Hundreds of charities in East Texas benefited from the generosity of East Texas donors during East Texas Giving Day, the region’s inaugural day of giving to support local nonprofits.
The online fundraising effort began at midnight on Tuesday, May 3rd, and ended at 5:00 p.m. on May 4th. Based on preliminary results, donors contributed just over $307,000 in support of the causes they care about in 32 East Texas counties.
“East Texas residents showed their generosity and unwavering support of area nonprofits this week,” said Kyle Penney, President of East Texas Communities Foundation (ETCF), which hosted this year’s event. “Nonprofit organizations spent countless hours getting the word out about the needs facing our region. Donorsresponded and actively gave to charities throughout the day, even resorting to other means of giving when online donations slowed. ETCF and nonprofits quickly mobilized and began accepting contributions bypassingthe Giving Day site. East Texans were persistent and resourceful and local charities benefited.”
During East Texas Giving Day, nonprofit organizations encouraged their donors and the public to make charitable donations online at www.EastTexasGivingDay.org. Donors could choose from among 225 participating charities, and make donations starting at just $20. Throughout the day, some donations were eligible to be matched by donations already pledged by individuals to select nonprofits.
ETCF is currently compiling contributions made through various giving channels; therefore final Giving Day results are still pending. The foundation is continuing to work with Kimbia, the website provider, to resolve ongoing issues that hampered transactions on Giving Day.
