Give More 24! — once Southwest Washington’s biggest day of giving — is back after a two-year hiatus.
The 24-hour fundraising campaign, meant to bolster support for local nonprofit groups and encourage community philanthropy, will return Sept. 25.
The Greater Vancouver Chamber is leading the campaign’s revival, which invites community members, businesses and donors to give to local causes across Clark, Skamania and Cowlitz counties through the collaborative digital platform GiveMore24.org.
Give More 24’s relaunch was funded by a capacity-building grant from the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund at the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington.
Learn More
The Greater Vancouver Chamber will soon release more details on registration, peer-to-peer fundraising, platform setup and additional resources for Give More 24! If nonprofits have questions in the meantime, they should email GiveMore24@VancouverUSA.com. Nonprofits can also fill out an interest form to participate in Give More 24! by visiting form.jotform.com/243258157947165.
“It was actually born out of a way of trying to figure out how to cultivate giving among the people,” Greater Vancouver Chamber COO Janet Kenefsky said. “The event functions as an online program encouraging nonprofits to organize events to activate and galvanize their stakeholders.”
The campaign invites local nonprofits to host their own fundraising events to garner support for their causes. The Greater Vancouver Chamber will provide step-by-step guidance, including access to training, resources and other tools. Starting at midnight Sept. 25, nonprofits can watch via the online platform as donations add up in real time for 24 hours.
Give More 24! was created in 2014 to empower nonprofits and previously hosted by the Community Foundation.
Kenefsky said reviving Give More 24! will give Southwest Washington nonprofits access to fundraising tools that make many of their missions possible.
“The Community Foundation took the reins and really grew it, both with their donors and support in the community, to over $16 million being given to nonprofits during the 10 years they had it under their watch,” Kenefsky said. “It really became a vital part of fundraising for our nonprofit community. Oftentimes, a lot of our nonprofits look at Give More 24! as their No. 1 way of raising money throughout the year.”
Two-year hiatus
In 2022, the Community Foundation phased out the annual Give More 24! campaign. The fundraiser transitioned to the two-day GiveBIG campaign under Seattle-based nonprofit 501 Commons. While some Southwest Washington nonprofits shifted to the statewide GiveBIG campaign, donation numbers dipped. Many Clark County nonprofits didn’t feel as connected to GiveBIG, which had a larger presence in Seattle, Kenefsky said.
It is one of the reasons why the Greater Vancouver Chamber wanted to bring Give More 24! back.
When the campaign began in 2013, about 1,200 donors contributed a little more than $425,000 to 87 nonprofits. In 2022 — the last year the campaign was active in Southwest Washington — more than $3.6 million was raised from more than 6,000 donors for 216 area nonprofits.
“When local nonprofits succeed, our community succeeds. The Community Foundation has championed this idea for four decades, and we’re grateful to have strong, local partners like the GVC to advance this shared mission,” Community Foundation President Matt Morton said in a news release. “Give More 24! is a low-barrier, high-impact way for local causes to raise funds and develop digital skills, and we know GVC will continue building on its success.”
Supporting local causes
Kenefsky said the campaign isn’t necessarily about large donations; it’s about encouraging people who don’t usually give to become acquainted with local nonprofits.
Fundraising can be difficult for nonprofits, so the Greater Vancouver Chamber wants to ensure that even small organizations can amplify their mission and increase visibility.
Over the next seven months, the chamber will communicate with local nonprofits and provide media tool kits tailored to an organization’s mission to ensure a successful day of giving.
“Nonprofits are doing a lot in our communities to make sure people are safe, they’re housed and they’re healthy,” Kenefsky said. “It’s important for us to support that.”
On Jan. 27, the Greater Vancouver Chamber announced that it will rebrand its nonprofit programming under a new name: the Southwest Washington Nonprofit Collective.
Previously called the Nonprofit POD, which launched in 2022, the chamber wanted the rebrand to reflect its broadened support of nonprofits across Southwest Washington through new programming, advocacy and resources.
Additionally, one of the chamber’s goals is to ensure that Give More 24! has that longevity within the community.
The chamber will release more details on registration, peer-to-peer fundraising, platform setup and additional resources to help nonprofits get started. If nonprofits have questions in the meantime, they should email GiveMore24@VancouverUSA.com. Nonprofits can also fill out an interest form to participate in Give More 24! by visiting form.jotform.com/243258157947165.
“When somebody gets an opportunity to give, it opens up a whole new world and they understand what philanthropy feels like,” Kenefsky said.