NEW ORLEANS – Today, the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) is hosting GiveNOLA Day, a 24-hour online giving event to inspire people to give generously to regional nonprofit organizations.
Every dollar donated from midnight to midnight on May 3 will be increased with additional “lagniappe” dollars provided by GNOF and multiple GiveNOLA Day sponsors. Last year, GiveNOLA Day raised $4 million dollars from more than 34,000 donations around the nation.
Built on successful models from other cities, GiveNOLA Day raises money for the community, brings new donors and awareness to local nonprofits and helps make the region a more vibrant place to live, GNOF reps said.
GiveNOLA Day is tied to a national event called Give Local America where community foundations across America are asking their communities to give back on May 3.
To participate, individuals can make online donations to participating nonprofits. The minimum donation is $10. All donations made to nonprofits on May 3 give those organizations the opportunity to earn lagniappe dollars, awards and hourly prizes.
Within the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s 13-parish region, 713 nonprofits are participating in GiveNOLA Day. The participating nonprofits are working on a broad range of issues including Arts & Culture, Animal, Community Improvement, Education, Environment, Health, Housing, Human Services, Public Safety and Crime Prevention and Youth Development.
View the full list of participating nonprofits here
Local nonprofits will benefit from “lagniappe funds,” awards and hourly prizes.
GNOF reps said their goal this year is to raise at least $250,000 in local, proportional "lagniappe" dollars. At the end of the event, every agency will receive a proportional share of this fund based upon its percentage of the total dollars raised. The equation to calculate lagniappe dollars is:
Amount you raise ÷ Amount raised by ALL on May 3 = Your lagniappe fund percentage
The deadline for organizations to set up a profile was March 1, 2016.
Eligibility requirements include the following:
• 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that are in good standing with the IRS and/ or nonprofit entities that have a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3) organization in good standing with the IRS.
• The organization's service area and mailing address are in the Greater New Orleans Foundation's 13-parish region including: Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Washington.
• Organizations categorized by the IRS as 509(a)(3).
• Supporting organizations had to provide additional documentation, if not already on file with the Greater New Orleans Foundation, before their profile was approved.
• Private foundations (operating and non-operating), governmental units, foreign organizations, individuals, 509(a)(4) and disqualified supporting organizations were not eligible to participate in GiveNOLA Day.
Funds raised on GiveNOLA Day are to be used for services within the 13-parish region only.
While organization descriptions can include all of the programs and services they offer, donors cannot designate or restrict their donations to a particular program.
GNOF encourages nonprofits to sign up to receive donations on GiveNOLA Day to grow donations, reach new donors, raise awareness and be eligible to receive proportional lagniappe funds, awards, and hourly prizes.
• There is no fee for nonprofit organizations to participate.
• Participating organizations will receive at least 93% of the donations received the day of the event (there is a 2.99% fee from online platform provider, Kimbia, as well as credit card processing that vary depending on method and type of card used which amounts to ~2.50%) and 100% of any matching funds or prize money obtained during the event.
• GNOF reps said they work diligently to minimize the fees for this event and does not receive any funds or fees from this event.
• Organizations can receive only one, randomly-chosen $1,000 hourly Rock Around the Clock prize. Once a group has been selected for an hourly prize, it will no longer be eligible to receive another one. Organizations can also only win one Throw Me Something Mister Hour, a $3,000 prize earned by the nonprofit receiving the most unique donations in that hour. Throw Me Something Mister Hours are divided into small and large organizations; Rock Around the Clock are not.
• Organizations will still be eligible for other types of prizes, such as 1st ($10,000), 2nd ($5,000), 3rd ($3,000), 4th ($1,000) and 5th ($500) place winners for most dollars raised and most unique donors for small and large organizations on May 3.
• Participating nonprofits will receive all donations and prize money in a single disbursement check by Thursday, June 30, 2016. All disbursements will be made by check from the Greater New Orleans Foundation.
• Anyone can make a donation to a nonprofit that has created a profile on GiveNOLA.org. Donors do not have to live in the New Orleans region to donate but the nonprofits must be located in and serve the Greater New Orleans Foundation 13-parish region.
• Donors can search participating nonprofits online by name, service area or parish. Participating nonprofits will have a donation page where donors can enter the amount they want to donate. Donations begin at $10 and there is no limit to the maximum size or number of donations donors can make. Donors may give to as many different nonprofits as they choose. Donors are also encourages to visit the Leaderboard page for a list of participating nonprofits, see their gifts in real-time on May 3, and click on their nonprofit title to visit their profile page.
• Since all transactions are processed by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, donor’s credit card statements will reflect this. Depending on the bank, this charge may appear as “Greater New Orleans Foundation,” “GNOF,” or a similar abbreviation. The charge will not be posted as GiveNOLA or GiveNOLA.org.
• Donors will receive an immediate thank you email and tax receipt for 100% of the donation from the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Chosen nonprofits will thank donors as well to let then know how donations will make a difference.
• Anonymous donors will receive a tax receipt, but will not receive a thank you from the nonprofit organizations to which they contributed.
• There is no fee to be a donor.
• Donors can also make donations by calling the GNOF at (504) 598-4663.
Since their founding in 1983, GNOF, one of the oldest and largest philanthropic organizations in the region, has grown from $4 million in assets to more than $300 million in assets under management today. GNOF reps said the Foundation has played a key role in the region’s recovery, coordinating donor efforts and rallying support following the disasters that have affected the area, including Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Coast oil spill.
Today, GNOF manages more than 700 funds devoted to charitable, environmental, cultural and economic development purposes.
