What do I do?

Ever since I started working at the Foundation I've been asked that question by family and friends. We do lots of things and since we're not a direct service organization (like a food shelf or a youth program) it can be pretty hard to explain sometimes.

Now I can show them! We put together this 3 minute video for the GiveMN.org website but it's a great piece that I can share with people - especially my kids who still don't quite get it!

So, guys, for the past ten years this is what Mom does when she goes to work everyday...



Enjoy!

$14M on GiveMN Match Day

I was so happy to see the total amount on GiveMN.org's Give to the Max Day keep climbing as the day went on. As I kept checking back it went from $3 million to $9 to $13 and after 24 hours finally stopped at $14,000,406. That's a lot of money to a lot of worthy causes. One of the top three organizations is in our neck of the woods too. The College of St. Benedict came in 2nd with 719 total donors - way to go guys!

What amazes me more is that so many folks from so many different foundations and organizations joined forces to make this all work. I really think GiveMN.org is here to stay.

Thank you to everyone who donated that day - not only to the Initiative Foundation but to any nonprofit. November 17th was truly a great example of "Minnesota Nice"!

Online Giving in MN is Changing

Have you heard the buzz? There's a new website in town and it just might change the face of online giving in Minnesota. It's www.GiveMN.org and it went live last week.

According to my coworker, Matt (who's also on GiveMN's Strategy Cabinet), "It's a visionary & exciting project!"

Here's the deal... GiveMN.org has been pre-loaded with basic information on Minnesota 501(c)3s and gives contributors information about all charitable nonprofits in Minnesota. It provides every charitable nonprofit equal access to online contributors. And, it encourages local online giving.

A couple of big things... there is no cost to a nonprofit to participate in GiveMN.org, and, at least initially, all credit card processing fees for donations will be covered by GiveMN.org funding partners.

To learn more:

• check out the Initiative Foundation's GiveMN page,
• encourage all nonprofits (there are over 20,000 in Minnesota!) to claim their page,
• or better yet... try it out! Find your favorite nonprofit and donate today.

And if you want your dollar to go a little further... next Tuesday, November 17th is Give to the Max Day. Every donation made that day will receive a portion of a $500,000 match.

(NOTE: When this same model was tried in Dallas, donors blew through an online match of $400,000. That day, they raised over $4 million!)

With GiveMN.org, the fundraising potential for Minnesota's nonprofits and the causes they support is HUGE.

Please help spread the word!