An annual online giving campaign designed to make charitable giving easy and fun, the Good Giving Guide Challenge is a partnership between the Bluegrass Community Giving Foundation and Smiley Pete Publishing (the parent company of this publication). Kickoff for the campaign begins Nov. 13 and runs through the end of the year.
“It’s the modern era of fundraising and a great way to educate people about the non-profits that are out there,” said Chuck Creacy, co-owner of Smiley Pete Publishing.
The campaign has grown significantly in the five years since its inception, with the first year raising $210,000 and last year’s campaign raising $1.77 million. Using the online giving platform Razoo will provide improved technology to this year’s campaign, as well as a new feature that allows individual donors to not only donate to various organizations, but to also champion for chosen causes by sharing with friends via social media. The website is mobile friendly, and users can donate using a smartphone.
“A friend started a campaign like this in Portland, Oregon, about 10 years ago,” said Creacy. That campaign turned into an online giving campaign supported by the local community press; today, online giving campaigns are supported by community papers nationwide, giving visibility to hundreds of non-profits that are supported by local businesses. “Smiley Pete is proud to be one of those local community papers,” said Creacy.
This year’s campaign features 100 participating non-profits, including 15 new ones, from all over central and eastern Kentucky. Non-profits cover a wide range of areas, from housing to health care, afterschool youth programs to animal shelters to arts organizations. Information about each non-profit can be found at bggives.org.
The physical guide, where each participating non-profit describes its mission and provides details about current needs, has been inserted in this month’s magazine.
“It’s a great way for families to educate young people about non-profits and teach children why charity is important, which will hopefully lead to a lifetime of giving,” said Creacy.
A minimum donation is $10.
“One of the great things about the campaign is that it’s simple and clean. It doesn’t cost a lot for people to give, and it doesn’t cost a lot for the non-profit compared to a more traditional fundraising event. Volunteers can focus on reaching out to folks instead of hanging decorations,” said Creacy. All donations are tax deductible.
“One of the goals is to encourage non-profits to think differently about online fundraising. Lots of people want to give a little to a variety of causes,” said Creacy. The campaign provided participating non-profits an opportunity to take educational classes on online marketing and fundraising. It also provides them with a lot of visibility, enabling them to cultivate supporters and relationships with those supporters throughout the year.
The money raised through the campaign goes directly to the nonprofits as unrestricted funds, so donors can give with confidence. The Bluegrass Community Foundation ensures that all of the organizations are vetted and fiscally responsible.
“It’s a great way to show support for the community and make the entire community stronger,” said Creacy.
To stay updated, follow the GoodGiving Guide on Twitter @goodgivingguide and on Facebook – facebook.com/goodgivingguide.