Pictured: Representatives from the participating nonprofits gathered together during the check presentation on June 14 in The Freight Room at the DeKalb County Community Foundation.

This year 68 nonprofit organizations joined with the DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership and DeKalb County Community Foundation to participate in Give Local DeKalb County. Through a combination of support from donors and Community Partners, $428,297 was raised in nonprofit support during Give Local DeKalb County 2016.

This amount is more than double what was raised during Give Local DeKalb County 2015 and triple of what was raised in 2014.

Lynette Spencer, executive director of Adventure Works and Give Local DeKalb County committee chair said, “The third time was a charm. What a phenomenal event for our area nonprofits. It was inspiring to see our community come together to support the great work being done and to feel a sense of camaraderie among my fellow nonprofits.”

The generosity of donors resulted in $324,547 given through in-person and online donations. Donations were received online from 30 different states and five countries from across the world. These donations were proportionally matched with $103,750 in funds that came from Community Partner support as a way to boost donation amounts.

“Giving days like Give Local are a great way to support worthy causes in our community and the important work that nonprofits carry out” said Ben Bingle, manager of the DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership. “Thank you to the donors, Community Partners, Media Sponsors, supporting organizations, participating nonprofits, volunteers and Community Foundation staff for making this event a success.”

Despite technical issues experienced by Kimbia, the third-party vendor responsible for Give Local websites across the United States, donations continued to be accepted through in-person gifts at the DeKalb County Community Foundation and by mail. A timely contribution of $50,000 to the proportional match from the Douglas C. and Lynn M. Roberts Family Foundation helped infuse tremendous energy into the giving day after the technology challenges occurred.

A standing room only crowd of representatives from participating nonprofit organizations received their Give Local checks at an event on June 14 at the Community Foundation.

“Nonprofit organizations touch nearly every aspect of our community, from child care, counseling and recreation, to environmental conservation, healthcare, historic preservation, the arts and more. These organizations truly contribute to the quality of life here in DeKalb County” said Bingle.

Give Local DeKalb County 2016 Recap:

For the third consecutive year, the DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership and DeKalb County Community Foundation joined together to support local nonprofits and grow philanthropy in our community through Give Local DeKalb County. Give Local DeKalb County, a local version of the national event Give Local America, was held on May 3, 2016 and extended through 5 p.m. on May 4 due to technical issues. This online giving event provides much needed funds to local causes and nonprofit organizations that tackle the critical challenges in the DeKalb County community.