Four more Portsmouth area nonprofit organizations will join the Scioto Foundation’s 2015 Scioto Gives one-day matching gift campaign slated for October 22, bringing the total of participating groups to twenty six. The Portsmouth Wind Symphony, Potter’s House Ministries, Portsmouth Little Theatre and the Animal Welfare League are new participants who hope to raise funds for their endowments established at the Foundation.
In the third year of the innovative program, the Scioto Foundation has set aside $30,000 to use as matching money for contributions made by donors to each nonprofit. Contributions from donors will be received on the SF website, www.sciotogives.org from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on October 22. Using the pull-down menu on the website, donors can select their charity and the amount they wish to donate, list credit card information and press “donate.”
Donors can also drop checks off at the Foundation office at 303 Chillicothe Street or transfer stocks between the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the designated day.
“We welcome the four new participants in the Scioto Foundation’s third Scioto Gives challenge,” said Kim Cutlip, SF Executive Director. “The program has been a huge success in its first two years, and we hope for even greater participation by donors here and all over who want to support their favorite causes. It will be wonderful if we can top last year’s grant total of $80,350.”
SCIOTO GIVES establishes a new partnership between local NPOs and the Scioto Foundation as it assists the nonprofits with their annual membership drives and helps smaller grass roots NPOs accept on-line gifts. The program also demonstrates that one-line giving is easy and encourages donor gifting because of matching dollars.
The other twenty-two area nonprofits repeating their participation in the Foundation’s Scioto Gives program include the Southern Ohio Museum, Sierra’s Haven, Community Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, Portsmouth Area Arts Council, Boy Scouts of America, Operation Safety Net, the 1810 House, the Southern Ohio Performing Arts Association, The Counseling Center, Southern Ohio Medical Center, South Central Ohio Educational Service Center, Friends of Scioto Developmental Disabilities, Mainstreet Portsmouth, the Portsmouth Beautification Society, United Way of Scioto County, Shawnee Mental Health, Connex, the Steven A. Hunter Hope Fund, Portsmouth STEM Academy, Scioto County Habitat for Humanity, the UCAN program and the Ohio Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The matching amount earned by each nonprofit will be determined after all donations have been received. On Thursday, November 5, 2015 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. all participating nonprofits will be notified of their fundraising efforts during a reception at the Scioto Foundation’s office. All donors will be encouraged to attend.
To participate in the SCIOTO GIVES program, all organizations must be 501(c) 3 nonprofits and have an organizational endowment with the Scioto Foundation. All participating organizations must actively promote and encourage their donor base to take part in SCIOTO GIVES and must attend the reception following the one-day campaign to celebrate the success of SCIOTO GIVES.
Creating an endowment with SF can bring nonprofit organizations numerous benefits, according to Cutlip.
“Endowment funds provide for safe and stable investments of funds and offer a method of steadily growing an organization’s funds,” said Cutlip. “An endowment fund is also an acknowledgment of an organization’s value to the community, and it encourages an increase of donor support through opportunities for memorials and special gifts. It also establishes a solid financial base for the future.”
Further information about the SCIOTO GIVES program may be obtained by telephoning SF staff at (740) 354-4612.
SCIOTO GIVES is patterned after two highly successful similar programs, Erie Gives, created by the Erie, Pennsylvania Community Foundation and Match Day, established by the Columbus Foundation.
