MANSFIELD, Ohio – It’s just one day, it coincides with the International Day of Giving, and it’s today. It’s Tuesday, Dec. 1 and Richland Gives 2015 has launched for 12 hours of community giving.
The goal is to encourage charitable donations through an online platform. There are at least 65 nonprofit organizations to donate to through the Richland Gives website for just those 12 hours.
The Richland County Foundation launched Richland Gives for #GivingTuesday.
“It’s the Tuesday after Thanksgiving because Giving Tuesday is an international day of giving and it was started in 2012 by the United Nations Foundation and 92nd Street Y, which is a nonprofit based in New York City, said Maura Teynor, director of donor services and communications at the Richland County Foundation.
“Their premise was, ‘OK, we get all caught up in Thanksgiving and Black Friday and Cyber Monday—everybody is spending money. But what do we do on Tuesday? Tuesday you’re supposed to give back to your community.”
Richland Gives begins at 7 a.m. and continues until 7 p.m. on Dec. 1. Anyone wishing to donate to a local nonprofit organization in Richland County can visit RichlandGives.org to make a donation. The donation can only be made on the website with either a credit or debit card.
The foundation will also host visitors from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. if donors need help getting online to make their contributions or would like to socialize. The foundation is located at 181 S. Main St., Mansfield.
The goal is to raise a combined $500,000 for local nonprofits.
“The idea of it is, make your community stronger—give back to your community,” Teynor said. “That also dovetails into year-end giving. If people do have the capacity to give, they can deduct it from their income taxes.”
The Richland County Foundation will offer cash prizes to encourage nonprofit and donor participation on the day of the event and the minimum donation is $10. “Whichever small and large nonprofit raises the most money on that day will get a $1,500 prize,” said Teynor. “Second place will get $500 and $250 for third.”
There will also be three designated “golden hours” during Richland Gives where nonprofits will have a chance to win an extra prize – a 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. early bird hour, a 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. afternoon delight and a 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. power hour.
“The nonprofit, regardless of size, that engages the most unique donors during those hours can win $500. So there is incentive there,” said Teynor.
To participate in Richland Gives on Dec. 1, visit RichlandGives.org, where the foundation answers many questions about how to donate. And according to Teynor, all nonprofits will receive their donations from Richland Gives by Jan 10.
