Nonprofits launch fundraisers for Giving Tuesday

Myriad local nonprofits are participating today in the annual fundraising holiday Giving Tuesday.

The local organizations, including Care to Learn, Ozarks Food Harvest and Convoy of Hope, are seeking to tap into a day that last year saw nonprofits raise nearly $250 million, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Facebook and PayPal also pledged to donate up to $7 million in matching funds during Giving Tuesday. The match was made early this morning.

For the event known on social media through the #GivingTuesday hashtag, Springfield children’s nonprofit Care to Learn is seeking $7,500 through a Facebook fundraiser. It had raised $3,830 as of 11:15 a.m. for weekend food backpacks, in-school food pantries and emergency food vouchers.

Ozarks Food Harvest also is hosting a Facebook fundraiser as part of a $10,000 goal for the day. Mercy pledged to match funds raised up to $2,500, which is the goal on Facebook. The campaign had raised $235 as of 11:15 a.m.

“Every gift given to the food bank will help make a difference in the life of someone who is struggling with hunger over the holiday season,” said Denise Gibson, development and communication director at Ozarks Food Harvest, in a news release.

Other fundraising efforts locally, as of 11:15 a.m., include:
    •    Community Foundation of the Ozarks/Cause Momentum crowdfunding portal, where 12 nonprofits, including Friends of the Garden, raised $1,937;
    •    Community Partnership of the Ozarks, which is fundraising for homeless prevention and other services;
    •    Convoy of Hope, which brought in $5,377 of a $15,000 goal on Facebook;
    •    Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, which plans to leverage pledges by Facebook and PayPal;
    •    Humane Society of Southwest Missouri, which had raised $3,680 of a $5,000 goal on Facebook;
    •    I Pour Life, which had raised around $1,000 via multiple Facebook campaigns;
    •    Jesus Was Homeless, which is targeting $5,000 to help people living in extended stay motels in the Branson area feed their families;
    •    Rescue One, which had raised $4,450 of a $7,500 goal on Facebook;
    •    Springfield Little Theatre, which had raised $1,635 of a $5,000 Facebook goal;
    •    The Kitchen Inc., which raised $505 of a $12,000 goal through Facebook; and
    •    United Way of the Ozarks, which is encouraging text-message donations.

Several local breweries also are partnering today to brew their version of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Resilience IPA to raise money for California wildfire victims. The beer is slated to be sold to the public on Dec. 14, Springfield Business Journal previously reported.