Second Georgia Gives Day yields big wins for state's nonprofits

ATLANTA, Nov. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the clock struck midnight, the tally stood at $1,448,233. Today, nonprofits across Georgia celebrate the virtual outpouring of support from 11,257 Georgians who came together for the second annual Georgia Gives Day to show their support for 1,720 participating organizations across the state. 

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In every way, this "Gives Day" was a record-breaker. Beyond dollars raised and contributing donors, Georgia Gives Day's unique role as an all-online fundraiser led to 10.4 million social media impressions as nonprofits and donors helped build 24-hour buzz for the event, and led to #GaGivesDay being a top trending topic in Atlanta on Twitter for parts of the day.  Donations ranged from $1 to $25,000, supporting nonprofits of all sizes and cause areas, from all corners of the state.

Presented by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN), the goal of the Georgia Gives Day initiative is to bring the state together as one community to raise as much money and awareness as possible for Georgia nonprofits in a 24 hour period.

In its inaugural campaign, 7,709 donations raised $782,225 in a single day – with one hundred percent of the funds going direct to the participating organizations. The Georgia Gives Day website, which provides a year-round online giving platform for nonprofits, has now raised $2,352,153 since launching in 2012.

"We are thrilled by the outpouring of community support this year, and the dramatic growth we saw in both dollars and donors," said Karen Beavor, president and CEO of GCN. "Our Georgia Gives initiative is igniting a whole-community giving movement in Georgia that will continue to grow. We're also excited to help empower nonprofits to tap into the potential of online giving to fund their missions, by giving them a free platform, along with the tools, training, prizes and incentives to help maximize their return."

"This collaboration of the government, nonprofit and corporate sectors for this sort of event is unprecedented in scope," Beavor said. "Our partners realize that nonprofits strengthen communities in every corner of the state, and they came together to help them be even more successful."

For instance, Edelman and Ames Scullin O'Haire provided hundreds of hours of professional public relations and advertising expertise to the cause, resulting in millions of media impressions through ads, public service announcements, and news articles throughout the state.

The Georgia Gives initiative has received the endorsement of Governor Nathan Deal, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and other local and state officials.  It is supported by a generous group of partners and corporate sponsors, including Ames Scullin O'Haire, Arby's Foundation, AutoTrader.com, Chick-fil-A, The Coca-Cola Company, Community Bucket, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Cox, Enterprises, Cox Media Group, Edelman, Encyclomedia, Evelyn G. Ullman, Gas South, Georgia Association of Broadcasters, Georgia Power, Green Machine, Inc., John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Mohawk, Outdoor Advertising Association of Georgia, Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Southwest Airlines, SunTrust Foundation, Wells Fargo, and WXIA-TV 11Alive.

Although Georgia Gives Day has passed, people can continue to donate through the Georgia Gives website, GAgives.org, which serves as a live, year-round resource where the public can search for and support the local charities that touch our lives every day, and a free tool for nonprofits to use for their annual fundraising campaigns.

About Georgia Gives Day
The mission of Georgia Gives Day is to inspire individuals to donate to participating nonprofits with the goal of raising as much money as possible within a 24-hour period. GAgivesday.org makes donating easy by organizing thousands of nonprofits across the state onto one website, providing  the information people need to select a cause or charity of their choice, and enabling online donations by credit card or e-check. Follow us on Twitter @GAgives, and like us on Facebook.

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, follow us on Twitter @GAnonprofits, and like us on Facebook.

Media Contacts:    
Tom Zimmerman
Georgia Center for Nonprofits
(678) 916-3090
[email protected]                  

Traci Brodnax
Edelman
404-460-9659
[email protected] 

SOURCE Georgia Center for Nonprofits