Source Weekly & What If We Could team up again to raise half a million for charities
BEND, OREGON—Last year, in the first year of Central Oregon Gives, organizers set a goal to raise $50,000 for area nonprofits. Imagine their elation when the program raised over 10 times that amount—putting $575,000 toward 72 hardworking nonprofits of Central Oregon.
This year, as the coronavirus pandemic continues and the need has become even greater, Central Oregon Gives is aiming to match its success: To raise $500K for local nonprofits. The fundraising program launches November 12, 2020.
Central Oregon Gives, a partnership between the Source Weekly and What If We Could, launched in 2019. Organizers believe the program saw so much success in its first year because of the incentives given to those who donate. When a donor gives to a nonprofit, that donor gets a “Perk,” such as an appetizer or drink, or entry into drawings for great prizes.
“The ease of going online via phone or desktop, reading summaries of nonprofits and how the funds will be used, attracted all generations to give—in fact we saw a number of donors discover and select multiple nonprofits and donated to them all!” said Rys Fairbrother of What If We Could.
How Central Oregon Gives Works
Central Oregon Gives serves as a one-stop shop for people to browse profiles of local nonprofits and read where their money goes. People donate via the online platform, CentralOregonGives.org, and get great perks in return. 100% of the donations go to the nonprofit identified by the donor.
How Nonprofits Can Join
Between now and the fundraising launch date (Nov. 12), Central Oregon nonprofits work with Central Oregon Gives reps to create a profile for the Central Oregon Gives website. Those same reps work to match nonprofits with a “Perk” from a local business. That Perk then gets widely promoted in the Source Weekly and online. Donors can donate from Nov. 12, 2020 through Dec. 24, 2020, giving nonprofits a simple, supported way to boost their end-of-year giving campaigns. The nonprofit raising the most earns an additional $15,000 award. An additional $10,000 in awards is also given to nonprofit winners in various categories, for a total of $25,000 in awards.
