MANSFIELD — As north central Ohio families gather for Thanksgiving weekend it seems a fitting time to look around the community and take stock.
Generosity is in strong supply in this region. We see it constantly in various ways, Day of Giving, Sleep Out for the Homeless, the consistent and good work by too many other agencies to list by name. We would surely leave several out that deserve the recognition.
In fact, there are so many local organizations that do such good work and deserve our support it can be hard to sort out what best fits a someone’s personal interest.
That’s where the second annual Richland Gives comes into play.
On Tuesday, Nov. 29, a day has been set aside for Richland Gives, Richland County’s Giving Day. It is a 12-hour online event, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., that provides a simple way to connect donors to the charitable causes they care about most and encourages them to take action.
“We set this up to coincide with the International Giving Tuesdasy that was started in 2008 with the non-profits in New York City,” said Maura Teynor, of the Richland County Foundation. “The idea of Giving Tuesday is to give back to your community however you can, with your time, or by volunteering, lending your expertise or financial support to help here.”
This virtual fundraising effort, hosted by the Richland County Foundation with the help of generous donors and sponsors, will offer local nonprofits a chance to raise thousands of dollars for the benefit of all. last year 65 non-profits participated and the drive raised $67,000.
This year Teynor said 70 non-profits are registered and the goal is to raise $100,000 for them.
Organizers tell us there are three primary goals for the event:
Grow philanthropy in Richland County – bring new donors to our nonprofit organizations.
Grow revenue for nonprofit organizations – create a new funding stream.
Grow supporters – educate the community on the positive impact on their lives because of Richland County’s nonprofit organizations.
How does it work?
The Richland County Foundation will provide toolkits, training sessions, outreach support, mass media and social media coverage to make it easy for nonprofits to participate. Each participating organization will have an individualized web page to promote their cause. This web page can also be used for year-round online fundraising.
“We know people can be a little leery to donate online, so we want to be able to walk them through how to do that safely,” Teynor said.
All donations are tax deductible and irrevocable. Donors will receive a receipt for their gift. The nonprofit will receive contact information for each donor, unless the donor elects to remain anonymous.
How much of the donation will go to the nonprofit?
During Richland Gives, the Razoo Foundation will retain 6.9 percent plus 30 cents per transaction for Razoo Foundation expenses and campaign costs (including credit card transaction costs). Donors have the option to cover these fees during the checkout process, allocating 100 percent of their intended donation to your nonprofit.
The minimum donation for Richland Gives is $5. There is no maximum donation limit. There is no maximum amount an organization may receive during Richland Gives.
Individuals can donate to Richland Gives on their smart phones by visiting www.richlandgives.org to browse the nonprofits participating.
In the days leading up to Richland Gives, donors can make their contribution in advance, while still having it count toward the giving day.
“I just think as people learn about this they will see how easy it is to support the non-profits they are passionate about,” Teynor said.
