Thinking about having your nonprofit participate in Give Local but are unsure if it is a good fit for your organization? Below is a variety of questions and answers to help put all your worries to rest!

What is Give Local?

Hosted by the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, Give Local is a two-week online giving campaign to support nonprofits that serve Thurston, Mason, and Lewis Counties. Participating nonprofits will have their own Story (campaign) page to design and use to share their work with our communities. All Stories will be accessible to community members who can view and donate to the causes they care about through the Give Local platform.

Give Local 2022 will begin on November 7 and culminate on November 18.

What is Early Giving?

The week leading up to Give Local is called “Early Giving.” Early Giving is a time for participating nonprofits to directly reach out to their most loyal donors and/or volunteers to help jumpstart their Give Local campaign. It also serves to help strengthen relationships between nonprofits and community members by using personalized messaging.  

When inviting your most loyal donors or volunteers to participate during early giving, please be sure to share your Give Local Story link with them in your communications. Otherwise, whomever you invite during this period won’t be able to find you on spsgives.org until we kick off on November 7^th.  

Early Giving 2022 will begin on October 31 and end on November 6.  

How much time will I need to commit to participate in Give Local?

There is no magic number to how much time nonprofit participants need to commit to be successful during Give Local. The amount of time you need to commit is based off a few factors such as your availability and what you hope to gain from this experience. Some participants have enough staff or volunteers to dedicate several hours a week preparing for Give Local, while others spend a couple hours the week before Early Giving and make a couple of social media posts during the two-weeks dedicated to Give Local. Both can be successful in raising funds, raising awareness, and/or gaining new donors.  

One way to consider how much time to commit to Give Local is viewing your Story page as a temporary social media account. You will have to put in time to add photos, videos, text, and contact information to create the core of your page - how much you choose to include here is up to you and what you want community members to know about your organization. Then you will have to put in time to promote your page through sharing the link on other platforms such as email, other social media pages, and/or your organization's website. There are additional features that you can use to help engage with community members such as Updates (blog posts), Challenges, Sponsor Matches, and Rewards which can boost your Give Local success but take additional time commitments.  

Please review the Give Local 2022 Guidelines for more information.  

How much time will I need to commit to participate in Give Local?

Nonprofit organizations that are 501(c)(3) public charities or are fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) public charity AND provide a significant portion of their services in Thurston, Mason, and Lewis Counties are eligible to participate in Give Local. Additionally, each nonprofit registration must be recognized by the IRS and Washington State's Office of the Secretary of State as a qualified charitable organization OR provide documentation of legal exclusion (such as recognized Tribal organizations). The Community Foundation reserves the right to decline participation of any registered organization.  

Please review the Give Local 2022 Guidelines for more information regarding eligibility.

How does the Bonus Fund work?

Every dollar raised by your organization will be stretched with a $100,000 Bonus Fund generously provided by the Dawkins Charitable Trust. Think of it as the cherry on top of your sundae. Your nonprofit is automatically eligible to receive these Bonus Fund dollars as a part of your participation in Give Local.  

The Bonus Fund is a proportional match that increases the value of every dollar your organization is gifted during Give Local. For example, if a nonprofit organization raises 5% of the total amount of money raised during Give Local, that same nonprofit receives 5% of the $100,000 Bonus Fund (0.05 x $100,000 = $5,000).  

Every nonprofit that raises money during Give Local will get some portion of the Bonus Fund. However, no organization will receive more than $7,500 of the Bonus Fund. So, for example, if your organization raises 20% of all the funds raised during Give Local, your match will be capped at $7,500. This “cap” is in place to ensure that all participating nonprofits will get the chance to benefit from the Bonus Fund.

Is there a fee to participate in Give Local?

Yes, there is a one-time registration fee of $35. While Give Local has grown in the number of nonprofit participants and technology costs have risen over the years, it is still imperative that we keep Give Local as accessible to nonprofits as possible. If your organization is unable to pay the registration fee, please contact Melissa Rosscup (they/them) at mrosscup@thecommunityfoundation.com to make other arrangements.

How much of each donation goes to my organization?

All of it! With every online donation, there is a standard transaction fee assessed by the credit card company and fees associated with the Give Local online giving platform. However, thanks to the generous support of our Give Local Sponsors, credit card and platform fees will be covered so that 100% of the donations will be passed along to the nonprofit.

Does the Community Foundation receive any portion of the donations or fees?

No, the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound does not receive any portion of your donation or the related transaction fees. However, the Community Foundation will be eligible for donations through their own Give Local Story page.

Is there a limit to the amount I can raise through Give Local?

No. You have the ability to set any goal you want.

What if I don’t reach my goal?

That’s OK. Unlike many crowdfunding sites, the Community Foundation does not penalize you for not reaching your goal. All donations made through your fundraising page will be passed along to the designated nonprofit organization.

What if I have other questions?

Please contact Melissa Rosscup If you need help or have questions, don't hesitate to contact Melissa Rosscup (they/them) at mrosscup@thecommunityfoundation.com.