South County charities are $28,915 to the good today, thanks to an innovative online drive that raised funds for Bay area nonprofit groups.
Give Day Tampa Bay brought in $1,734,540.75 with 10,193 donations benefiting 550 Tampa Bay groups, including 25 based in South County.
The 24-hour marathon donation drive started at midnight May 5 and encouraged donors to use a website — www.givedaytampabay.org — to donate to their charity of choice. Last year’s Give Day, the first in the Bay area, saw 5,144 contributors donate $1,089,359 to 385 local nonprofit groups.
The Mary & Martha House was one of the biggest recipients during Give Day, netting $13,075. The group has been caring for abused and homeless women and their dependent children since 1982.
JUDY MARTIN PHOTO
Sharon Becker, president of C.A.R.E. (Critter Adoption & Rescue Effort), and Toby, one of the group’s rescued pets, set up in front of the Hot Tomato restaurant in Ruskin on Give Day Tampa Bay, May 5.
“We all worked very hard and were delighted with the results,” said Jan Falcione, manager of retail and marketing at the Mary & Martha House. “It was amazing,” she said, “to see all these charities work together for 24 hours. We have a small staff, but everyone really got into it going to different restaurants and other places [to raise awareness].”
The Give Day donation will help fund a new employment readiness program at the Mary & Martha House. “We believe that employment is the key for women to get their lives back together and get back into permanent housing,” Falcione said. More than 65 to 70 women a year will benefit from the program.
A full-court press raising awareness about Give Day also paid off for the C.A.R.E. (Critter Adoption & Rescue Effort), a no-kill animal shelter in Ruskin for neglected and abused cats and dogs, with $4,900 raised.
The donations will help a new C.A.R.E. program, Caring Angels, take flight. The program helps cats and dogs with special medical needs. “It’s for things we, as a small shelter, cannot normally fund,” said Sharon Becker, C.A.R.E.’s president.
With 83 donors, “the vast majority of our donations were in the $25 to $50 range,” Becker said. “If you come into an organization like ours, you wouldn’t feel that your $25 would mean anything. This way, when we write the thank-you letters, we can say ‘together we all were able to achieve this.’”
Other big recipients on the day were My Warrior’s Place, a recuperative center for veterans, military service people and their families, which received $3,450, and the Beth-El Farmworker Ministry, receiving $1,125.
While Give Day was trumpeted by print, broadcast and online media, nonprofits did plenty of their own legwork to promote donations. Several South County groups, including the Sun City Center Samaritan Services Alzheimer’s Auxiliary and the Sun City Center Emergency Squad, participated in an event at Sun Towers to promote a comfort level for people reluctant to give credit card information online, but also to introduce groups seeking donations to the wider community.
Give Day is organized by The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and the Florida Next Foundation.
“The Community Foundation provides the safe network for donors to feel comfortable about donating,” Becker said. “This gives everyone a chance to feature the nonprofits. Know what we do and why we do it. What value we provide to the community. And then it gives [the public] a safe and easy way where they will not risk their credit history or anything like that to donate.”
Last year, the Tampa Bay community raised $1,089,359 to support 385 nonprofits on Give Day Tampa Bay.
Overall, Big Cat Rescue, a Tampa sanctuary for abused and abandoned big cats, was this year’s top fundraiser, with $340,330 donated over the course of the day. Other top fundraisers in the Large Organizations category were the Museum of Science and Industry, which raised more than $71,000, and St. Peter Claver Catholic School, which raised more than $44,000.
“We are thrilled about the participation and support we received this year from our local nonprofits and the generous Tampa Bay community,” said Marlene Spalten, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. “These donations directly impact the strength of our local economy and community, and will make a difference for years to come.”
For nonprofits, Give Day Tampa Bay provided new channels of exposure, as well as additional resources and technology for fundraising capabilities, which is especially helpful for smaller nonprofits that may not otherwise have access to these resources, according to Give Day officials.
“Give Day Tampa Bay is about making it easy for anyone to donate to these deserving nonprofits that have such a tremendous impact on our community,” said Ned Pope, president of Florida Next Foundation. “We encouraged making donations on smartphones and tablets so people – especially our younger demographic – could easily give, even if they were on the go.”
Several South County groups who did not participate in this year’s event are already planning to have their names on the list for next year.
South County area groups participating
Here’s how South County area groups did on Give Day. For more information on Give Day, visit www.givedaytampabay.org, which also includes a complete list of participating nonprofits and how much was raised.
Mary & Martha House, $13,075
My Warrior’s Place, $3,450
C.A.R.E. (Critter Adoption & Rescue Effort), $4,900
Firehouse Cultural Center, $500
Southshore Arts Council, $50
The Citizens Improvement League of Wimauma, $50
Ruskin Community Development Foundation, $375
The Sun City Center Community Emergency Response Team, $675
Sun City Center Security Patrol, $420
Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center, $60
Kid’s Community College® Riverview South & Southeast Charter Schools, $1,075
Redlands Christian Migrant Association, $125
Beth-El Farmworker Ministry, $1,125
St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation, $1,000
Good Samaritan Fund and Services of Greater Sun City Center, $200
Loving You Where You Are At, $1,125
Military Family Support Trust, $225
Tarence Kinsey Foundation, $210
The HOPE Fund, $75
AMIkids YES, $200
