The second year of the single-day communitywide philanthropic push, GiveBIG, ought to continue attracting money, new donors and re-energizing existing ones.
Seattle Times Editorial
EXCITEMENT is rightly building around
GiveBIG, the single-day fundraising campaign developing a track record for attracting new money and donors to a variety of Seattle-area nonprofits.
Starting at 12:01 a.m. next Wednesday until midnight, the Internet should become a hub of philanthropy. Online charitable donations, made through the Seattle Foundation, will garner a partial match from a $500,000 pool.
Donors and charities using social-media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to generate excitement ought to be successful rallying supporters.
Nonprofits included in the GiveBIG event cover a range of philanthropic causes, from arts and culture to health, environment, education and neighborhoods.
Farestart, whose culinary-training program creates jobs for the homeless, is one. Planned Parenthood, Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Washington Coalition for Open Government are others. Schools and Little League teams are also included.
GiveBIG is in its second year and the smart pairing of philanthropy and technology is a success. Last year's campaign far surpassed its $1 million goal, raising $3.6 million for charity. Nearly 19,000 individuals donated amounts that ranged from $5 to $60,000. The idea that everyone can give a little or a lot democratizes philanthropy.
Foundation leaders say the goal this year is to do as well.
We think the community can do better. A tough economy means a lot of people are in need. Seattle is a city that responds.
Credit the Seattle Foundation for creating an online setup that not only makes it easy to give but provides critical knowledge about community needs, evaluations of nonprofits and proven strategies for giving. New this year is the ability to make donations on your smartphone via the Seattle Foundation's mobile website.
GiveBIG is a grand idea that ought to raise big money again this year.
People can check out a list of the more than 1,300 nonprofits at
www.seattlefoundation.org.