The Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County’s annual Give4Marion event raises money for nonprofit organizations and includes special challenges and prizes.
This month, the Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County’s Give4Marion event turns five. The annual giving event has raised more than $3 million for Marion County’s nonprofit organizations through a mixture of online/offline donations, prizes and donor matches.
This year’s Give4Marion will be from 10am Tuesday, September 17th, to 7pm Wednesday, September 18th.
Based on the giving day format held by other community foundations across the nation, Give4Marion started as a 24-hour, online fundraiser intended to help nonprofits recoup some of their lost revenue resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many nonprofits were forced to cancel events due to restrictions and economic uncertainty during what is traditionally a time for year-end fundraising.
Since then, Give4Marion has grown into so much more, raising funds and bringing awareness to the county’s various nonprofits, helping connect them to new donors and volunteers and strengthening their relationship with the community.
“When I joined the community foundation, a lot of the groundwork for Give4Marion had already been laid,” said Director of Strategic Engagement Ashley Gerds. “We saw an enormous amount of potential to keep growing and make the impact greater and more widespread.”
Give4Marion makes giving more accessible by bringing the process online. Donors can give as little as $10 in a single convenient location, 3, where each participating nonprofit is listed and is able to receive donations. Nonprofits create their own unique webpage, often asking donors for amounts such as “$50 to buy a pair of work shoes for homeless veterans” or “$75 to administer a child’s therapy program.” These descriptions help donors understand where their money is going and, more importantly, how their support will make a difference. The nonprofit receives 100% of the donation.
Of the 5,854 total donations made last year, about 48% were for $50 or less, with many at the minimum amount of $10. This allows people to give regardless of their financial ability. With prizes and donor matching, these small donations can add up to something much greater.
“That was definitely our goal,” Gerds said. “I think about people who have benefited from an organization wanting the opportunity to give back [to that organization]. The donation levels make sure that it’s not geared toward any one type of donor.”
Of course, there are certainly some large contributions, as well as support from for-profit businesses. One special donor made a single contribution of $15,000 last year, the most in Give4Marion history for an online donation. Many businesses and donors commit large amounts as well, which are used to create bonus prizes. Other businesses have offered to give their customers free items in exchange for donating to any nonprofit.
Throughout the day, bonuses are awarded to nonprofits in the form of Power Hour prizes. Each hour issues a different challenge, such as most donors, most donations, social media challenges or random drawings. These prizes are intended to incentivize creativity and competition among the nonprofits, making sure everyone is working to maximize their reach.
Additionally, there are several Matching Moments, special short bursts of activity where donations are matched dollar-for-dollar by a single donor, sometimes at even double and triple the amount. Matches can range between $5,000 to $25,000 in total. During these matches, such as at the nonprofit luncheon and at the celebration party, nonprofits rush to get donors to give as soon as it starts, as the money goes quickly.
“We tell everyone to be ready before the clock starts,” Gerds said. “Be on a stable Wi-Fi connection, timed to the ‘world clock’ and ready to hit send as soon as it begins.”
During Matching Moments, the donations come pouring in. Even with a limit of $100 per match, the entire amount is usually depleted within minutes.
Beginning at 10am on Tuesday, September 17th, Give4Marion will run for 33-hour consecutive hours, through the evening and into the following day, culminating in a celebration party for nonprofits and guests to commemorate their hard work and make a final push for donations. Then, the final totals will be tallied up and the last of the prizes will be awarded. Large and small nonprofits are categorized separately and the top nonprofit in each category receives a bonus, as does the overall leaderboard winner and the top “peer-to-peer” fundraiser. The donation portal will remain open for 48 hours after the event ends.
Give4Marion has grown from raising a total of $310,000 for 81 nonprofits in year one, to last year breaking $1 million for the first time. Altogether, the event raised a total of $1,427,333.47 in just two days, for 103 participating nonprofits, thanks to the contributions of 3,923 unique donors.
Many individual nonprofits have raised substantial amounts thanks to their extraordinary efforts.
“This event wouldn’t be possible if not for the nonprofits,” said Gerds. “They are the lifeblood of this community, and it just goes to show how above-and-beyond they work.” OS
To learn more, go to give4marion.org
