Lowcountry Giving Day open to all 501(c)3 nonprofits

The third Lowcountry Giving Day (May 3) has over 150 nonprofits signed up with several weeks of registration remaining, creating optimism for a bigger event than a year ago when 170 nonprofits participated. The 2015 event raised over $6.7 million.

Monica Tanouye of Coastal Community Foundation feels LGD 16 is on track to have more nonprofit participation, donors and gifts. Coastal Community Foundation ran the first two LGDs and has a sponsorship contract with Bidr, a Charleston technology firm, to run the May 3 event .

The focus is on Lowcountry unity; Bidr founder Sam Staley says in an announcement “we are placing great emphasis this year on united community involvement through the use of Catalysts to spur local giving.” Employers, merchants or individuals may be Catalysts, matching employee donations, having “giveaways for participants and matching donations to specific nonprofits they choose.”

The Waccamaw Community Foundation and the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation are affiliates of Coastal Community Foundation, which covers nine S.C. counties including Georgetown and Horry. Any nonprofit in the nine counties may register.

The Bunnelle Foundation of Pawleys Island again is putting up $150,000 in matching grant money. Executive director Geales Sands says for LGD 16, Bunnelle has qualified 22 Georgetown County nonprofits and will match up to $7,500, dollar-for-dollar. If Freedom Readers, one of the 22 nonprofits, raises $5,000 on May 3, the Bunnelle check will be for $5,000. Should Miss Ruby’s Kids raise $10,000, the Bunnelle check will be $7,500.

It’s expected that some of the Georgetown County nonprofits will raise less than $7,500 in May, but not to worry if they all reach $7,500 – Bunnelle, as always, will write the checks. For the 2015 event, Bunnelle matched up to $10,000 for 15 nonprofits, so the total number of participating nonprofits is higher for LGD 16.

Lowcountry Giving Day “very much is a social media event,” Sands notes. “It’s not just about money, it’s about spreading the word about the good work these folks do. The big deal is they get their name and message out to a broader audience.”

Last year, the Lowcountry event was one of the top five in the nation. Bidr has added “text-to-give” – another fundraising twist of social media. The Bidr website also has allows instant crediting of donations to the nonprofit’s bank account, rather than waiting for a check from Coastal Community.

In announcing its agreement with Bidr, CCF said “a custom platform for Lowcountry Giving Day [will accept] credit card donations on May 3. However, each registered nonprofit will also have [its] own individual text-to-give profile that can be used year-round. This allows donors to ... donate through [the] Lowcountry Giving Day website any day of the year.”

To register, nonprofits do not need an inventive fund, such as the Bunnelle matching grants. We encourage all nonprofits to register, if they are not among the 150-plus already signed on. Likewise, businesses, professional firms and individuals being catalysts – matching employees’ donations, for example – could make Lowcountry Giving Day No. 1 in the U.S.

Why not aim high.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 10:19 PM with the headline "Lowcountry Giving Day open to all 501(c)3 nonprofits."