Make a gift to the arts on May 6 and multiply your generosity
On May 6, you can make a donation to one or more nonprofit arts groups in the Lowcountry or the Midlands, and your gift will be matched or multiplied. Arts nonprofits in the Midlands and the Lowcountry are taking part in Give Local America, a 24-hour online giving day and national campaign to support local philanthropy to nonprofits. In the Midlands, the effort is called Midlands Gives – Magnify the Midlands and is organized by the Central Carolina Community Foundation. The Lowcountry campaign is Lift the Lowcountry, organized by the Coastal Community Foundation. Each community foundation has secured sponsors who will match donations from the public.
As part of Lift the Lowcountry, the Charleston Regional Arts Alliance is partnering with the Coastal Community Foundation to facilitate Lowcountry Arts Day, a campaign to raise awareness and funds for the 30 nonprofit performing, visual, literary and arts education organizations that make up the Alliance’s tri-county network (Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties). The impetus for Lowcountry Arts Day was an anonymous donor who pledged $110,000 in matching funds just for arts organizations, according to Maggie Hendricks, executive director of the Alliance.
“It’s really exciting to see something like this happen in our community,” says Hendricks. “This is a key opportunity for the community to learn more about the work of our member organizations and be a part of supporting them, as it takes time, talent, and money to provide high quality artistic opportunities. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to invest locally in cultural organizations while being part of a national effort supporting the arts and other nonprofit organizations.”
Midlands Gives will raise money and awareness for 150 Midlands nonprofits serving a wide range of community needs, including arts and culture. A gift to any of the participating nonprofits will be increased through a bonus pool and prize incentives totaling $90,000. Every hour, Golden Ticket prizes will add $500 to a randomly selected donor’s gift for a total of 24 prizes. During six Power Hours, the nonprofit with the most donors during that hour will receive a $1,000 prize.
Take a few minutes before the campaigns launch to check out the list of participating organizations by visiting lowcountrygivingday.org and/or midlandsgives.org. Then, on Tuesday, May 6, between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., simply select the organization(s) and make your donation(s) with a credit card or debit card. You can check the leaderboards throughout the day to view real-time giving results.