Tampa, Fla. (April 19, 2018) – Give Day Tampa Bay on Tuesday, May 1 is a 24-hour, online charitable giving challenge designed to help area nonprofits get much-needed support, and raise awareness of the good work they do in the Tampa Bay community.
From midnight to 11:59 p.m. on May 1, visit GiveDay.org to support causes ranging from education to the environment to animal welfare to the arts to veteran’s affairs to health services. With more than 400 nonprofits registered, anyone can find a nonprofit that’s working to create a better community in an area that matches his passions.
Now in its fifth year, Give Day Tampa Bay has raised nearly $7 million for hundreds of Tampa Bay area nonprofits, and produced several success stories where nonprofits have attracted new donors and surpassed fundraising goals in order to launch new initiatives. A few examples:
• Guardian ad Litem Foundation, which provides advocacy and support services for abused and neglected children in Pinellas and Pasco counties, was introduced to a new donor through Give Day who then became a board member. This person played a pivotal role in securing a major annual gift from a local corporation.
• Meals on Wheels used donations from Give Day to provide hurricane packs to its 800 homebound seniors and residents in Tampa. The hurricane packs include five shelf-stable meals, a gallon of water, a resource guide and a shelter application, and the packs were essential to many during Hurricane Irma in 2017. The organization exceeded its Give Day goal of $10,000, and it used the additional funds to purchase supplies that aided its clients in the weeks after Hurricane Irma.
• Quantum Leap Farm, which provides equine-assisted therapy, exceeded its goal of $25,000 and used the funds for a Warrior Mission: At Ease Retreat. During the retreats, veterans work with horses to navigate obstacles and find solutions for their daily lives. Eight combat military veterans were hosted for the program, which provides highly effective therapies for post-traumatic stress and other invisible wounds of war.
“The new or sustained programs that have a real, positive impact are the reasons that Give Day was created and its fundraising is so successful,” said Marlene Spalten, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. “The collective power of giving can make a major difference in our communities.”
The minimum donation is $5, providing donors the opportunity to give to more than one nonprofit, since donors are often passionate about more than one cause. It’s simple to give during Give Day Tampa Bay. Donors can make a pledge prior to May 1 or make a donation on May 1. Visit www.GiveDay.org to find the nonprofit(s) to support from the list of participating organizations.
Nearly $60,000 from premier sponsor The Brink Foundation and corporate sponsors add to donations from individuals. Nonprofits become eligible for these prizes by securing matching grants, and by demonstrating creativity in fundraising and involving a high number of donors. Online donations made before May 1 to an organization’s page will count toward these prizes.
All donations are tax-deductible and will remain in the Tampa Bay area. Nonprofits from Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties have registered to participate in Give Day this year. All of the money donated on Give Day – less a small credit card processing fee – will be given to the nonprofit for which it is intended. The Community Foundation does not keep any money donated on Give Day.
WEDU PBS will once again broadcast eight hours of live coverage on Give Day that highlights the nonprofit community with interviews, presentations and demonstrations. Viewers can tune in to the live stream on wedu.org and giveday.org from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 1 or watch the televised broadcast on WEDQ.
About Give Day Tampa Bay
Give Day Tampa Bay is a 24-hour online giving challenge designed to help Tampa Bay area nonprofits get much needed support and raise awareness for the good work they do in the community. Hosted by the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, Give Day returns May 1, 2018 with the opportunity to donate to hundreds of nonprofits operating across Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. Now in its fifth year, nearly $7 million has been raised for local nonprofits, and that money has stayed right here in the Tampa Bay area.
About the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay
Founded in 1990, the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay connects donors, nonprofits, community and business leaders, professional advisors, volunteers and residents to make the maximum positive impact in the Tampa Bay region. For more than 25 years, the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay has been dedicated to making giving easy and meaningful for donors as a way to strengthen nonprofit organizations and build a better, more vibrant community. Since its inception, its donors have enabled the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay to award more than $190 million in grants to nonprofit organizations across the country.