Georgians urged to give on Tuesday

Charles Oliver, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·3 min read

Nov. 28—Humane Society of Northwest Georgia Executive Director Jonathan Shatz said that, like many nonprofits, the Humane Society receives a large share of its donations during the Christmas season.

"Apart from adoption fees, donations are our main source of funding," he said. "We get no government funds. We get some grants from foundations. But we really depend on donations from individuals who care about animals, and this time of year is when people are thinking about giving and thinking about making a difference."

That's why the local Humane Society is taking part on Tuesday in Georgia Gives on GivingTuesday, an effort spearheaded by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits that encourages people to give to local nonprofits. People can give on the Georgia Gives website (https://www.gagives.org/giving-events/gagt22) or through the website of nonprofits that are taking part.

The idea of making the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving GivingTuesday began at the 92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York City.

The Georgia Center for Nonprofits is the state's largest association of nonprofits.

"We help nonprofits succeed through better management, leadership and governance," said Karen Beavor, founder and CEO of the center.

"We started Georgia Gives the same year GivingTuesday started, in 2008," she said. "In 2017, we combined our efforts on GivingTuesday, holding it on the same day."

She said each year about 2,000 nonprofits across the state take part in Georgia Gives on GivingTuesday.

"Many, many more organizations take part on GivingTuesday, but that's how many take part through our site," Beavor said. "We raised $27 million last year, through the Georgia Gives website and other websites, We don't make people use the Georgia Gives website. They can use other websites if they choose. We along with GivingTuesday track about 25 giving websites and total that up."

Hope Spur, a Dalton nonprofit that raises funds to help people who can't cover out-of-pocket costs for outpatient mental health treatment and counseling, will also be taking part in Georgia Gives on GivingTuesday for the first time this year.

"We are brand new," said Christy Payne, executive director of Hope Spur. "We were officially recognized as a 501©(3) in June of fiscal 2020. This year we have subsidized about 148 sessions. We are hoping to triple that next year."

The federal tax code allows people to deduct donations to 501©(3) charitable organizations.

"As a new organization, we are grateful to be able to take part in this event," Payne said. "We hope we are successful. We are certainly learning a lot (from the Georgia Center for Nonprofits)."

Payne said even if people don't have a lot to give, nonprofits appreciate any donation. and she said foundations often look at a nonprofit's number of donors as one factor when deciding whether to give it grants.

Payne said if people wish to donate to Hope Spur they can do that through the organization's Facebook and Instagram pages or through the Give Lively website (https://www.givelively.org).

The United Way of Northwest Georgia is participating in GivingTuesday as part of a fundraising campaign that runs through Dec. 31.