Betsy Covington, executive director of the Community Foundation of Columbus, said she is glad that Georgia Gives Day that was held Dec. 6 will be an annual event.
"It is a wonderful way to help agencies that help people in the community," she said.
The first annual Georgia Gives Day was a resounding success, generating state-wide contributions of $782,225 during a 24-hour flash mob of giving, Covington said.
Locally, supporters made 1,474 contributions to Chattahoochee Valley organizations totaling $82,942 – 11 percent of the state-wide total.
Covington added that an additional 401 contributions totaling $45,789 were made to state-wide organizations that identify themselves as doing work in the Chattahoochee Valley area.
The mission of Georgia Gives Day is to inspire individuals to donate to participating nonprofits with the goal of raising as much money as possible within a 24-hour period. GAgivesday.org makes donating easy by organizing hundreds of nonprofits across the state onto one website, providing the information people need to select a cause or charity of their choice, and enabling online donations by credit card or e-check.
“We’re so pleased with the generosity that folks showed on this first-ever Georgia Gives Day,” Covington commented. “Donations like this add up quickly and help provide meals for the needy, shelter for homeless animals, free museum exhibitions and medical care for the uninsured. People can use www.GAgives.org to quickly and easily “give back” to causes that they are passionate about.”
The Community Foundation awarded $20,000 in Matching Funds
To sweeten the deal for the first Georgia Gives Day, the Community Foundation promised $20,000 of matching funds to encourage participation among Columbus nonprofits. The money will be distributed in $2,500 grants to the eight Columbus organizations that attracted the largest number of distinct donors during the day.
The local winners of the $2,500 grants are:
Calvary Christian School of Columbus, GA, Inc. The Columbus Habitat for Humanity Endowment Fund at the Community Foundation The Columbus Museum, Inc. Columbus Regional Tennis Association (CORTA) MercyMed of Columbus The National Infantry Foundation Open Door Community House, Inc. PAWS Humane, Inc.
The John S. & James L. Knight Foundation underwrote the matching effort as a way to encourage the use of new technologies to inform and engage citizens in its 26 national Knight Communities.
