In less than 24 hours, Give STL Day will kick off across the region in support of hundreds of nonprofit organizations.
“From animal causes to social justice organizations, there is a nonprofit that fits every interest or passion,” said Neosha Franklin, St. Louis Community Foundation’s director of communications.
“We like to say, ‘Give to an organization you know, one you would like to know, and one you’ve never heard of!’”
From midnight to midnight, beginning Thursday, May 5, the proceeds from the designated 24-hour day of giving support a long list of organizations whose missions range from the arts, to education, human services, the environment, social justice, animal welfare and more.
The event, presented by the Berges Family Foundation and powered by the St. Louis Community Foundation, began in 2014. It has since raised almost $22 million for thousands of local nonprofits.
“Last year, we raised nearly $4.5 million,” Franklin said. “All that’s required is a credit or debit card and a visit to GiveSTLDay.org, where you can donate $10 or more to one or several charities that do so much for our region.”
For instance, a $25 donation to Rebuilding Together St. Louis provides a family’s home with a smoke or carbon monoxide detector; $30 to Immigrant Home English Learning Program helps pay for textbooks for a student; $40 to Senior Services Plus, Inc. buys two weeks of home-delivered meals for an elderly resident.
There are approximately 1,100 nonprofits participating this year, according to Franklin, who adds the organizations were encouraged to attend free training sessions to help them get the word out, engage their donors, and maximize donations by using social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter.
“Individuals are conducting fundraisers for their favorite organizations, while the nonprofits themselves are mobilizing their donors through messages on social media and other means,” she explained, noting that donors can see a list of participating organizations or monitor the day’s progress by checking the leaderboard on the Give STL Day website. “They’ve done a great job, which means this Thursday, May 5, is going to be a great day.”
Franklin adds the region’s nonprofits are still struggling to recover from pandemic-related impacts on fundraising activities and budgets.
“There’s a feel-good quality that comes from pulling together and supporting local organizations … it really is a day for our community to rally around our nonprofits,” Franklin said.
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