When the Midland Area Community Foundation launched Give Local Midland in 2014, we weren’t sure what to expect. A 24-hour online fundraising campaign was new territory.
That first year, $157,000 was raised. The next year, $216,000. Altogether since 2014, over $1 million has gone to local causes thanks to Give Local Midland. We’re proud to bring the 24-hour fundraising event back for the sixth year. Want to get involved? Here are four things you should know:
All donations go to nonprofit endowment funds
What’s an endowment fund? In short, it means the money will be invested, grow, and be used for future projects/expenses. Your community foundation holds over 70 agency endowment funds, and they have each been invited to participate in Give Local Midland. They all agree that while they can and should continue to focus on fundraising for today’s needs, taking one day out of the year to fundraise for tomorrow’s needs is a worthwhile endeavor.
When you donate on May 7th, 100% of your gift (plus matching funds!) goes to the endowment fund of your chosen nonprofit. And just like your retirement account, those funds will be invested, grow, and be utilized in the future. We think that’s pretty cool.
The fundraising lasts for 24 hours and is kind-of sort-of online-only
From 12:00am to 11:59:59pm on May 7th, you can head to givelocalmidland.org to quickly and easily donate online to your favorite nonprofits. 95% of gifts come in through the website, but if you’re part of that 5% who doesn’t like the idea of donating online, you can stop by the Midland Area Community Foundation office (76 Ashman Circle) to donate via cash, check or charge card. We’re open from 8am – 5pm and will have donation stations set up and ready to go. All donations, online or in-person, have to come in on May 7th.
Your gift is partially matched by a $65k+ pool
Each year, the Midland Area Community Foundation and several donor-advised fundholders provide a matching pool to incentivize donations. Here’s how it works: each participating nonprofit is competing for a percentage of the $65,000 pool. We match the percentage of the pool with the total percentage each nonprofit raised for the day. So if Give Local Midland raises $100,000 in total, and Nonprofit X raised $10,000 of that, they’ll receive 10% of the matching pool, or an additional $6,500.
What does this mean for you, the donor? Looking at five years of data, it has averaged out to about $.40 added to each dollar you donate!
This year, you can do more than just donate
Last year, we reached an agreement with a new vendor to power our giving day website. As part of the change, we now have the ability to allow peer-to-peer giving. What does this mean for you? If you see a particular nonprofit listed at givelocalmidland.org that you want to help get more donations, you can become an online advocate for them! While on their page, just click the “Fundraise” button and follow the on-screen instructions. You can set a monetary goal and you’ll be provided with materials to share with your social network, encouraging others to give back.
We hope you’ll join us and give where you live on May 7th!