Annual online fundraising campaign benefitting over 100 regional nonprofits this year
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GoodGiving Guide
Now in its third year, the 2013 GoodGiving Guide campaign officially kicks off Nov. 1, with a goal to raise $1 million for 108 regional nonprofits in two short months.
The GoodGiving Guide Challenge begins Nov. 1 at 8 a.m., with a kickoff party taking place at West Sixth Brewing from 3-6 p.m. that day.
The campaign was initiated in 2011 by Smiley Pete Publishing (this magazine’s parent company) and the Blue Grass Community Foundation, as a means to educate the community about the work of local nonprofits, and encourage and facilitate community giving. Utilizing a centralized, user-friendly website, where even the most tech-frustrated donor can learn about participating nonprofits and move quickly and easily to donate, the challenge makes a special effort to target first-time givers and other demographics that might not be the usual suspects when it comes to philanthropic giving.
“The thing we loved when we first heard of this model was how it utilized all the tools we already knew in our business — that is, making publications, building websites, email marketing and social media. We do this work every day,” said Smiley Pete Publishing co-owner Chuck Creacy. “With the fundraising expertise of the Blue Grass Community Foundation, we felt equipped to take on and succeed with such a project.”
Starting with a goal of $100,000, the initiative brought in $205,000 for 58 nonprofits in its first year. The campaign more than doubled that amount in 2012, raising $586,000 from 4,106 donations, coupled with matching and challenge grants that were established with the help of local business to bolster individual gifts.
“The contributions of those challenge grant sponsors make the difference between lemonade-stand giving and real game-changing giving,” said Lisa Adkins, president and CEO of the Blue Grass Community Foundation, which has helped secure more than $450,000 in matching grants this year already from family charitable funds at the Foundation along with individual and corporate sponsors. The Knight Foundation, Clark County Community Foundation and Boyle County Community Fund have also offered significant nonprofit challenges and matching pools for this year’s campaign.
“With this kind of starting boost, we expect to not only meet but exceed our $1 million goal on behalf of the 108 participating nonprofits,” Adkins said.