By Conny Bogaard, Executive Director

The last three months of the year are always extra busy for the nonprofit field when so much effort goes into the promotion of end-of-year giving. Our affiliate partners in Wichita County and Grant County are running their campaigns locally. We’re excited to host our 2017 Match Day event in Garden City on November 28^th in support of the fundraising efforts of 13 local nonprofits and 2 endowed funds under WKCF’s administration. A complete list of participants can be found on the Match Day page.    

Community Foundation giving days are part of a growing trend that often runs parallel with the more widely known Giving Tuesdays. Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration.

Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.

The attraction for many nonprofit organizations to programs like this are the matching funds provided by local sponsors. In addition to using private and corporate sponsorship dollars for the match pool and as prizes for participating organizations, funds from local support groups help to offset the fees incurred by credit card donations. This helps participating organizations to see the full benefit of their donor’s dollars.

Match Day on November 28^th encourages donors to give above and beyond what they normally give. A gift on Match Day is not to replace a traditional annual gift but is meant as a one-time opportunity to make charitable dollars go farther. The beauty of giving to an endowed fund – a permanent fund created to produce income for charitable purposes - is that it can be made at any time, in perpetuity. 

Building endowments is critical for the future of nonprofits organizations. Through Match Day, WKCF fulfills its mission by strengthening nonprofits and communities and with that, enhancing the quality of life in our area. We are tremendously grateful for this opportunity to bring together more donors with the causes they care about.