Today looks to be very promising for 595 Arkansas nonprofit organizations. Arkansas Gives, a 12-hour fundraising drive, will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude at 8 p.m. Donors may go to arkansasgives.org, select the nonprofit group they wish to support and make a donation.
The drive is sponsored by the Arkansas Community Foundation, which held the inaugural giving event in 2015. Sarah Kinser, foundation vice president of communication strategy, said, that at the conclusion of the event, the foundation will award bonus money totaling $400,000 to all participating organizations proportionately, based on amount raised for the during the 12-hour drive. For example, if an organization raises 10 percent of the total money raised, it will receive 10 percent of the bonus money.
Arkansas Gives
What: Nearly 600 nonprofit organizations will benefit from the 12-hour fundraising drive.
When: 8 a.m. tp 8 p.m. today
Where: arkansasgives.org
Information: (501) 372-1116
Groups that raise the most or have the most number of donations will receive additional prize money.
Kinser said the fundraising goal for the inaugural effort was $1 million, so organizers were pleasantly surprised with the nearly $2 million raised on the day of the first campaign. With bonus money, the 361 participating nonprofits received a total of $2.33 million. The number of participating agencies has nearly doubled this year and with it the fundraising goal set at $4 million.
Participating nonprofit organizations are divided according to category of service. The categories are animal welfare; arts and humanities; community and civic engagement; public and social benefit; economic development; education; environment; faith-based; health; and human services.
-- CARIN SCHOPPMEYER
NAN Our Town on 04/07/2016