Day of Giving in Butler and Westmoreland Counties surpasses 2014 results
$500,000 raised in 16 hours for 163 area nonprofit organizations
PITTSBURGH, Pa., May 6, 2015 – Nonprofit organizations in Butler and Westmoreland County benefitted from a strong turnout for the 2015 Day of Giving, surpassing last year’s results.
During yesterday’s 16-hour event, 3,183 donations totaling $463,000 were received through The Pittsburgh Foundation’s PittsburghGives online site. Together, with matching funds for Westmoreland and Butler counties, the total raised exceeded $500,000.
For nonprofits in Westmoreland, the event generated public donations totalling $367,000, which activated a match pool of $50,000 provided by the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County (CFWC). The results surpassed last year’s $362,000 fundraising total.
“Westmoreland County once again demonstrated its generosity on behalf of our dedicated nonprofit organizations in building a better community,” said James Bendel, executive director of CFWC. “I can’t thank donors enough for the vital support that their gifts will provide through the Day of Giving.”
Butler County, experiencing its second Day of Giving event, received public donations of $96,000 for 37 participating nonprofits. Each will receive an equal pro-rated share of the $10,000 in matching funds provided by the Endowment for Butler County, a fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation. Last year’s event raised $72,000.
“The Butler County Endowments was thrilled with the results,” said Leslie Osche, an advisory board member. “We were excited to have more nonprofits participate this year and showcase the work they do for our community as well as gain awareness for how the Endowments supports their efforts. We would like to thank our sponsors for helping us provide the matching funds and the community for its outpouring of support.”
All data is preliminary and is subject to financial and administrative reconciliation by Pittsburgh Foundation staff, which is expected to be completed by early next week when the Foundation will also confirm the matching amount for each donation.
A total of 163 local charities in Butler and Westmoreland received contributions from donors to qualify for an equal, pro-rated share of the matching funds.
The Butler and Westmoreland Day of Giving events are examples of a new partnership model that The Pittsburgh Foundation implemented this year. In the new model, the Foundation provides the giving site, staff time, publicity support, marketing materials and customer service for participating nonprofits and the public with the matching pools provided by community partners. The Foundation will provide these services for any event connected to a single nonprofit or for a group of nonprofits aligned in their missions.
In addition, the Foundation will continue to host giving events on an ad hoc basis, especially in situations demanding quick action in response to funding cuts, an emergency need or a time-limited opportunity. A high-profile example is last year’s Critical Needs Alert for the Homeless which raised $900,000 in 48 hours for organizations providing emergency and temporary housing.
PittsburghGives is a platform for nonprofits to showcase their work in the community, detailing information about their charitable programs, missions, management and finances. PittsburghGives can be accessed at www.pittsburghgives.org.
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