Centre Gives Expands Opportunities to Support Local Nonprofits During 36-Hour Fundraiser

The COVID-19 pandemic has put several strains on many local nonprofits: an increased demand for services, fewer available volunteers  and an inability to hold the typical fundraisers that sustain their work.

So this year’s Centre Gives is as important as ever.

Centre Foundation’s 36-hour online giving event to support the local nonprofit network will take place from 9 a.m. Tuesday to 9 p.m. Wednesday at CentreGives.org. And while the in-person events that often accompany the fundraiser won’t be happening, Centre Foundation is providing more ways to help more than 175 local nonprofits.

“This year, more than ever, local nonprofits are faced with extreme uncertainty, so we want to help as much as we can,’ Centre Foundation executive director Molly Kunkel said. ‘An online fundraiser like Centre Gives allows the public to support their community while … practicing social distancing. We’re providing additional funding to make the biggest impact we can and lowering the minimum gift amount to make it easier for everyone in the community to participate.’

The minimum gift during Centre Gives has been lowered from $25 to $10, giving more community members an opportunity to support nonprofits working in the areas of arts, animals, education, environment and health and social services.

Available prize pool money for the friendly competitions that take place throughout the event has increased from $27,000 to $40,000. 

The stretch pool has also increased by $100,000 for an available $300,000. The Centre Gives stretch pool allows gifts to go farther: the more money a nonprofit raises, the greater its share of the pool. In 2019, gifts stretched an average of 15 percent.

The 2020 Centre Inspires grant program is being redirected to provide the additional $100,000 stretch pool on top of the $200,000 already committed by The Hamer Foundation and Centre Foundation. 

“Each year, when considering applications for Centre Inspires, we think about what projects inspire us and will provide transformational change within our community,’ Kunkel said. ‘This year, we couldn’t think of anything more inspirational or transformative than expanding our support of the hundreds of organizations doing incredible work every day, despite the challenges that this year has brought.”

Gifts can be made at CentreGives.org and community members can follow along on social media by searching #CentreGives to see the latest updates and fun atmosphere among participating nonprofits.

Since its start in 2012, Centre Gives has raised more than $8.2 million for local nonprofits.

‘Our community is always so generous during Centre Gives and, during this time especially, we know many people are looking for ways to help,’ Kunkel said. We want to make it easy for the community to join together and provide support to our great local nonprofits.”