MANSFIELD, Ohio – Local nonprofits will start the new year with a boost thanks to a marathon fundraising event hosted by the Richland County Foundation.
On Dec. 1 the Foundation will host Richland Gives, a 12-hour day of giving with the goal of encouraging charitable donations through an online platform. According to Maura Teynor, director of donor services and communications at the Foundation, the idea for Richland Gives came from the international “Day of Giving” on the Tuesday after Black Friday.
“Everybody’s spending money on all these things, so what do you do on that Tuesday? On that Tuesday you give back to your community,” said Teynor. “All nonprofits in this community would tell you they need more money, so this is one day for us to collectively put our energy, our money and our excitement to build our nonprofits financially.”
From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Dec. 1, anyone can visit RichlandGives.org to make a monetary donation to a local nonprofit of their choice. Any individual may donate no matter where they live in the country, and donations are 100 percent tax deductible.
Brady Groves, president of the Richland County Foundation, said with the online platform the Foundation hopes to raise awareness of an entirely new way to give.
“Folks of the younger demographic have a different way of interacting with the world – you can get around in life simply with your phone,” said Groves. “So why not create opportunities for philanthropy for those people who interact with the world through a phone or tablet?
“We’re creating awareness through a different lens.”
Teynor agreed, noting anyone is welcome to donate in any capacity.
“I think millennials like to give but don’t necessarily know how to give,” she said. “And you don’t have to have thousands of dollars, you can support a nonprofit with what you’re able to give.”
Currently there are 65 local nonprofits participating in Richland Gives, and that’s just the tip of the nonprofit iceberg – Teynor said there are close to 400 nonprofit organizations in Richland County. The goals of the day are to build capacity, grow philanthropy and make the community stronger.
“There’s a need in Richland County,” said Groves. “We did $4.2 million in grants last year – that money is only as impactful as the organizations delivering those services. So if we can make those organizations stronger through helping them learn how to be a better organization and by being financially sound, it makes what we do more impactful.”
In the short term, Teynor said all nonprofits will receive their donations from Richland Gives by Jan 10. In the long term, those nonprofits will now have a new pool of donors to draw from as well as an online platform to accept donations, something many did not have previously.
Groves noted the Richland County Foundation is investing in RichlandGives.org as a platform to deliver donations to nonprofits, and the Foundation will not benefit financially at all from Richland Gives.
“We are truly investing in nonprofits,” said Groves. “It creates an awareness of not only nonprofits but of what we do as a philanthropic organization. The Foundation makes grants and works with donors, but we can also be a mechanism to create opportunities to support the nonprofits. It really falls in line with our role as a collaborator.”
The monetary goal of Richland Gives is to raise half a million dollars to support Richland County’s nonprofit organizations. Beyond that, Teynor and Groves said they hope to raise more awareness in the community of the great work being done by local nonprofits.
“I would imagine some of these nonprofits have gone to the same donors with the same techniques for years, this opens them up to a whole new generation of donors,” said Groves.
“We’re not that large of a county, but we have generous people,” added Teynor. “Perhaps donors who are not aware they can support these various nonprofits will open their eyes to what’s being done in the county.”
To participate in Richland Gives on Dec. 1, visit RichlandGives.org and see the attached article at left.
