East Texas Giving Day kicks off at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 26th with 24 participating Bowie and Miller County nonprofits hoping to benefit from the generosity of donors from across the tri-state region. East Texas Giving Day, powered by East Texas Communities Foundation, is an 18-hour giving event that takes place virtually at www.EastTexasGivingDay.org . Donors can participate by going online and donating $10 or more from any device that can access the internet including; desktop computers, mobile phones or tablets.
“Great things can happen when we all work toward a common goal,” said Holly McFarlin, Public Relations Director of East Texas Communities Foundation. “Giving Day provides that magic spark needed to unite us. Every financial donation and volunteer hour pledged is a catalyst for good in our community.”
This year, many of the Bowie and Miller County nonprofits have received match funds from community partners. Combined, the nonprofits have over $200,000 in matching funds available through the East Texas Giving Day website. All match amounts on the giving day website are dollar-for-dollar matches. Donors that give any time before midnight on April 26th, to an organization with a match, have the opportunity to double their donation when processed through the giving day website.
“Unlocking these matching funds is critical to the nonprofits,” said McFarlin. “Donors in Texarkana have a unique opportunity to double their impact thanks to these very generous partnerships.”
Donors have the option of getting involved in the fundraising themselves by creating celebration pages that benefit their favorite nonprofits. “Celebration pages provide the public an opportunity to be an active participant in the Giving Day experience,” said McFarlin. “If you feel passionately about a local charity, this is your chance to get involved. You can create a Celebration page, tell your story about the nonprofit and share that with your friends and family either by social media, text or email.” Funds raised through donations to celebration pages go to the charity to help fulfil their mission.
To create a celebration page, donors can select any participating nonprofit at www.EastTexasGivingDay.org, create a donor profile and complete a few simple questions. “Celebration pages have proven to elevate awareness and help nonprofits reach their overall campaign goals,” said McFarlin. “Last year these pages made a huge impact on the nonprofits and gave a voice to their most loyal advocates.”
Ongoing updates about the event will be posted on ETCF’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SimplifiedGiving and the giving day website https://www.easttexasgivingday.org/index.php.
Bowie & Miller County charities participating in the April 26th event include:
Runnin’ WJ Ranch, Texarkana Resources for the Disabled, Inc., HandsOn Texarkana, Hospice of Texarkana, Inc., Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Counties, Northeast Texas Casa, Inc., Pleasant Grove ISD Education Foundation, The Scholars of Texarkana, United Way of Greater Texarkana, For The Sake Of One, Damascus Home of Redwater, Inc., St. James Day School, Randy Sams Outreach Shelter, Caddo Area Council, Clay Eichler Memorial Fund, Texarkana College Foundation, Texarkana Regional Arts & Humanities Council, Inc., Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, Texas A&M University – Texarkana, ArkLaTex 100 Club, Evergreen Life Services, Habitat for Humanity of Texarkana Inc, Harvest Regional Food Bank, and Texarkana Regional Chorale.
