Excitement is building in Palm Beach County for the Great Give on May 6. The 24-hour online giving event is designed to raise as much money as possible for local nonprofits in a single day (midnight until 11:59 p.m.).
Hosted by the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties and the United Way of Palm Beach County, this countywide event will celebrate the spirit of giving and collective effort it takes to strengthen the community. There are more than 220 nonprofits in Palm Beach and Martin counties registered to participate in the Great Give.
Anyone can make a secure donation of $10 or more to the charity of their choice on May 6 by visiting www.greatgivepbc.org. Every local gift will be multiplied with bonus funds being raised by the Community Foundation. The partners recently announced they have already raised $450,000 in bonus funds.
“Thanks to the generosity of our donors and community partners, we’re thrilled to announce such a significant bonus pool that will directly benefit our local nonprofits in a lasting way,” said Brad Hurlburt, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “We’re hoping to grow this total even more before May 6, and there will also be an opportunity for the general public to contribute to the bonus pool on event day. If you don’t know which charity to give to, you can donate to the bonus pool and ultimately help all the participating nonprofits.”
Bonus pool sponsors include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fund of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Fortin Foundation of Florida, the Quantum Foundation, the Palm Healthcare Foundation, the Lawrence A. Sanders Foundation, the Martin County Community Foundation and several other Community Foundation fundholders and anonymous donors. The bonus pool funds will be distributed after May 6 and will be based on the percentage of the total raised on that day.
“Our nonprofit partners are definitely getting excited about the Great Give,” said Dr. Laurie George, president and CEO of the United Way of Palm Beach County. “Many are being creative in the ways they are marketing their participation, including building match challenges and offering incentives to their volunteers who refer donors on that day. The more money a nonprofit raises, the more bonus money they will receive, so the possibilities are great.”
Additionally, nonprofits will have the chance to win cash prizes as they reach milestones throughout the 24-hour event, ranging from $750 to the organization that generates the most tweets using #GreatGive, to $1,000 to the organization that raises the most donations during specific hours. These opportunities will keep the Great Give fast-paced and exciting, while enabling local nonprofits to increase their overall totals, ultimately benefitting the residents their programs serve.
Sponsors for this year’s Great Give include Give Local America, Northern Trust, Publix, Modernizing Medicine, WPTV NewsChannel 5, Comcast, WXEL, WLRN, Palm Beach Broadcasting, Coast 101.3, Florida Weekly, The Stuart News, Green Advertising, Ackerman Link & Sartory, First Bank of the Palm Beaches, Hays Companies, PNC Bank and FP&L.
Special events for the general public are being planned around the county on May 6. Follow #GreatGive on social media for updates. Learn more at www.yourcommunityfoundation.org or www.unitedwaypbc.org.
