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Community Corner

Give STL Day - May 6: St. Louis Nonprofits to Benefit from First-ever, 24-hour Community-wide Online Giving Initiative

The May 6 Give STL Day team is set, with more than 500 nonprofits, along with thousands of their volunteers and community backers. All stand ready to see what St. Louis can give in a day, as the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation prepares to host Give STL Day, the region’s first-ever 24-hour online day of giving to benefit the local nonprofit community.

     “Give STL Day is an opportunity for our community to shine and contribute to the local nonprofits that do so much good in our area, while also providing these organizations with a visible platform from which they can spread their message and raise funds,” said Amelia Bond, president and CEO of the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation.  “Collectively, Give STL Day draws attention to the needs of St. Louis nonprofits, as well as the positive things they are doing throughout the community.  It’s a win-win for everyone.”

    St. Louisans wishing to contribute on May 6 need only visit GiveSTLday.org, search for the charities of their choice, and make an online donation of $10 or more. Contributions will be added to the ongoing leaderboard located on the website and results tracked throughout the day. In addition, status updates – including giving challenges and six scheduled “Power Hours” – will be promoted on Facebook (facebook.com/stlouisgives) and Twitter (twitter.com/StLouisGives).  During “Power Hours” all donations received will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000.

    Similar fundraising initiatives are being undertaken the same day by approximately 100 community foundations nationwide, meaning May 6 could be one of the nation’s largest giving events in history. Previous “give day” events in other communities have raised millions for their local nonprofits. Examples include: Columbus, Ohio ($10 million), Pittsburgh, PA ($8 million) and Dallas ($25 million) to name a few.

     “We are incredibly excited to be a part of this initiative, and every donation on May 6 to our organization will give us the opportunity to have a positive impact on St. Louis and the people and pets we serve,” said Steve Kaufman, executive director of the Animal Protective Association of Missouri. “On Give STL Day, every donor should take pride in knowing that, thanks to them, they are part of something much bigger – a chance to unite behind a common cause that helps St. Louis nonprofits like ours.”

 Joining the Community Foundation with support for Give STL Day are Boeing, US Bank, Peabody Energy, and Smith Moore.

     Give STL Day will also help usher in the 2015 centennial of the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation. The nation’s first community foundation was established in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914, and the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation was created the following year. Today, there are more than 800 community foundations across the country, and nearly 1,500 worldwide.

     Throughout its history, the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation has served as an unbiased resource with unparalleled knowledge about the needs of both donors and the organizations they support. On behalf of its donors, the Community Foundation annually donates approximately $20 million to more than 450 organizations in St. Louis and around the world, and has contributed about $225 million over the past 25 years. For more information on the Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation, please visit www.stlgives.org.

 

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