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JAMESTOWN – An online event that is looking to boost fundraising efforts for non-profit organizations in Chautauqua County is underway.
Known as the Give Big CHQ campaign, the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation are teaming up to host this effort.
Tory Irgang, the Executive Director of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, tells us there are 120 non-profit organizations signed up and welcoming donors through midnight Thursday.
“I would challenge anyone to find a group that they care about,” explained Irgang. “We have got everything from animal welfare, the environment, youth services, older adults, community engagement, economic development, entertainment, historical organizations, libraries. It is not about finding one, but about how many I can afford to give to today.”
This year is the fourth year the event has taken place, which was designed to help non-profit organizations that had previously struggled to set up online donor options.
“We wanted to create an opportunity for more people to be generous and in our words philanthropic,” furthered Irgang. “We knew that online giving was something that many small non-profits and even medium sized non-profits were unable to accept online donations from technology or maybe the cost was prohibitive. They were relying on more traditional giving, a check in an envelope with a stamp that came in the mail”
During the pandemic, she says Give Big CHQ became even more important as many in-person events were called off.
“Fast forward to last year, when Give Big became the central way that nonprofits filled in the gaps of lost revenue from fundraising events that they were unable to have,” said Irgang.
While there is no specific amount requested to donate, Give Big CHQ serves as a median platform where the foundations are able to create their own profiles. Many of the organizations have taken it upon themselves to set up certain amounts people can donate that pertain to actions within their organizations.
“Some of them choose interesting amounts that relate to their work or their history. Some of them are connecting their giving levels to their service delivery, a certain amount for a certain service,” explained Irgang. “I would tell people to look through, you’re going to find funny, witty, heartfelt, trivia, it’s like online shopping but for charity.”
Those interested in finding an organization can go to GiveBigCHQ.org.
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