ATLANTA – Dec. 14, 2021 This year, amidst greater community need than ever, Georgia nonprofits raised $27.1 million for GAgives on GivingTuesday, another record-setting total for the state’s biggest generosity movement.
On November 30, the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN) brought together nonprofits, philanthropic and for-profit partners, and individual Georgians across the state for the tenth annual GAgives on GivingTuesday event. From the start of early giving on Nov. 1 through GivingTuesday on Nov. 30, $4.1 million was given through the campaign’s official giving portal at GAgives.org, thanks to more than 15,000 individual gifts, for the benefit of 1,138 nonprofits. Accounting for all online platforms, as well as offline giving, Georgia nonprofits received more than 180,000 donations, for a grand fundraising total of $27,147,800.
In addition, organizations of all sizes won a portion of the $50,000 in funding provided by GAgives sponsors through a number of giving competitions designed to excite donors and incentivize greater giving. (See below for the full list of GAgives sponsors.) Winners can be found on the GAgives.org results page, pending official validation.
“WestRock was excited to join the Georgia Center for Nonprofits and other companies in recognizing the impact nonprofit partners make in our communities,” said Mandy Burnette, Director of Corporate Giving at WestRock. “Through Early Giving, Leaderboard, and Power Hour contests, we encouraged organizations to mobilize their donors in friendly competition for valuable funding. Our WestRock teammates joined in the competition and also maximized their personal giving through our WestRock Foundation Matching Gifts program. The past 20 months have been tough on so many fronts, and seeing Georgians come together to support our nonprofit partners through a day of giving is a highlight of the year.”
Among the GAgives success stories:
- H.O.P.E. Inc. (Helping Other People Be Empowered) won third place in the Primerica leaderboard for most individual donors, which earned them an additional $1,500. All GAgives funds raised go to its program helping single parents break the cycle of poverty, which is currently assisting 16 families with rent assistance, child care, and other needs, up to and including college attendance and graduation.
- HealthMPowers surpassed its $30,000 GAgives goal, raising over $50,000 to empower healthy habits and transform environments where children live, learn, and play. This included taking the top spot on the Arby’s Foundation Leaderboard with 290 individual donors to win them an additional $2,000. (See footage of their campaign and celebrations here.) Director of Development Lee Anne Else reported: “In addition to the extra support, Arby’s sponsorship of GAgives has been a valuable way to motivate our team and provide exposure, helping us ensure all children are nourished and active. Prize sponsors have been a huge part of our success, and we’re so thankful to Arby’s Foundation for supporting our efforts!”
- Good Mews Animal Foundation raised nearly $22,000 and won an additional $1,000 in a WestRock power hour. Funds from their GAgives on GivingTuesday campaign will pay to sterilize more than 450 cats in 2022, preventing thousands of unwanted kittens (and, subsequently, thousands of euthanizations) while improving the health of those cats who receive care.
- Helping Mamas came in second on the Primerica Leaderboard, and raised enough funds to provide diapers for more than 3,000 children throughout the state. Founder and CEO Jamie Lackey shared, “GAgives is always such a great way to engage with new and returning donors. The excitement that builds for GAgives on GivingTuesday is so contagious: Everyone loves to be involved. It is a day that truly helps us finish the year strong!”
- Intown Collaborative Ministries raised over $60,000, more than doubling their $30,000 goal and taking home two Power Hour prizes – one from Gas South and one from Arby’s Foundation. Said Katie Farmer, Director of Community Engagement and Development: “Intown Collaborative Ministries loves participating in GAgives on GivingTuesday! It is a day where we get an opportunity to tell our story in depth and to amplify donor impact. This is our third year winning an Arby’s End Childhood Hunger Power Hour. Additional Power Hours funding helps us to expand our mission of ending homelessness and hunger. Food insecurity for children can be ended, and Intown is helping to do that.”
- With 86 GAgives.org donors, Latin American Association (LAA) earned the top spot on the Primerica Community Heroes Leaderboard, earning them a $2,500 prize donation. Development Specialist Catherine Warren reported, “LAA is so grateful to hold the first place on the Primerica Community Heroes Leaderboard this year. It is wonderful to see our community of support rally behind us for GAgives on GivingTuesday. This year we saw a good number of new supporters get involved and longtime donors continue their support.” All funds raised through GAgives on GivingTuesday help continue LAA’s work empowering Georgia’s Latinos to adapt, integrate, and thrive, including financial assistance for housing, filing family petitions, teaching English-language classes, and youth mentorship.
“The past few years have stretched nonprofits more than ever, and yet they continue to meet the needs of their communities each and every day,” said GCN President & CEO Karen Beavor. “Fortunately, this year’s GAgives on Giving Tuesday brought together more of these organizations with much-needed funding than ever before. The success stories from this day – how nonprofits worked to rally their supporters and, ultimately, to make a tremendous impact on their own bottom lines – exemplify the extent of their capabilities, the importance of their work to so many, and the power of #GAgenerosity.”
Next year, we’ll be celebrating the start to a new decade of giving! Save the date for GAgives on GivingTuesday 2022, coming up November 29.
About GAgives
Led by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, GAgives on GivingTuesday aims to bring attention to the work and worth of the nonprofit sector. Since its founding in 2012, the GAgives movement has rallied 556,000 individual contributions and raised more than $70 million for the nonprofits across Georgia that work tirelessly for positive and lasting change.
About GivingTuesday
Launched by the 92nd Street Y in 2012 and housed in its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact, GivingTuesday is a global movement inspiring people to take collaborative action for their local communities and contribute to the causes they believe in. The movement reaches millions of people, with campaigns and activities in all 50 states and 150 countries, throughout the year, culminating on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
About the Georgia Center for Nonprofits
The Georgia Center for Nonprofits builds thriving communities by helping nonprofits succeed. Through a powerful mix of advocacy, solutions for nonprofit effectiveness, and insight-building tools, GCN provides nonprofits, board members, and donors with the tools they need to strengthen organizations that make a difference on important causes throughout Georgia. Learn more at gcn.org.
