By Heike Dempster
Philanthropy in Miami is different. We don’t have the generations of family wealth found in the Northeast or 100-year-old nonprofit institutions backed by enormous endowments. But we do have a vision. More and more Miamians are taking a vested interest in this city’s future, and as the creative class plants their roots here, they’re fanning a spark of civic engagement into a roaring blaze. Give Miami Day is their chance to ignite this city’s generous spirit.
In 2012, Give Miami Day made history as the most active day of giving in South Florida. Almost 5,000 donors gave $1.2 million to 300 nonprofits in a display of Miami’s growing charitable attitude. The buzz was electric. In one 24-hour period on December 12, 2012, we pulled together and proved the new, philanthropic Miami was alive and thriving. Now, it’s time to reignite the city for Give Miami Day 2013! An exciting video announcement went viral June 11 on givemiamiday.org that revealed November 20, 2013 as the official date for this year. During those 24 hours, anyone can log on to givemiamiday.org and browse hundreds of nonprofit organizations serving Miami-Dade. Donors may then select an organization and make a gift right there on the site. The Miami Foundation will match a portion of each gift between $25 and $10,000.
“It’s an opportunity for any Miamian of any age or income level to be a philanthropist,” said Javier Alberto Soto, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation. “Donors spanning the city, nation and globe joined the effort in 2012 and, dollar by dollar, selflessly gave into our shared vision for a better place to live. Miamians united in their support, investing in our youth, health care, social services, the arts and a host of other areas most important to them.”
What is Give Miami Day?
Give Miami Day is a unique, 24-hour online giving event that allows individuals in our community an opportunity to build a greater Miami by making a charitable gift to a local nonprofit. All gifts will be processed through GiveMiamiDay.org. The Miami Foundation and its partners have committed an initial monetary pool as incentive dollars to match a percentage of contributions received during Give Miami Day.
During our inaugural Give Miami Day on December 12, 2012, Miami ignited a movement that had never been tested in our community before. The result was more than $1.2 million raised for 300 nonprofit organizations. Almost 5,000 donors spanning the city, nation and globe joined the effort.
Why is Give Miami Day a good opportunity for our community?
Last year, The Miami Foundation launched Blackbaud Nonprofit Central in an effort to provide individuals and families who started their private foundations with us a chance to engage, share knowledge about local nonprofits and be informed about important community issues. Our goal is to make Miami, a greater place to live, learn, work and play.
Give Miami Day is a natural extension of this platform. Miamians can use the site to better inform their giving, while local foundations use it to conduct due diligence on their grant making. As a result of this community wide support, we are excited to host Give Miami Day 2013 as a special opportunity to increase philanthropy in our community.
What is Blackbaud Nonprofit Central?
Blackbaud Nonprofit Central is a powerful online platform, which provides in-depth information about hundreds of local nonprofits, including comprehensive financial, governance and programmatic details. Its main objective is to help individuals, families and corporations who have established their private foundations with us better understand local nonprofits by reading feature stories, learning of their strengths and connecting them with like-minded donors who share similar passions. Most of the information entered by nonprofits is also available to the public.
The platform provides the transparency donors need to make the kinds of decisions that turn a simple act of giving into a wise investment. At the same time, nonprofits featured on the site are able to tell their story – giving you and others in the community a better understanding of the need for their services and their results. You can search by organization, category or location.
Who can participate?
- Any 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving Miami-Dade County is eligible to participate in Give Miami Day. Nonprofits must complete a profile on www.miamifoundation.org/nonprofitlogin.
- The Miami Foundation will have final editorial approval of all profiles submitted.
Donors
This event is open to the public. Anyone who wishes to participate can make a secure donation by debit or credit card at GiveMiamiDay.org during the 24-hour donation period.
Where is Give Miami Day taking place?
Give Miami Day is an online event in which all activity will take place via GiveMiamiDay.org. Within the 24-hour donation period, news and updates will be posted regularly to social media sites at facebook.com/themiamifoundation and twitter.com/miamifoundation.
How does it work?
- Any individual or corporation/business may donate.
- All donations must be made via debit or credit card at GiveMiamiDay.org. No gifts from checks, cash, securities or recommendations from donor advised funds will be accepted for this giving event.
- All donations are tax deductible and irrevocable (donations will not be refunded) and will be for the unrestricted use of your selected charity. Please note that Give Miami Day is a program of The Miami Foundation. Therefore, your account statement will read: The Miami Foundation.
Minimum gift: $25
Maximum gift: No maximum per gift. No maximum per charity.
How much of the donation will go to the nonprofit?
- All donations will be paid to the chosen charity net of 4% credit card transaction and processing fees paid to vendors. The full transaction fee is estimated at 6%; however, the Foundation will cover 2% of the fee.
- The Miami Foundation, which administers the Give Miami Day website, supports this giving event as a community service at no additional charge.
How will the incentive pool be distributed?
The Miami Foundation will match, on a percentage basis, the total of donations made during the 24-hour donation period. For example if “Miami Nonprofit” raises 8% of the total dollars contributed, “Miami Nonprofit” will receive 8% of the match pool. Only amounts between $25 and $10,000 will count towards the match. For any single gift greater than $10,000, only the first $10,000 will be considered for matching funds.
What is a unique gift?
A unique gift is defined as one gift of $25 or more to one organization from one donor. Multiple gifts made by the same donor to the same organization will not be counted toward incentive prizes. Does The Miami Foundation accept employer matching gifts for Give Miami Day? Yes, The Miami Foundation will accept employer-matched contributions. Those gifts will be directed to the charity designated by the donor upon receipt and will not be eligible for a match by the Foundation.
How will my email address and personal information be used?
Email addresses will be used to transmit electronic tax receipt(s) for donations made through Give Miami Day, as well as a post-event survey. Unless you choose to give anonymously, your name, email address and billing address will be shared with the organization(s) to whom your donations will be credited. The Miami Foundation does not retain credit card information and your personal data will not be shared with or sold to any other outside vendors or third parties.
Unless you withhold permission for us to do so, The Miami Foundation may send periodic newsletters informing you of upcoming events in our community that you may be interested in hearing about.
What if I can’t find my favorite nonprofit on the website?
If you cannot find them on GiveMiamiDay.org, it is likely that they have not completed a profile on our website. Please encourage them to contact us so we can help them get started. They will not be able to participate in Give Miami Day unless they complete a profile. Once they do so, they can participate in future Give Miami Day events and receive online contributions through our site year-round. We did extensive outreach to let local nonprofits know about Give Miami Day. We did not limit the number of nonprofit organizations participating. We have hundreds of other wonderful organizations searchable by category that may also serve your interest. We encourage you to take a look and consider giving to another.
Do I need a login to make a contribution on your website?
No, you do not need a login to make a donation on our site.
Can I make my donation over the phone?
Donations will not be accepted by mail, fax, phone call or email. If you have a smart phone that allows you to make a debit or credit card donation through our website, then yes. Our website does not have text donation capabilities.
What methods of payment are accepted?
Donations made by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express)
