It’s been Five Years of Community Impact and more than $7.25 Million raised since the inception of Midlands Gives in 2014, Central Carolina Community Foundation has raised more than $7.25 million for hundreds of local nonprofits.

Breaking its all-time record, the fifth year of Midlands Gives has raised an estimated total of $1,756,332 million dollars via 14,665 individual gifts. (A final total will be released in the coming weeks after numbers have been reconfirmed.) Featuring 372 participating nonprofits, the 24-hour online giving challenge was hosted by Central Carolina Community Foundation on May 1, 2018. View the leaderboard of gifts and prizes here:  https://www.midlandsgives.org/leaderboards.

JoAnn Turnquist, president & CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation, expressed gratitude. “Once again, our Foundation has been overwhelmed by the tremendous generosity of the folks in the Midlands, everyday philanthropists who demonstrated how much they care about the communities they call home and the nonprofits who make home a better place to live.”

In 2017, Midlands Gives raised $1,672,118 via 13,765 individual gifts, for 337 charities. In 2016, Midlands Gives raised $1.6 million via 12,536 individual gifts, for 382 charities. In 2015, Midlands Gives raised $1,543,032.65, via 11,372 individual gifts, for 251 charities. In 2014, the event’s inaugural year, $704,932.23 was raised, via 5,186 individual gifts, for 150 charities. Midlands Gives is one of almost 100 giving days that take place in cities across America throughout the year. In 2015 and 2016, Midlands Gives ranked in the top 10 in the nation in number of individual gifts, indicating the widespread generosity of the region.

Local Corporations Lend Major Support via Matching Gifts and Incentive Prizes

Corporate sponsors, including Aflac, Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation, BB&T and First Citizens Bank provided financial incentives, matching gifts and prizes for nonprofits on May 1. Additional prizes were sponsored by South State Bank, Nelson Mullins, Southeastern Freight, and Elliott Davis. The full list of prizes can be found at https://www.midlandsgives.org/prizes.

“The generosity of our Corporate Philanthropy Champions was evident in the spikes in giving when their prizes were activated,” notes Turnquist. “And, we were honored that our region’s mayors joined us once again this year to promote giving across their cities and towns.”

Midday Fun with Regional Mayors: The Nephron Putting Challenge

As has become a tradition, Midlands mayors and council chairs competed in a midday sporting challenge on Midlands Gives day. This year, local leaders showed off their golfing skills in the Nephron Putting Challenge.

An Electric Atmosphere at Midlands Gives Headquarters

Midlands Gives headquarters at the South Carolina State Museum again provided a central location for the community to celebrate and cheer for their favorite charities on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Nonprofits and their fans were encouraged to come to the museum with signs and cheer during live TV news broadcasts during early morning, midday and evening television broadcasts.

“The mood at Midlands Gives HQ at the South Carolina State Museum was electric,” says Turnquist. “The nonprofit organizations supported one another and worked together to increase giving. Our media partners gave voice to the nonprofits, telling their stories and sharing the impact that these organizations have on people’s lives.

New: Individuals Drive Support via “Champion Pages”

A new feature for 2018, Champion Pages have provided a vehicle for individuals to connect their passions and networks by creating personal campaigns to raise money for local nonprofits. More information can be found at http://www.midlandsgives.org/champion.

Advance, Scheduled Giving a Success for Second Year

For the second year, Central Carolina Community Foundation implemented easy, early, pre-scheduled online giving from April 17 to April 30. Advance, scheduled gifts were processed beginning at 12:00 a.m. to kick off Midlands Gives with a solid base of scheduled donations at $111,521.97.

CiviCore was retained for the second year as the online platform for Midlands Gives. Capable of high-volume usage, the website platform is specially designed for the gamification aspects of a giving day, including recommendations, prize tracking and leaderboards. With the exception of standard credit card processing fees and a technology fee (average 2.1% credit card fee + 2.8% technology fee), every penny donated via Midlands Gives went directly to the giver’s nonprofit(s) of choice. Overhead costs are covered by Central Carolina Community Foundation and its supporters.

Midlands Gives makes it easy for everyone to become a philanthropist. Learn more at http://www.MidlandsGives.org.