"GiveBIG" Hits Last Year's Total of $3.6 Million

With 12 Hours To Go, Seattle Foundation Sure to Exceed Goal

SEATTLE, May 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As of 12:30 p.m. today, The Seattle Foundation's "GiveBIG" campaign reported $3.6 million in online contributions, equaling the GiveBIG total of $3.6 million in 2011.  With almost 12 hours remaining in the campaign, GiveBIG is assured of making this a record-setting day for charitable giving in King County. 

These mid-day results reflect 14,199 individual contributions. Gifts began coming in at 12:00 a.m., and the first donation was to Equal Rights Washington Education Fund. The areas of education and basic needs are receiving the highest levels of contributions. The Seattle Public Library Foundation has received the largest number of individual gifts so far. 

During this one-day, online event, people are making donations to more than 1,400 local nonprofits through www.seattlefoundation.org or m.seattlefoundation.org -- and a share of every contribution is matched with a "stretch pool" of funds provided by corporate sponsors, individual contributors and The Seattle Foundation.  

GiveBIG is held today from 12:01 a.m. until midnight. Credit card donations made during this time will be counted as GiveBIG donations and used to calculate distribution of a $500,000 "stretch pool." A nonprofit organization's share of the stretch pool will be based on the percentage of donations the nonprofit receives of the total online contributions made through www.seattlefoundation.org on May 2. 

"I am ecstatic over the generosity of our contributors, the business community and the nonprofits that have all rallied together for the common good in our region," said Norman B. Rice, president and chief executive officer of The Seattle Foundation.  "This speaks volumes about the philanthropic capacity we have here in the Puget Sound," said Rice.

The Seattle Foundation has awarded six "Golden Tickets" so far in GiveBIG.  A "Golden Ticket" provides nonprofit organizations with an additional $1,000 when one of their donations is selected during hourly random drawings.  "Golden Ticket" recipients as of noon are:  Sightline Institute, Impact Capital, Diocese of Olympia, Seattle Public Library Foundation, GreenStage and CoolMom.

The catalyst driving the GiveBIG donations is the $500,000 "stretch pool" used to match a share of each online gift.  The stretch pool is funded by generous gifts from presenting partners including the Bezos Family Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft and the Seattle International Foundation. 

In addition to the generous gifts from the Presenting Partners, the $500,000 stretch pool includes $200,000 from The Seattle Foundation.  Additional funds came from The Boeing Company, a GiveBIG sponsor, and supporters including Alaska Airlines, Clark Nuber P.S., Deloitte, Colonial Consulting, KPMG, Safeco Insurance, Starbucks, Tom and Sonya Campion, John Stanton & Theresa Gillespie, and Bob and Juanita Watt.  Friends of GiveBIG are Click & Pledge, Davis Wright Tremaine, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, K&L Gates, Nova Fisheries, Pacific Continental Bank, Puget Sound Energy, Pyramid Communications, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Norman and Constance Rice, Brooks Simpson, James Williams, and Whitsitt Family Fund.

KING5 Television, Millennial Media, and The Seattle Times Company are all GiveBIG media sponsors.  Steve Zakuani, Seattle Sounders FC midfielder, and Jean Enersen, Anchor of KING5 News, are the event's spokespersons. 

Presenting Partner Seattle Sounders FC is supporting GiveBIG communications and outreach, including a game-day celebration during the Seattle Sounders FC vs. L.A. Galaxy match this evening at Century Link Field at 7:00 p.m.  Sounder Steve Zakuani will be signing autographs and meeting fans at The Seattle Foundation's booth at Soccer Celebration between 6:00 and 6:30 p.m. 

GiveBIG information and updates are available on http://www.seattlefoundation.org/ and The Seattle Foundation's Facebook page.

SOURCE The Seattle Foundation