ColoradoGives.org

By Kayla Arnesen, Director of Strategic Communications CommunityFirst Foundation  and  FirstBank   are excited to announce a call-for-entries for the 2015    Colorado Gives Day   Corporate Challenge presented by the  DenverBusiness Journal . Launched last year, the Corporate Challenge pits companies against themselves in a fun and friendly competition to raise money for the more than 1,700 Colorado nonprofit organizations participating in Colorado Gives Day, on Tuesday, December 8, 2015. By setting an employee-participation goal, companies across the state can join the Colorado Gives Day movement and contribute to what has become one of the most important and successful annual fundraising efforts in Colorado. Here is what Geri Mitchell-Brown of Rally (now a part of CA Technologies) has to say about her organization’s participation in the very first Colorado Gives Day Corporate Challenge. “Our employees were energized and enthusiastic abou...

By Lisa Adams, FirstBank FirstBank has been a proud supporter of Colorado Gives Day , the state’s largest online giving movement, since its launch in 2010. Everyone at FirstBank is passionate about the initiative and honored to give back to the local communities that have helped us grow and succeed. Each year, we provide more than $600,000 in support for ColoradoGives, including $100,000 that goes straight to nonprofit organizations through several fun prize programs: "Why Colorado Gives” Social Media Prizes ($1,000 each) From Monday, November 30, through Friday, December 4, FirstBank Facebook fans will have a chance to win one of fifteen $1,000 cash prizes to donate to the Colorado Gives charity of their choice. To qualify, fans will have to post a photo or video to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram about why they give. When posting your photo on Facebook make sure the privacy settings are set to public so Community First Foundation & FirstBank can view it. Posts...

By Angela Bevacqua, Senior Communications Specialist New this year is another fun social media badge that celebrates people who schedule their Colorado Gives Day donations early. Starting Nov. 1, our scheduled donations feature goes live on ColoradoGives.org . This is an option that will appear during the check-out process from Nov. 1 through Dec. 7. We encourage nonprofits to upload this new “I Gave Early!” badge onto their social media pages such as Facebook and Twitter while encouraging their donors to use it. If you have the manpower and time, you can even e-mail a badge directly to the donor. To do this, simply use the email address in the donation notification e-mail that is sent to the ColoradoGives Primary Contact after a donor schedules her donation. Then you can attach the badge and e-mail something as simple as, “Thank you for scheduling your Colorado Gives Day donation to [put your name here]! Feel free to share this fun badge with your friends and family on so...

By Angela Bevacqua, Senior Communications Specialist My favorite webinar to put together is the one that shares the strategic and creative ways nonprofits promote Colorado Gives Day. If you missed this recent webinar,  watch the recording here   for some inspiration for your own promotional plans! This and other related videos can be found in the Colorado Gives Day  NonprofitToolkit .   Here are some takeaways I compiled from Wendy White’s (Executive Director of Larimer Chorale) segment, representing a small nonprofit: Make sure your board of directors and volunteers are your advocates . They can create fundraising pages that reach new donors.  Finish your ColoradoGives profile as early as possible so you can link to it in all of your electronic materials. Push hard for donations when scheduled donations begin on November 1 so people can take action right away. Give people something to aim for , such as “help us raise money to build our orche...

By Angela Bevacqua, Senior Communications Specialist Is your nonprofit new to Colorado Gives Day? Or are you just seeking the lowdown for 2015? Either way, we encourage you to check out our short, informative videos. With a typical length of about 3 ½ minutes, you can get yourself and your Colorado Gives Day team up to speed. We highly recommend sharing them with your volunteers, board, and any others who have a role in the event. These and more support tools are located in the CO Give Day Nonprofit Toolkit. One of four informational videos Key Facts & Deadlines The Nonprofit Toolkit: Your Marketing Resource Marketing Best Practices FirstBank Prizes & $1 Million Incentive Fund (coming in the fall) And while you’re at it, register for one of our most popular webinars: Winning Ways: How Three Nonprofits Met Their Goals on Colorado Gives Day , coming August 13 at 9 a.m. This webinar will give you a chance to learn how other nonprofits—ranging from small to large...

By Angela Bevacqua, Senior Communications Specialist, Community First Foundation As Mike and Amy planned their wedding, they already felt so blessed! Beyond the intangibles of love, family and friends, they each had fully equipped homes at their stage in life. A gift registry and wedding presents just didn’t feel right. "At this joyful time in our life, we have so much already in place. Material gifts just don’t seem to feel right to us as we celebrate our marriage. Please consider supporting our wedding by giving to our new Jackson Family Donor Advised Fund at Community First Foundation. We are both passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations and by making a gift to our Fund we can distribute money at just the right time to the causes we care about...”  Mike Jackson works at Community First Foundation , so he knows a thing or two about philanthropy. But more than that, he knows about the charitable tools the Foundation offers. Charitable Funds Mike and Amy a...

By Lisa Lujan, Online Giving Coordinator, Community First Foundation A few months back I came across an article called " Don’t Get Scrooged ," by Mitch Morrissey, Denver District Attorney of the Second Judicial District. Given the fraudulent nature of the age we live in, I’d like to share some of the DA office’s important safety tips. The first part of the article says that "donors should be wary about giving without doing a little research to ensure the charity is legitimate.” It continues by saying to "avoid any charity or fundraiser that..."  Won’t provide proof that a contribution is tax deductible Thanks you for a previous pledge that you can’t remember giving to in the past Uses high-pressure tactics Asks for donations in cash Offers to send a courier to collect the donation or asks for you to wire money Refuses to provide written information about itself Appeals to your heart strings, especially patriotism and current events.” What’s gr...