The theme of the fifth annual Give More 24!, Southwest Washington’s unofficial giving holiday, is “empower in numbers.”
“It’s that idea that one person can make a difference, but 100 people can make a lasting impact,” said Maury Harris, spokesman for the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, the event’s host.
This Thursday, 153 local nonprofits will try to raise as much funds as they can in a single day. The goal is to raise $1.2 million for regional charities from at least 4,000 donors. Most people make multiple gifts, so Harris anticipates they’ll see about 6,000 total gifts.
Given this year’s theme, it is a happy coincidence that the new platform the foundation will use to collect donations on Thursday allows donors for the first time to create their own peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. This type of fundraising plays off of the idea that people can be more successful helping a cause that’s close to their heart if they get their friends and family involved. And, peer pressure can be a pretty helpful incentive to do good.
You can help
What: Give More 24!, the region’s unofficial giving holiday.
When: 12:01 a.m. to midnight Thursday.
Where: Events are taking place around Clark County, but donations are done online at www.givemore24.org.
Why: Donations are maximized by matching gifts and prizes that nonprofits can win.
“That’s kind of what drives this day — those personal connections,” Harris said. “You kind of know who aligns with your values, passions and interests.”
Peer-to-peer fundraisers allow people to have a larger impact by making charitable giving a collective effort. Although these fundraisers have been around for a while, they’ve taken on a new life online. Facebook launched birthday fundraisers last year where people solicit donations for their favorite charity instead of presents. Last month, on the one-year anniversary of the feature, Facebook said people raised over $300 million for nonprofits.
Harris said the new peer-to-peer feature will be helpful in reaching this year’s Give More 24! goals. GiveGab, the nonprofit giving platform powering Give More 24!’s website, said its springtime charitable campaigns that used this technique raised 330 percent more overall than campaigns that didn’t.
Craig Riley, a strong supporter of Open House Ministries, is holding a fundraiser with a $5,000 goal that his company HealthCare Options NW intends to match.
Judy McMorine, the development director for Open House, a faith-based homeless service provider in Vancouver, invited supporters to start their own peer-to-peer fundraisers.
“That concept really attracted me,” Riley said. “You’re not twisting anybody’s arm.”
It’s a way to reach out to friends, family and whoever else to let them know what you’re passionate about without being obnoxious, he said.
Cliff Anderson is also trying out the peer-to-peer feature with the goal of raising $150 for Columbia Springs, an environmental education center and natural area.
“Columbia Springs is one of my favorite organizations. I love volunteering and visiting there,” he said.
His favorite thing is volunteering when grade-school students visit as part of their science curriculum — typically to learn about bugs and their role in the local ecosystem. Anderson said he’s keeping his fingers crossed that he’ll be successful raising money.
The Community Foundation is covering the cost of using GiveGab to maximize donor gifts.
Besides having a new online giving platform and peer-to-peer fundraising, there are a few other additions and changes to Give More 24!. The minimum donation amount was lowered from $10 to $5. Donors can choose to cover the transaction fees associated with their donations, which, Harris said, are lower than the fees many nonprofits have on their own websites.
Social media plays a bigger role this year. After people make a donation, the website will ask them if they want to tell their friends and families about it on Twitter or Facebook.
There are over $500,000 in matching funds available that charities can get if they reach certain fundraising goals. (That’s more than the total amount raised in 2014 during the inaugural Give More 24!, which was about $426,000.)
On Thursday, the Community Foundation is kicking off the day with a rally in Esther Short Park. Donuts, coffee and music and an early-morning dance-a-thon will get people energized about giving. The park will be used by other nonprofits throughout the day. People will swing on the swing set for the Parks Foundation of Clark County, Camp Hope of Southwest Washington designed a challenge course and Columbia River Mental Health Foundation will hold movement, breathing and meditation classes.
Businesses have gotten more involved in Give More 24! over the years. For instance, Columbia Bank will offer customers a chance to win more money for their favorite charity, and Heathen Brewing Feral Public House will host a cornhole tournament to drive donations.
As usual, nonprofits can win $1,000 prizes at various intervals during the day. Charities often strategize over which prize to try and win.
What makes Give More 24! successful, Harris said, is when people spread the word to their social networks: their friends, family, acquaintances and co-workers.
The Columbian is a media sponsor of Give More 24!.
