Fifty nonprofits in West Tennessee raised over $150,000 on May 5 for Giving Tuesday through a collaborative initiative known as Give Back 731.
According to Katherine Cheshire, Marketing & Communications Director, UNITED WAY OF WEST TENNESSEE, the funds raised will be used to assist those affected by the pandemic within the 731 communities.
In response to COVID-19, Giving Tuesday launched a new global day of giving, #GivingTuesdayNow, which inspired the idea for Give Back 731. This resulted in the rallying together of nonprofits in West Tenn. through Give Back 731 in order to raise funds for their local community.
By partnering with The West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation and United Way of West Tennessee, Toyota TN offered a sponsorship of $25,000 to help ensure the campaign’s success. To make Give Back 731 even more exciting, 17 company sponsors offered a monetary prize or in-kind donation to the nonprofit with the most individual donors or who raised the most money through online donations at the end of each hour. By the end of the day, WRAP finished the event with the most individual donors, while the Dream Center raised the most money online.
“We really only had two to three weeks to market this and get it in front of people, so I’m really hopeful that with more buildup time, we’ll be able to reach more people and raise even more funds in the future for our community,” said Matt Marshall, United Way President/CEO.
Donors can still support and give back to any nonprofit(s) by donating through giveback731.org. The site is accessible to the public for the rest of the year. These participating organizations also anticipate holding another collaborative fundraising event in November during the typical global day of giving, Giving Tuesday.
