In just three years, the annual online giving event Georgia Gives Day has raised more than $5.1 million for Georgia nonprofits and engaged a broad coalition of corporations and foundations in supporting charitable work in Georgia.
The event provides a significant opportunity for coastal Georgia nonprofits, as well as for businesses interested in increasing their community philanthropy and visibility.
Begun in 2012 by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, Georgia Gives targets only Georgia nonprofits in its fundraising and draws significant attention to the importance of nonprofits in our communities.
Georgia corporations and foundations help to drive Georgia Gives as an effective way to support to Georgia nonprofits. They provide significant annual incentives and prizes to fuel the giving.
This year, Georgia Gives Day is Nov. 12. Organizations in our area are advised to start preparing for the 24-hour giving marathon to gain the maximum benefit. The center for nonprofits and Georgia Gives provide a wide range of resources to help both nonprofits and businesses to prepare for the event.
Businesses can see the steps and benefits of participation at gagivesday.org/c/GGD/p/faqcorporate. Engaging your employees, customers and nonprofit partners in this event is a worthwhile way to build morale and teamwork, give back to your community and enhance goodwill toward your organization.
The largest donations go to those who have spent time in planning and outreach to gain the attention of potential donors. This summer, Georgia Gives Day and the center for nonprofits will announce free webinars to get nonprofits up to speed for the event.
But online resources can be accessed now, including FAQs, information on how to build a profile page on the Georgia Gives website, webinars on the use of email campaigns and
leveraging year-end and challenge gifts, reasonably priced advertising programs you can employ and examples of creative campaign successes.
With its strong interest in helping coastal Georgia nonprofits, the center for nonprofits has promoted Georgia Gives Day extensively in our area.
To date, however, many coastal Georgia nonprofits have not taken advantage of this outstanding fundraising event. A few of those participating in our area have raised as much as $40,000.
Many nonprofits who take part each year see their donations rise significantly as they get better at promoting their causes to the donor community. And the only cost of participation is the standard two to four percent fees for donations that come in via credit card.
Online registration for Georgia Gives Day has just opened. If you’re short on time to put into developing a campaign, now is a good time to recruit one or two energetic, savvy volunteers to build your program.
An exploratory visit to the Georgia Gives and nonprofit center websites is a must. You’ll find many resources to help with your Georgia Gives fundraising, excellent information for potential donors and quick links to the most requested information about Georgia Gives.
Success stories are also posted to inspire you to get started.
Whether your organization is a nonprofit or a for-profit, I hope 2015 will be the year you join this exciting and proven online fundraising campaign.
Sarah Todd Clark is founder of Calhoun Enterprises, a resource for positive social change encompassing fundraising and organization development consulting. She can be reached at calhounent@gmail.com or 912-224-2120.
By Sarah Todd Clark