Business Lexington
Lexington, KY - Just five days into its more than two month run, the GoodGiving Guide Challenge 2011 created by 's parent company Smiley Pete Publishing and the Blue Grass Community Foundation is nearing the halfway point of reaching its goal to raise $100,000 for local non-profits.

As of 10:15 Tuesday morning, the website www.goodgivingguide.net had received 667 gifts totaling $40,509. The Bluegrass Council Boy Scouts of America is leading in the number of gifts with 83 and it's total of $2,925 is second to the $4,945 total to the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence that has seen 64 people give.
As of Tuesday morning all but two of the 58 non-profits participating had received contributions. In addition to offering non-profits training to learn effective ways to communicate about the Challenge within their networks, a printed guide has been produced and is being distributed in Smiley Pete Publishing's products.
There are incentives for matching and bonuses for the non-profits, while the challenge also provides incentives for those who donate to gain. Prizes will be awarded weekly to those who give.
The Challenge runs through Dec. 31 and is based on a project started by Willamette Week in Portland that has raised millions of dollars for their local non-profit community since it launched.