When you give to a nonprofit today, you are able to make a difference in their mission today; but, what if you could donate today and make a difference in their mission tomorrow … 25 years from now … 50 years from now?
Well, when you give to a nonprofit’s endowment you can do just that: support their ongoing mission in the future.
On May 3, the
Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation (MPACF) is hosting the second-ever Give Local Isabella - an annual event of 24 hours of communitywide fundraising to give local charitable organizations the opportunity to educate their donors about endowment, utilize peer influence to raise dollars online through crowdfunding, and compete for a pool of at least $30,000 in matches and prizes.
“We’re hoping to educate people about endowment because it can be difficult to explain,” says Amanda Schafer, MPACF CEO/COO. “We’ve been talking to organizations about fundraising for their expenses today and their needs today, but we want to spend one day raising money for their long-term funding. If you have a cause you care about in the community, you want to make sure they have the resources they need to be successful long into the future.”
Last year was the first year the MPACF hosted Give Local Isabella; the event raised over $100,000 through communitywide fundraising and match dollars. Schafer hopes this year’s event can meet and exceed that amount. This year’s event will also feature new events. Participating organizations and their boards are invited to stop by the Foundation’s office in the morning for coffee and donuts. Later in the day, the public is invited to join a happy hour celebration at Freddie’s Bar from 5-6 p.m.
“That will be a public event and it’s an extra hour for people to give a gift in-person if they want to,” Schafer says. “We hope that some of the people who want to engage with giving might come by during that hour.”
So far, 18 organizations have signed up to participate in Give Local Isabella. Eligible organizations who are interested in participating can still sign up by contacting the Mt. Pleasant Area Community Foundation.
The giving window will open at midnight on May 3 and go until 11:59 p.m. Donations can be made online at
givelocalisabella.org.
“One day. One community. Save the date and plan to give because every dollar goes further on May 3,” Schafer says. “Everyone can be a philanthropist during Give Local Isabella. It’s about pulling together and giving forward.”
For more information about Give Local Isabella, an in-depth podcast interview with Amanda Schafer about the event can be found at
mymichiganpodcasts.com/mid-michigan-matters.
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