November 28, 2017
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, nonprofits in North Carolina are hoping you have a little left in your wallet for #GivingTuesday.
The celebration of generosity was created five years ago and this year alone has already raised almost $200 million. While individual nonprofits are hoping to raise funds today, increasingly more of them are working together to create awareness.
SHARE Charlotte began in 2014 as an effort to help nonprofits in their area take advantage of the #GivingTuesday platform, says Kelly Brooks, the organization’s founder and executive director.
“We were trying to figure out how we could support our local nonprofits to make a bigger impact, collectively,” she explains. “We build really a marketing structure for them, website, graphics, we give them an A to Z toolkit of how to run this campaign.”
Last year, 174 nonprofits participated in SHARE Charlotte, raising more than $7 million and making it the largest community campaign in #GivingTuesday’s history. This year, 235 groups are participating, and use the organization’s social media tools and other mechanisms to get the word out.
Brooks says while financial support is important, pledging your time today for a community project is also valuable, with volunteer time valued at $23 an hour in the Tar Heel state.
“Our campaign is really about meeting people where they are in their own philanthropy, so while cash is a very important piece of the puzzle for nonprofits, we also allow people to give through pledging or serving volunteer time,” she adds.
Organizations in 98 countries participate in #GivingTuesday. The day began in response to the popularity of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, in an effort to encourage consumers to set aside funds for nonprofits.
VIA PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE
