WHEELING, W.Va. — More than 100 non-profit organizations across 17 West Virginia counties are taking part in Give2WV — a 24 hour online fundraiser.
The fundraiser runs through Tuesday at Give2WV.org.
“We promote the day and we ask donors to go online and give to their favorite organization,” said Susie Nelson, executive director of the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley in Wheeling.
There are five Community Foundations participating. They include: Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley’s Amazing Raise Campaign, Parkersburg Area Community Foundation & Regional Affiliates’ Give Local MOV Campaign, Hardy County Community Foundation, Hampshire County Community Foundation and the Hinton Area Foundation.
The goal this year is to raise $500,000. Last year, Nelson said they collected $356,000.
It’s important to give back to local community groups, Nelson said. The day highlights several organizations people may not have heard of before.
“We want to promote philanthropy in our region. We want to promote giving locally to organizations that are working in our region and we also want to let donors know that it’s not as difficult as they may think to donate online,” she said.
A lot of these groups, Nelson said, use this one day of fundraising for operating expenses.
“This day offers an opportunity for those non-profits to raise those needed funds,” she said.
To donate to the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley, visit giveov.org. Nelson said people can then donate to the organization of their choice.
“You can search by animals, arts and culture, community improvement, education, health, human services, youth development, so it is a good opportunity. Each non-profit has a profile page that tells about the mission of their organization and how they are serving the community,” Nelson said.
This is fourth year for the online fundraiser. Over the past 3 years, West Virginia organizations have raised over $1.2 million.