Nearly 940 nonprofit agencies stand to collectively gain in today's Arkansas Gives 12-hour fundraising drive. The third and final Arkansas Community Foundation campaign is set to kick off at 8 a.m. The inaugural drive in 2015 saw 361 participating Arkansas charities gain $2.33 million to fulfill their missions. This year's goal is $5 million. Donors can go to arkansasgives.org, select the nonprofit group they wish to support and make a donation.
Lea Whitlock, communications director for the foundation, said the campaign wasn't designed as a long-term project, but had specific goals to "support the nonprofit sector in Arkansas and increase their understanding of online space for fundraising.
Arkansas Gives
What: Nearly 940 nonprofit organizations will benefit from the 12-hour online fundraising drive.
When: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today
Where: arkansasgives.org
Information: (501) 372-1116
"Arkansas Community Foundation is providing a pool of $400,000 bonus dollars that will be shared proportionally among all participating nonprofits," Whitlock, continued. "If, for example, a nonprofit raises 1 percent of the total that comes in on the big day, the organization would receive 1 percent of the $400,000 bonus dollars."
First Security Bank will award additional cash prizes to the nonprofit organizations that raise the most money and recruit the most individual donors in their size categories. Jane Hunt Meade will award a $1,000 cash prize for the nonprofits that raise the most dollars in their category of service.
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 04/06/2017