Website Raises $2 Million For Florida NonProfits

In four minutes, 10,705 donations —  up to $1,000 per donor per organization — were matched by $501,000 from four foundations in support of 109 nonprofits throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties. And that was just the beginning.

The Giving Partner, an online fundraising resource, launched on March 27, 2012, with a 36-hour giving challenge hosted by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation and The Patterson Foundation. The event raised a total of $2,401,601 over two days.

“Our community is the 12th in the country to download The Giving Partner, a tool that populates nonprofits and information about their needs, leadership and finances,” says Susie Bowie, director of The Giving Partner. “The event was launched to introduce the concept of online giving.”

Bowie explains that in addition to making giving easier and more convenient, online giving offers benefits to both the nonprofit and the donor. “It’s a new tool that the new community foundations will be using for grant making. It’s also for donors to learn more about the nonprofits they’re giving to. Transparency and accountability help us all do our jobs better.”

Although the four foundations behind The Giving Partner are based in Southwest Florida, donations came from throughout the U.S. as well as  24 countries, including the UK, Spain, Russia, Peru, Australia, Mexico and Canada.

Bowie says plans are underway to add new nonprofits soon. “As the years go on, we plan to add more.”

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Susie Bowie, The Giving Partner