OPINION: Maximize impact with GoodGiving

Published 2:54 pm Monday, November 26, 2018

Nov. 27 is Giving Tuesday and also marks the beginning of a week-long opportunity for Kentuckians to enhance the impact of their donations this holiday season through the GoodGiving Guide Challenge.

The annual online giving campaign runs from 9 a.m. Tuesday to 11:59 p.m. Dec. 3 and provides a platform for nonprofits of various sizes throughout Central Kentucky to garner donations.

Sponsored by the Blue Grass Community Foundation and Smiley Pete Publishing, the challenge has been offering this platform to nonprofits for eight years and has helped raise more than $8.5 million in that time.

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This year, 20 Clark County charities are participating and can raise up to an additional $10,000 through a dollar-for-dollar matching grant from the Clark County Community Foundation. That means every $1 you donate to a local nonprofit will be doubled.

There are numerous other opportunities throughout the challenge for donors to make sure they get the most out of their money.

The following Clark County nonprofits are participating in this year’s challenge:

— Achieving Recovery Together

— BCTC Winchester-Clark County Campus

— Bluegrass Heritage Museum

— Clark County Community Services

— Clark County Homeless Coalition

— Friends of Hemp

— Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties

— Holly Rood

— Hospice East

— Lady Veterans Connect

— Leeds Center for the Arts

— Life for Pets

— New Beginnings of Winchester

— Partners in Education

— Rowland Arts Center (RAC)

— Rose Mary C Brooks Place

— St. Agatha Academy

— Stride

— Winchester Clark County Farmers Market

— Winchester Youth Soccer League

You can find more information about each nonprofit in today’s newspaper.

Through GoodGiving, charitable givers can support a wide variety of local nonprofits. These nonprofits survive almost exclusively on donations and grants, which are often difficult to apply for and highly competitive.

With these donations, local charities strive to make our community a better place to live — whether that’s by preserving our heritage, saving our furry friends, improving our schools or ensuring families have warm homes and food on the table.

When you’re making an investment in your community, it’s nice to know there are others standing by willing to match that investment.

The annual online fundraiser began as a means of allowing area nonprofits to tap into the momentum in online giving, allowing local nonprofits to earn about $366,000 collectively last year.

The campaign allows organizations to raise much more than they would receive from a typical grant cycle with the added benefit of using the funds however they see necessary. And all of that money goes back into our community.

Many choose to use the holiday season as a time to give to charities, we encourage you to maximize your impact this year.

Visit bggives.org to make your donation.