a picture of Connecticut.

Scroll through the 389 nonprofits and consider that bigger picture.

You might not consider nonprofits part of your life. But maybe you’ve spent time revisiting your own inner child while taking your own son or daughter to “The Great Green Room” from “Goodnight Moon” in the Connecticut Children’s Museum in New Haven.

Or considered the planets surrounding the moon at the Discovery Museum’s planetarium in Bridgeport.

You may enjoy live music from the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, or Bethel Jazz, or the Ridgefield Chorale. Or take in shows at Curtain Call in Stamford. Or spent decades watching Connecticut Ballet teach the art form to new generations of dancers.

If you favor the company of animals, virtually every community has related services, including the Pet Animal Welfare Society of CT in Norwalk and Kitten Associates in Newtown.

We often take for granted that we are a coastal state with a waterfront that relies on nonprofits such as SoundWaters in Stamford and Save the Sound in New Haven.

For many people, of course, “nonprofit” reflexively summons thoughts of services for residents at the lowest end of the widest wealth gap in the nation. Thankfully, each community offers services to meet these needs, including Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Family Centers in Greenwich, Person-to-Person in

Darien, United Way of Western Connecticut in Danbury or the Connection in Middletown.

Your interests in nonprofits might be more topical. You may lean toward supporting the newest state residents through the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants in Bridgeport, Waterbury and Stamford.

Or, given the landmark conviction of movie power broker Harvey Weinstein on sexual assault charges this week, your thoughts may turn to agencies such as the Rowan Center, which serves victims in lower Fairfield County. Different headlines, those concerning Jennifer Dulos, may draw you to any of the many agencies serving domestic violence victims. Or the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury, which provides both services.

There is so much more among these 389 agencies seeking your support Thursday, including ones helping veterans, seniors and victims of disasters. We can’t make the choice for you, but we can promise that among them are missions that will resonate.

These are the choices that define humans.

Defining empathy is like defining “human.” There are too many different brands of people to contain the word in a definition.