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GCN update
▲(Top) Initial results from GAgives on GivingTuesday 2021 are in: More than 15,000 donors gave through GAgives.org, contributing a combined total of $4.1 million – a new platform record! Watch for total statewide results, and read some of our members’ success stories below.GAgives on GivingTuesday success stories
Wholesome Wave Georgia raised $13,088, nearly doubling their goal of $7,500: “For an organization that doubles the value of SNAP at local farmers markets, your generosity is very special to us.”
Multi-Agency Alliance for Children raised over $10,000 to fund individualized supports for youth in foster care.
With 824 donors on GAgives.org, The Georgia Military College Foundation was first on the WestRock Leaderboard, and raised a total of $650,000-plus.
Donations for STE(A)M Truck, a program of Community Guilds, surpassed their goal by 140 percent. In addition, 68 percent of their GivingTuesday donors were first-time supporters.
▲ Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity exceeded their $35,000 fundraising goal with upwards of $36,744 raised.
Trees Atlanta met their $15,000 fundraising goal, which was matched by a Challenge Grant from Assurant Foundation.
Giving Kitchen raised $32,892, “the equivalent of 65 months of rent, 219 gas bills, 328 power bills, or 657 water bills,” with help from an $8,000 matching grant provided by sunday and multiple Nashville businesses that pledged a percentage of their GivingTuesday sales.
Angels Among Us Pet Rescue brought in more than $80,000 in total, placing second on the WestRock Leaderboard with 750 donors, and also winning a WestRock Power Hour and a Marshall Jones Gives Back Power Hour.
Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta topped their fundraising goal of $10,000.
Open Hand Atlanta raised more than $40,000, eclipsing their fundraising goal of $33,000, with help from matching gifts made by the Levison Family Fund and an anonymous donor, plus an Arby’s Foundation End Childhood Hunger Power Hour win.
New American Pathways won an Aprio Passionate for What’s Next Power Hour and a Gas South The Difference is Good Power Hour on their way to topping the Carr, Riggs & Ingram Leaderboard by raising a total of $524,000-plus with help from 535 donors.
▲ Helping Furkids Animal Rescue and Shelters raise a total of $104,000-plus were two Power Hours wins, one from Aprio and one from Marshall Jones, as well as a fifth-place WestRock Leaderboard showing and two anonymous matching gifts totaling $35,000.
HealthMPowers raised over $50,000 in total and reached the top of the Arby’s Foundation End Childhood Hunger Leaderboard with 290 donors for a $2,000 prize donation. In addition, they won two Power Hours, one sponsored by Arby’s and one from Aprio.
With 86 donors, Latin American Association earned the top spot on the Primerica Community Heroes Leaderboard, which will provide them a $2,500 prize donation.
▲ Intown Collaborative Ministries took home two Power Hour prizes, one each from Gas South and Arby’s Foundation, as well as a WestRock Early Giving Prize to end their campaign with $60,850 raised.
Must Ministries raised more than $130,000 in total, and took the fourth spot on the Primerica Community Heroes Leaderboard.
Grantmakers
In lieu of their annual holiday party, The Home Depot Foundation surprised six nonprofits on GivingTuesday with $30,000 in unrestricted funding each, including Mary Hall Freedom Village. See the surprise happen here.
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta announced another $1.27 million in grants, 80 percent of which has gone to organizations founded, led, or serving BIPOC populations. Among the 24 nonprofits receiving grants are Communities in Schools Atlanta, COR, South Arts, Innovative Solutions for Disadvantage and Disability, and The Scholarship Academy. In addition, the Foundation released a new strategic plan, named TogetherATL, that names “equity” as the Foundation’s top priority.
Through their 2021 Business Grants program, Buy From a Black Woman recognized six business owners with a total of $7,000 in grants, plus trademark costs and website redesign services.
The Coca-Cola Foundation made a record $2 million leadership gift toward the Woodruff Arts Center 2021-2022 corporate campaign.
The first golf tournament of the Georgia Restaurant Association Foundation raised $73,000 to support Georgia’s ProStart Program and other opportunities for teachers and students.
Advocacy, equity, and justice
Fair Count launched a new voter engagement campaign called VOTE-365 on November 8, a full 365 days before polls close for the 2022 midterm elections.
Georgia Equality celebrated the Augusta Board of Commissioners’ unanimous passage of a nondiscrimination ordinance protecting LGBTQ residents and other marginalized groups, as well as the State Senate Judiciary Committee’s first official hearing on the need for nondiscrimination protections statewide.
The policy team from CAIR-Georgia was at the State Capitol multiple times in November to testify against partisan redrawing of congressional maps.
Animals, environment, and greenspace
Piedmont Park Conservancy is installing a new Giving Tuesday Garden near the bridge over Lake Clara Meer to honor their GAgives on GivingTuesday donors.
Atlanta BeltLine received a $16.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund the development of two more miles of the Southside Trail.
▲ At their latest cleanup event, Satilla Riverkeeper volunteers collected 2,648 pounds of trash from nine sites. In addition, the organization moved into its new Okefenokee Swamp Park headquarters.
Trees Atlanta planted over 600 trees for their Plantlanta 2021 project, despite having to put the effort on pause for the parade celebrating the Atlanta Braves’ World Series win. They also reported that 69,650 trees were planted in 2021 as part of their collaborative effort to plant or conserve one million trees for Metro Atlanta by 2030.
Arts and culture
Flux Projects released a mobile app called Here Song, created by artists Cannupa Hanska Luger and Ginger Dunnill, that allows users to create “tonal resonances” based on the landscape around them, “sonic stories that engage directly with the land.”
Human Services
Wholesome Wave Georgia gave a presentation on their Georgia Fresh for Less program in front of the Georgia State Senate Study Committee on Improving Access to Healthy Foods and Ending Food Deserts.
Voices for Georgia’s Children released a new report, Childhood Trauma: Defining, Preventing, and Mitigating Adverse Consequences, summarizing the latest research, analysis, and policy recommendations to help adults recognize the signs of trauma in children and support them.
▲ In partnership with multiple public, private, and nonprofit entities, Second Helpings Atlanta provided food for a Midtown Thanksgiving feast serving 250 food- or housing-insecure residents; TechBridge provided photography and videography for all nonprofits involved. In addition, Second Helpings packed 1,000 Thanksgiving meal kits and distributed them in a drive-through event at their warehouse.
Thanks to a donation from North Point Ministries, Atlanta Community ToolBank was able to add three new trailers to their inventory.
PBS Newshour featured Kate’s Club in a national story on children dealing with the grief of losing a parent or caregiver to COVID.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta celebrated the completion of its $2.35 million capacity building campaign and the official opening of their new office, located at The MET Atlanta, on November 16.
People
TechBridge Chief Development Officer Andre Dickens was voted in as the next mayor of Atlanta in the November 30 runoff election. Dickens will also be joining the TechBridge national board of directors.
The Center for Puppetry Arts announced new board members Ryan Dixon, Larry Mark, and John Tester.
Atlanta BeltLine welcomed Dennis Richards, Jr. as new Vice President of Housing Policy and Development.
GEEARS Executive Director Mindy Binderman received the Ambassador Award at Premier Academy’s 50th anniversary celebration gala, while GEEARS Health Policy Manager Callan Wells received the Black Child Development Institute of Atlanta’s 2021 Emerging Leader Award.
Kate’s Club named Adam Tessler their 2021 Volunteer of the Year, recognizing his years of dedication as a Buddy Volunteer and his more recent work as a board member.
This roundup was sourced from member and partner submissions, as well as their websites, newsletters, and social media channels; the Coxe Curry & Associates Week in Review newsletter; and GCN staff.
Marc Schultz is communications editor at GCN.
