Area nonprofits to benefit from online giving challenge

An annual day of online fundraising for nonprofits throughout the Midlands will be the biggest one yet, and a handful of Sumter groups stand to benefit from donors.

Central Carolina Community Foundation will connect "everyday philanthropists" with 415 nonprofits during Midlands Gives, an 18-hour online giving challenge that starts on Tuesday at 6 a.m. and runs through midnight.

Since its start in 2014, Midlands Gives has raised more than $7.25 million for local nonprofits in the Midlands' 11 counties. In 2018, the fifth anniversary of the event, the community raised more than $1.75 million for 372 organizations via 14,665 individual

donations, breaking all previous years' records.

"Midlands Gives celebrates our community's generosity," said JoAnn Turnquist, president and CEO of CCCF. "With record-breaking nonprofit participation, it's more important than ever for our region to come together to support these organizations. On May 7, we have the opportunity to top the charts again to provide much-needed funding to hundreds of terrific nonprofits."

In Sumter, the participating nonprofits are #WeBall4Destin Foundation, the CART Fund, Freedom Rings Rescue, Ragin Preparatory Christian Academy, Saving Sumter's Strays, Sumter County Gallery of Art, Sumter County Museum, Sumter Family YMCA, Sumter Habitat for Humanity, Sumter Little Theatre and Sumter United Ministries.

Clarendon County nonprofits include RBA Corporation, JCMC-Haven of Rest and Forgotten Tails Animal Rescue.

Funds raised through the event donated to the museum will go toward traveling exhibits and programming in the Temple Sinai Jewish History Center's new Ackerman Exhibition Hall, including the installation of the traveling exhibit "Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album" produced by the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect as well as two theatrical performances of the Anne Frank Center's "Letters from Anne and Martin," which combines the voices of Anne Frank and Martin Luther King Jr.

Any donations made to the museum through Midlands Gives on Tuesday will be doubled thanks to a match from Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital and Sumter Utilities up to $1,000.

Donations to the Sumter County Gallery of Art will be used toward community outreach programs including HYPE Afterschool program and the gallery's art camp scholarship fund.

Donations to the Sumter Little Theatre will help expand the theater education program.

All other participating nonprofits will use the money donated to them through Midlands Gives to help run their organization and programming that helps people and pets throughout Sumter.

With donations starting at $20, the online platform is easy to use. New this year, donors can set up automatic recurring gifts during the event.

CCCF moved to the First Base Building in the Bull Street District in January. Its new next-door neighbor, Segra Park, formerly Spirit Communications Park, will serve as the headquarters and central location for Midlands Gives this year. The ballpark's concourse served as headquarters for the event in 2016.

While all giving takes place online, nonprofits and community members are encouraged to come to Segra Park to cheer for their favorite charities on live television. Local stations will be on air during early morning, midday and evening broadcasts.

Midlands mayors and council chairs will again compete for regional causes in a pitching contest sponsored by Nephron Pharmaceuticals. Beginning at 4:45 p.m., local leaders will compete for an array of $250 prizes that will be donated to the nonprofits they select.

Corporate Philanthropy Champions - including Dominion Energy, Aflac, Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corp., BB&T, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Southeastern Freight Lines and more - are providing financial incentives, matching gifts and prizes for nonprofits. The impact of individuals' contributions of $20 or more will be amplified through these sponsored prize incentives. The full list of prizes can be found at https://www.midlandsgives.org/prizes.

Midlands Gives will again use CiviCore as its online platform. Easy to use on mobile devices, the website makes giving as convenient as online shopping. As always, after a 2.1% credit card fee and 2.8% technology fee from CiviCore, 100% of each contribution goes to the donor's selected nonprofit. Donors also have the option to cover the fees for their gifts. 71% of donors covered their gifts' fees in 2018.

For more information about Midlands Gives and to search nonprofits, go to www.midlandsgives.org.