[UPDATE 11-19-09: On Tuesday, nearly 40,000 donors raised more than $14 million for 3,434 Minnesota charities. Impressive! Second Harvest Heartland had that most donors with more than 1,200.]
Minnesota has been lauded several times over in years past as one of the top states for charitable giving, and according to the Star Tribune, we give more than $3 billion to nonprofit groups every year. This fall our giving opportunities were taken to the Web with GiveMN, an opportunity for Minnesotans to easily and quickly give online. Earlier this month the Strib wrote about GiveMN and how, while online giving still only accounts for about 1 percent of all donations, it's most likely the way things are headed. We do everything online, why not donate?
While I was at the Brave New Workshop, our fabulous local nonprofit improv theater, on Friday night for a performance, I learned tomorrow, Nov. 17, is a BIG day for GiveMN. Every donation made tomorrow (from 8 a.m. Tuesday to 8 a.m. Wednesday) on the Web site will be matched, up to $500,000 (courtesy of The Saint Paul Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation and Bush Foundation).
The Web site is slick to use. You can search for a specific charity - besides Brave New Workshop, I've already received press releases from Clare Housing and the James J Hill Library asking to be thought of tomorrow - or just search for a type of charity, if don't have a specific nonprofit in mind. And all the money goes to Minnesota charities.
With a minimum credit card donation of just $10, how can you say no? 'Tis the season.
-- Amanda Fretheim Gates
Managing Editor
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