At midnight on Sept. 19, nearly 3,000 nonprofits counted a combined $50 million raised by people all over the world to support their worthy causes.

North Texas Giving Day is an 18-hour event that compiles nonprofit organizations onto one easy-to-use online platform to make it easier to donate to multiple organizations simultaneously.

“It brings attention and excitement to worthwhile organizations who need fundraising exposure,” said Emily Nance, PTSO fundraising chairperson of New Tech High @ Coppell.

Over the past decade, Giving Day has raised more than $240 million in donations, making it the largest community-wide giving event in the nation. Since Giving Day began in 2009, the event has grown from a way to raise awareness for nonprofits into a movement in which everyone can support the causes they care for. 

Along with the online fundraising event, the weeks leading up to and following Giving Day are filled with community events to promote awareness for the nonprofits involved. Nonprofit organizations open booths with interactive activities for community members and distribute information about the organizations. 

The event is especially important to small grassroots organizations that struggle to get the word out about themselves and find people interested in the cause. NT@C participated in this event this year. 

“This was the first year New Tech participated, and the biggest enticement was the ability to reach beyond members of the PTSO,” Nance said. “In the past, we have felt we keep going to the same parents over and over for fundraising, even though our programs benefit a much wider group.”

The Coppell Lions Club is involved in promoting the event itself. The Lions placed advertisements in the Coppell Gazette to spread the word. 

“Giving Day really helps the Lions contribute to society by allowing us to donate to various causes we care about,” Coppell Lions marketing communications manager Margaret Meek said. “We can send funding to various nonprofits that help people with physical disabilities, a cause close to the Lions’ hearts.” 

Metrocrest Services also received donations from Giving Day and plans to expand its supply in the food pantry by purchasing food for cheap wholesale, buying school supplies for a back to school extravaganza and transporting seniors who have no other modes of transportation. 

“We had the privilege of transporting a 100-year-old man to Brookhaven Community College for the art classes he liked to take there,” incoming President of Metrocrest services Beccy Ratciff said. “He passed away last month, and it was great we got to help him do things he loved.”

The 10th anniversary of Giving Day was Sept. 19, 2019. The 2019 event was the biggest yet with 10 days of events and volunteering and more than 430,000 hours of service pledged by community members. The combined total was more than $50 million through more than 169,380 donations from all 50 states and 25 countries.

“There’s a certain camaraderie between the community members on Giving Day,” Ratcliff said. “It’s one day a year everyone is thinking about giving to others rather than ourselves.”

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